Intro: War? – System of a Down

Outro: War Pigs – The Dresden Dolls (cover)

Spoiler talk: 07:28 – 23:59

Intro: Stop: Before It’s Too Late and We’ve Destroyed It All – Atreyu

Outro: All for a Woman – The Airborne Toxic Event

Spoiler Section: 03:42 – 20:48

Intro: Battle Ready – Otep

Outro: Beautiful Loser – Bob Seger

Spoiler Section: 03:00 – 11:21

Intro: Batman: Arkham City Main Theme – Nick Arundel

Outro: A Slow Parade – A. A. Bondy

Spoilers at 32:07 – 55:10

Final Thoughts at 59:04

Allow me to throw something out there and get it out of the way. NBA 2K12 is a basketball simulation game, emphasis on “simulation.” NBA Jam this is not. Think Gran Turismo as opposed to Burnout. That’s not to say that you can’t pick up the game and have some fun, but those that are interested in getting the most out of what NBA 2K12 has to offer should know that it will take some practice. Some may find this intimidating, and some may even consider this a bad thing with the potential to alienate casual players. However, the game is what it is, and hats off to the developers for going out of their way to make the most authentic basketball game possible instead of the most cash-grabbing and accessible-to-everyone game possible because those who put in the time with this game are going to find a lot to love.

While NBA 2K12 does have a handful of modes in which you can perfect your dunk face, there are two that are the clear stand-outs: My Player and NBA’s Greatest. My Player returns with a ton of emphasis on all the ins-and-outs of becoming the next big thing in the NBA. Starting with the Rookie Showcase game, you’re then taken immediately into the draft process, including pre-draft interviews with prospective teams. After draft day, you’ll start working your way up the team ladder, earning minutes, becoming a starter, gaining popularity and working towards a championship, as well as bigger paychecks. All the while, you’re able to participate in post-game interviews, earn endorsements and customize pretty much anything you’d want to with your player.

This is the closest thing to a basketball-based RPG that one could ask for. Things like the interviews may not sound that intriguing, but when you get to make decisions about whether or your player comes off like a true-blue team player or a smart-assed loose cannon who thinks he’s the greatest thing to ever set foot on the hardwood, it really adds that much more of a connection between you and him. The numerous in-game objectives also keep every game interesting. Whether it’s trying to score a certain number of points or keeping your match-up under a certain shooting percentage, the objectives go a long way in making you work hard to really get a feel for the way the game plays and for the way solid basketball is played. This is especially true in the early games when your minutes per game are quite limited.

The depth and engaging play offered in My Player would have been enough to stand on its own. But the insane thing is that there’s more even more to this game. NBA 2K11 received a lot of praise for featuring Michael Jordan and giving players the ability to relive some the most memorable games in his illustrious career. NBA 2K12 takes it one step further with NBA’s Greatest by expanding the experience from one legendary player to fifteen of the greatest NBA players of all time. The game has you fill the shoes of players like Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Scottie Pippen and, once again, Michael Jordan for one game each.

Initially, I was concerned that the mode would lack the same feeling of depth since I was only getting one game per player instead of the ten we got last year with Jordan. However, an interesting thing happens while playing this mode: It becomes apparent that the depth is there, it’s just not where I expected it. Rather than giving you the history and highlights of a single player, the game treats you to a history of the entire league itself. The attention to detail here is staggering. From changes in camera placement and video filters to the hairstyles and uniforms, there is a definite sense of how the game of basketball has evolved over the past few decades, both stylistically and as a form of entertainment media. There is absolutely nothing lost or short-changed with the addition of all the extra players here. And the commentary provided for the games in this mode are a great listen themselves. Ranging from personal anecdotes to comparisons to today’s players, I’d never been more attentive to sports commentary before in any other game. NBA’s Greatest is a mode that other sports games should try and take a cue from if they’re really serious about taking their franchises into new territory. If they came up with something half as good, they’d already have a great addition to their games.

For gamers who haven’t exhausted themselves already on the amount of content offered in the modes above, the game does boast other features such as Move support for PlayStation 3 owners and a mode called The Association. The Association allows you and 29 friends to start and manage your own 30 team league, which sounds like a lot of fun if I had 29 friends that all owned NBA 2K12.

As I mentioned previously, this game is a simulation, and as such will take some getting used to. If you think you’re going to spring down the court and two-handed reverse jam every possession, you will be extremely disappointed. The gameplay is still as smooth as ever and has seen some additions to make things even more realistic. Things like shot variety and post play have been expanded to give players more options than ever. However, this is where the game does stumble a bit. Different shot types or actions are all based on different control mechanics and it can get to be a bit much. That wouldn’t be so bad if the game offered more feedback to the player so that they can correct themselves. Even the games practice drills, which are designed to help you get the hang of things, offer little direction in helping you perfect the execution of certain moves.

The other noticeable misstep comes from a bit of unevenness in the game’s reality that tarnishes the actual realism the game strives for. For example, I repeatedly did fantastically in shooting drills, however stepping out onto the court saw me missing numerous layups and uncontested “gimme” shots. It’s understandable that the player is expected to master mechanics, but there is something to be said for mechanics getting in the way of realism here. When you can play as Michael Jordan and miss wide-open layups because you may have flicked the Shot Stick slightly wrong, then the mechanic is hindering the realism. Obviously, this is something that players will get better at with practice, but as is, it can be couch-cushion-punching levels of frustrating at the start. Deep breaths and some patience will easily get committed players past some of these little blemishes.

Visual Concepts and 2K Sports could have easily ridden high on the success of last year’s game. With EA struggling to even get a basketball game out these days, the door was wide open for the opportunity to “take a year off” in terms of innovation and improvements. Luckily, that isn’t at all what has happened here. Offering about two times the amount of content as most sports games, as well as gameplay that continues to set the bar for the genre, NBA 2K12 has once again shown why the 2K series has EA scrambling. Anyone looking for a great sports experience and even those that have NBA 2K11 need to BUY IT.

PROS:

• Tons of content
• My Player mode plays like an incredibly engaging NBA RPG
• NBA’s Greatest gives you the History 101 course on the league
• Gameplay is still the best around

CONS:

• The learning curve can be steep at times
• The game could offer more feedback to help the player perfect the controls
• Sometimes the mechanics get in the way of reality

Final Verdict: Buy It

SPOILER WARNING: Story spoilers are discussed from 25:51 until 42:28.

Intro: The End - The Doors

Outro: The Gears - Dethklok

Intro Music: Coheed and Cambria – Welcome Home

Outro Music: Robert Palmer – Simply Irresistible

Intro: I Will Survive – Cake

Outro: Run Through the Jungle – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Intro Music by DJ Shadow

Outro Music by KMFDM