Basketball vs Videogame

While it remains to be seen what kind of video game NBA 2K12 will be upon release. One thing is for absolute certain... It is one HELL of a BASKETBALL game.

As a video game you may not like isomotion vs right stick dribbling. You may prefer physics in real time vs the animations and physics engine of 2k. You may disagree with the color palette or think myplayer is not all that it should be.

However when it comes to actual basketball strategy 2K12 is the absolute best there has ever been...  Period !

2K12 does things both offensively and defensively that have never been done, either at all ... or to this degree; in a basketball game.

No one outside of the dev team has spent as much time with this game as I have. In the last 2 days alone I have spent easily 18-20 hours a day; capturing and analyzing this game.

There are things I don't like about the game. There are very few 2 player animations in comparision with 2K11 but some of them can still be a bit grabby. Although the ones that are allow you to break out of them or spin out of them I still wish they weren't there.

Despite my pleading they decided to leave in some automatic defensive stuff like if you don't move your stick on defense and you man passes or jab steps sometimes your player will feint at the passing lane or react to the jab step. I freaking HATE that with a passion. They have it so that if you start to move when that happens your player immediately reacts to your command. Once or twice however,  I was trying to back up and would get pulled into the passing lane feint move.

Another thing that bothers me is the new physics effect you when your bumped by other players. ( of course) Sometimes the bump causes you to feel a bit weightless and for a slight instant you can loose control of your player. Yes it's a nitpick and it doesn't happen often but hey, I wish the players had more weight on them in these instances.

The fact of the matter is that NONE of the nitpicks above keep me from enjoying this game. It still feels fresh, new, fun, and entertaining.

The reason why is simply this. Animations can get old, but strategy lives forever.

When the offensive and defensive sides of the pick and roll are working like they should; every time you run it your straight Forrest Gump. It's a box of chocolate's and you never know what your going to get.

What that means is each possession you still have to make the right decisions and then execute upon those decisions for 48 minutes to secure a victory. It's complete interaction. No sitting and watching. Almost every move in the game can be broken out of.

The team and player differentiation is absolutely off the charts. No two teams that I have watched or played has felt the same. Their offense is different and although the cpu does not walk the ball up the floor that I have seen, there is a noticeable difference in the tempo's teams play with. It seems that the cpu get's the ball into the front court at the same speed and then varies from there. So it is difficult to detect at first but after awhile you start to feel the difference

And on top of that it is absolute F.U.N.

Those who have been with the SIM Nation know that if I don't like something I tell you. ( NBA 2K9, NBA 2K10). You also know that I am never afraid to like something that most may not.

With that said I absolutely LOVE NBA 2K12.

I know without a doubt that some people legitimately may not like NBA 2k12 as a video game. But as a BASKETBALL game there has been no better attempt to replicate the intracasies of the NBA. If you haven't checked out the series on Inevitability . Check it out to see what kind of strategy awaits you on Oct 4.

On that day all of the SIM Nation, young and old, will all join hands and sing that old SIM Nation spiritual

Don't play video games. Play BASKETBALL !

Your President,

Da_Czar