Developer: 2K Sports
# of players: 1 player, 10 online
Platforms: PS3 360 Wii PC PSP
Genre: Sports
Release: Oct 5, 2010
ESRB: E-Everyone(Everyone)
Mean As Hell Rating
9/10
The greatest player of all time meets one of the greatest NBA games as Micheal Jordan returns in NBA 2K11. But did you ever imagine that Jordan would be a weak link on the basketball court?! I mean come on; he's only the six-time NBA champion! In any event; you get to play as his Airness for the first time on current consoles. That is great and all but you know how good news and bad news come hand and hand... Micheal Jordan is in the game but his presence is overshadowed by improvements in just about every other facet in this awesome NBA simulator. Ok, maybe it's all good but I wanted to point that out..
Most NOOBS(you know who you are)will want to play NBA 2K11 using only aspects of Micheal Jordan's career(and you can)and it would still be an awesome game. But that is only a fraction of what's in the game. It is easily the deepest basketball game ever not to mention one of the deepest sports games I've ever played. It will take you months to get through this game on the first runthrough. and you can bet your sweet behind that you are going to want to get as much out of the game as possible, every part is as good as the last because this baby never lets up.
When I first saw the game in action, I honestly thought I was watching a basketball game on TV. In addition, the stellar team of announcers of Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg are GREAT!! Sorry, couldn't resist. You have camera angles that make it feel legit and there are even promotions for upcoming games that are akin to what you'd see on TV. The developers knew their stuff indeed!
Now truth be told; Micheal Jordan is really no better than a bench warmer in NBA 2K11. That notwithstanding, it is impossible to ignore his presence. When you fire up the game for the first time you're introduced to the #23 legend as he walks into court for the player intros for the 1991 NBA finals. How ironic that you take control of Jordan in 2K11 in a game that he lost in real life. But it is a nice nostalgic nod to see these classic Lakers and Bulls teams recreated. There is an entire mode to replaying Jordan's most memorable games and it is a welcome reminder of the NBA glorious past. All the key moments are here. The Flu Game? Check. The Shrug Game? Check. Do you remember "The Iceman" George Gervin once played with the Bulls? 2K does and he's here too.
But let me be frank; the Jordan challenge mode isn't much fun at all. If you want to come out a winner in each of the 10 games you have to reach certain statistical accomplishments. If you fall short you have to restart from the first quarter and that sucks! I mean it basically makes you choose goals over greatness but at the same time devalues Jordan's achievements and makes you play like a ball whore.
The blast from the past stuff may be a lil lackluster but on-court action is realistic and very satisfying representation of the real thing. Now the game doesn't hold your hand; you have work at getting good at the new Dynamic Shot Control and Isomotion Dribbling Controls. And you're going to want to because there are nearly 50 moves to learn and incorporate into any game situation. Seriously, you could play for hrs trying to master this stuff on tutorial alone. Having patience is a given but getting it right is more satisfying. You could play "old school" and just press buttons but you would be selling yourself short.
But wait there is more... you get a slam dunk contest with the Blacktop mode. You also get a 3 point shooting contest, one on one and a game of 21. That's wassup! The only real issues I had with the game was the online segments. Lag plagued me in every mode, occasional hiccups are annoying, When you try to take on more than one player in team up mode it is almost stop and go. What kinda hurts the game on realism is that the players are clueless in loose ball situations. On long rebounds or steal attempts, they mostly just stand idly by while the rock rolls away from them. Another problem I had was that layups and point-blank shot are still to easy to miss, as always they can hurt critical moments.
What more can I say; this game is a huge improvement over last years. Everything has been improved and overhauled. It is the platinum standard of the genre. I was think that maybe 2K should take a chill pill and take off 2012 because I don't know how they are going to top this. Or maybe the Mayans are right and the world will end because that is the only thing that will keep fans from playing this gem!
I loved this game and give it 9/10. It is one of the best sports game I have ever played and is worth your time and money, don't miss out.
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