It’s official. The wait is over. No, not that wait. We may not be getting real NBA action anytime soon, but at least NBA 2K12 is doing their best to fill the time. And with their game looking extra crisp this year, it’s almost as if we’re playing the real thing.
NBA 2K12, the top-selling and top-rated NBA video game simulation franchise from 2K Sports, is now available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system, the Wiiâ„¢ system from Nintendo, PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStationPortable) system, and Windows PC.
“Hoops fans have long argued about the hypothetical outcomes among basketball’s most legendary players and storied teams,” said Greg Thomas, president of product development for 2K Sports. “We took that passion to heart in creating NBA 2K12, giving gamers the opportunity to end the debate once and for all with 15 electrifying basketball icons in NBA’s Greatest mode.”
I have not had a chance to really dig into the game yet, so I’m not exactly sure what I’ll do first. Normally every year is the same: pick out a franchise and jump into the preseason. But there are a few problems this year: no rookies (I’ll wait until a patch comes out when the lockout is lifted) and an unreal feature centering around the NBA legends.
Last year I didn’t even touch the Association mode until I had finished the Jordan Challenge. On the higher difficulties it took me some time (Okay, I’ll admit. I eventually cheated on some of the challenges. Stopping Clyde Drexler was ridiculous.). Alas, I finally finished and jumped into a franchise. Who to take though? That’s always a question. Sometimes it’s cool to take a team in major financial trouble – like the Knicks of the Isiah Era – and try to turn them around, shedding bad contracts. Other times, I’ll drive an organization from ashy to classy. You can also control an aging playoff contender and either push them over the top or keep them relevant.
My top 5 favorite Association mode teams:
1. Grizzlies – back before they were the Cinderella of the NBA, the Grizzlies had Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo and not much else. So I traded Gay and much of the rest of their team for draft picks and built a beast of a squad around John Wall, Derrick Favors and Mayo.
2. Knicks – back in the day, it was almost too easy to shed contracts. The computer was just a little too stupid. I get the sense it would be a lot harder now to trade away Eddy Curry, Jared Jeffries, Quentin Richardson, Jerome James and the rest in one of two seasons.
3. Pacers – for some reason, one of my roommates in college was obsessed with Indiana. No clue why; He was from Brooklyn (the CT version, not the famous one. Complete opposites). We’d play the computer two-on-one, and run games at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday nights, but still never finished more than two seasons.
4. Magic – this one is taking it back. In the old 2K games, was anyone more fun to play with than Tracy McGrady? With a bushel of terrible teammates, it made for a unique challenge.
5. Lakers – attempting to keep the vets relevant was always tough once the core started aging/retiring.
Besides that, My Player is a mode onto itself. It was fun last year, but the amount of hours you had to put in to make it worthwhile just weren’t going to happen. Perhaps this year will be different. 2K has promised the process will be faster.
My Twitter timeline and Facebook have been littered with people already talking the game up, already putting in time on the sticks. It’s making me jealous and angry. Hopefully everyone isn’t getting too much of a head start.
What’s the first thing you did/will do when you put in the game?
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