NBA 2K12

Just like the actual sports and pro athletes that our annual sports titles recreate, and more so than almost any other gaming genre, sports games are renowned for favouring studied refinement over dramatic progression. Those who take their sports gaming seriously tend to hang onto each new release in heated anticipation, eager to see how the developer has gone about recreating their sport of choice in an even more realistic manner than the year before. The NBA 2K franchise, 2K Sports' biggest earner, is one such series which has been constantly evolving, year after year coming ever closer to the perfect basketball simulation, an evolution which resulted in last years' iteration slam dunking on the competition and cementing its place as the clear genre leader. With a lack of serious challengers this year - EA Sports' NBA Live franchise has taken a seat on the bench for this round – one might have expected 2K Sports to take it easy and ride on the popularity of last years' impressive offering. It's a credit then to 2K Sports' dedication and commitment to the sport to see that NBA 2K12 presents not only a significant improvement over its predecessor, but probably the most authentic basketball game we've ever played.

A lot of what makes or breaks a sports game, especially one based on a sport with the kind of flow that makes pro basketball a pleasure to see in action, comes down to the way it feels to be on the court. Slick lay-ups and finger rolls, sneaky blind-side passes, the fake and jumpshot for three points, the silky smooth alley-oop and dunk - watching the people who are paid to do this for a living is watching sweaty, 7ft tall poetry in motion. And NBA 2K12 gets it right more than any basketball game that came before it. Get your head around the control scheme, which will take a while if you are new to the franchise, and it soon becomes a fluid, rewarding experience to guide your team to glory. Everything feels so perfectly weighted, from player movement to the physics which govern the ball itself - making for a very realistic session on the polished maplewood court.

Your time on the court has been made more interesting this year, with a number of substantial upgrades to the game modes from last years’ title. A stand-out feature of NBA 2K11 was the nostalgia-fueled Jordan Challenge mode, lacing gamers into the massive Nike Airs of the legend himself to take on a series of historical scenarios. This year that concept is taken to new heights, and is once again one of the key elements of the game. The new NBA’s Greatest mode gives players control over a selection of the biggest names in the history of the sport - the likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen - and puts them up against one another in a series of classic match-ups. A lot of effort has gone in to make these rivalries from the past look the part too, with TV presentation brilliantly recreated to match that from the correct era. Watching the broadcast style change over the years, along with the hairstyles and the length of the shorts, is quite charming and makes the NBA’s Greatest mode really shine.

It’s not all retro-fabulousness though, and the modern game has also had its fair share of tweaks this year. The My Player mode has made a solid return for NBA 2K12, having undergone some needed streamlining - especially in the early stages of your career. The long winded start of last years edition has been reworked, this time sending you out for a rookie showcase match right away, setting your player up to be drafted straight into the pro game without worrying about seasons in the development leagues. It’s then up to you to work your way up the ladder of success, ensuring yourself a secure place in the team and working on becoming the essential playmaker that all the other franchises are dying to sign. There is a lot of depth to the whole process, and the ability to shape the destiny of your player on route the to ultimate goal - becoming a Hall of Fame ballplayer - makes the My Player mode the mode of choice for those wanting the full basketball experience.

If the idea of taking the long road to NBA glory alone doesn’t appeal to you, there is always the traditional team-based Association mode which gives you control over the whole team and many aspects of your NBA franchise. Association mode has survived pretty much in tact, with tweaks this year being more about play balancing than any serious changes to the core game. It’s in this mode that some of the gameplay adjustments become most apparent - probably because you spend so much time actually controlling a full team on the court. The opponent AI, for one thing, reacts in a more realistic way, with far fewer instances of unbelievable extrasensory perception which made last years’ match-ups occasionally feel unfair.

Improvements to the TV-style presentation are also most apparent during your time as an Association boss, and it’s a part of the game which gives NBA 2K12 a serious boost over the competition. Beyond just visual flair, the quality of the commentary is second to none, with a natural flow which hardly ever drops the ball. There is still work to be done from a graphics perspective, especially when you get right up close to your players - some of which look fantastic while others are a little rough around the edges. Still, in an industry where EA Sports are heralded as the kings of sports game presentation, NBA 2K12 presents serious evidence that 2K Sports are a force to be reckoned with. Sadly the same can’t be said for the lacklustre implementation of the online component here. Sports games can be great fun when up against a human opponent of similar skill, but connection issues, some game-changing lag, and a lack of unique online modes mean that this one is better off played on your own or with a friend in old fashioned couch multiplayer.

A big part of what gives NBA 2K12 its heart and soul is the way that it gives us a chance to be the baller - to be the guy who builds himself up from a rookie into the star player who brings the crowds to fill the stands. Sure, there are occasional visual glitches and some residual instances of super-AI sentience, along with a lacklustre online component, but the intuitive and astute gameplay, the sense of real presence on the court, coupled with the simply amazing quality of the presentation and the honour of being able to step onto the court as one of many NBA heroes, make this years effort the most convincing reflection of the sport we’ve seen. Obviously this will all be less enthralling for those who don’t care much for the sport to begin with, but even so, a tight, graceful and engrossing sports game like this deserves the attention of more than just hardcore NBA fans.

Pros: