Entertainment

NBA 2K11 good, not great

NBA fans clamoring to get their hands on NBA 2K11 will finally get a chance to play as the newly aligned Miami Heat that was orchestrated by Heat GM Pat Riley.

A batch of historic teams that gamers will be allowed to play as for the first time is anticipated. Most notably will be ten Chicago Bulls teams from different years that Michael Jordan was a part of.

Michael Jordan has not been in an NBA game since 2004, while many other retired players have. Jordan is on the cover of this year’s game.

“They do remember me from ‘Space Jam,’ but not from basketball,” Jordan told ESPN. “So I felt like this would be a good opportunity to kind of expose them to that.”

NBA 2K11 devoted a mode of the game to Jordan, called the “Jordan Challenge,” which gives gamers the chance to replay ten of the greatest moments in Jordan’s career; from his 63-point game against the Boston Celtics in 1986 to his final game as a Bull in the 1998 NBA Finals.   

The presentation of the game is impressive. The game starts by putting the gamer right into game one of the NBA Finals in 1991, which was the first season Jordan won a championship.

If 2K sports would have gone the extra mile, they could have made the presentation exceptional.  They could have had 90s music playing when introducing players.  Players also may have enjoyed the NBA on NBC format.

NCAA Basketball 10 used CBS and ESPN College Hoops presentation, and it gave it a feel of actually watching a game.

Gamers will enjoy the commentary in the game.  For some sports games that is a major downfall.  Usually, the commentary consists of just filling in the blank with “‘Player’ is having a good game,” but in the games Jordan plays in they talk about the past performances from players in that year’s NBA Playoffs. Also, in regular games they go into detail for some players.    

The button scheme does take some getting used to, especially for people who are used to playing NBA Live. And while the graphics look good, there were not many improvements from last year’s version.

The cut scenes also get annoying very quickly, but luckily the game allows players to turn them off.  The online modes are improved, but they still need work.  They continue to have problems with their servers.

One of the most irritating things I find on EA Sports NBA series is nowhere to be found on NBA 2K11, and that is the consistent fouls that are called throughout the game. The game does not allow players to hack anyone by any means, but the gameplay is so smooth that it does not put gamers in awkward positions where players are getting fouls.

Many fans, including myself, have stuck with the prestigious EA Sports brand and played NBA Live, now known as “NBA Elite,” but as the years have progressed, 2K Sports’ NBA game has taken over the top spot for NBA video games. The delay on the release of NBA Elite seems to show that.