The NBA is fun again!
First of all, the game is visually stunning. The arenas look great, the majority of the players look awesome, and the visual presentation of the entire game is just well done. When I say visual presentation I'm referring to replays, highlights, and recaps that are some of the best that I've ever seen. The game just looks like basketball. Not only that, but it visually "looks" like there's a basketball game going on. By this I mean that the way the AI performs makes it look like there's an actual basketball game going on. They react correctly to moves and decisions made by the player, which just makes it look and feel real. The only negative that I would mention visually is related to the way that some of the players look. I have to give a precursor when I say this in that I am not racist at all. However, the "white" NBA stars look much much worse than their "black" counterparts. Players like Kobe, Dwight Howard, and Lebron James all look exactly like themselves. However, players like Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki just look downright stupid in the game. I also had a very very hard time creating a "white" player in the My Player mode. Again, this isn't a huge problem, just something that I noticed while playing.
The gameplay itself, as I alluded to above, is awesome. I've played basketball a lot growing up and I think I have a fairly high basketball IQ. I've been very skeptical of the way that players react to certain moves, or picks, or closing in on open spaces, but 2K11 fixes all of these problems. Now I'm not going to overly hype it and say that it's perfect. There are times when an AI player will transition to the wrong offensive player, or they may make some other off the ball mistake, BUT 9 times out of 10 they get it right. Playing the game is also just really fun. The iso motion system is really well done. There are times when the moves are a little hard to pull off, but I think it's fair. The moves are very hard to actually accomplish so I like the fact that there is some degree of difficulty associated with them in the game. Otherwise it would just be too easy and not too much fun.
The game modes in this game are great. The My Player mode is by far one of the best create-a-player modes I have EVER played. This game reminded me of Madden '05 when I couldn't put the controller down because I loved the My Player so much. I find myself just always saying... "Well one more game couldn't hurt." It's just FUN! The other part that I love is that it's not overly easy. I'm midway through my rookie year and I'm sitting at a 50 overall on my player. That's nice though! I don't want to be an 80 right away. I enjoy progressing with my player and actually having a nice level of difficulty associated with it. The one problem that I do have with it is that I feel it's EXTREMELY hard to get assists. However, that's more of a personal problem more than it is a problem with the game. It's pretty hard to get an actual assist in real basketball anyways, so it's pretty fair. The Association Mode is also one of the best franchise modes I've played in a while. The reason being is that it's not overly complicated. It's easy to just go through the season and enjoy playing. It also does a nice job of combining actually playing with the team and managing the team, something that I feel is unfortunate that EA has gotten away from. I think EA needs to take a page from 2K sports here and revamp their franchise modes. Also, the bonus modes in the game are a blast. My friends and I have had a pretty good time competing against one another in the 3 point contest, the dunk contest, and games of 21. I think these mode add a great amount of extra replayability that is quite enjoyable because they don't require you to be as good as everyone else when it comes to the game. And the Jordan Challenges are one of the best things ever!
That leads me to a completely different topic: Jordan being in this game is AWESOME! I've loved Jordan ever since I was a kid, who hasn't? I remember the days of NBA Jam when you couldn't play as Jordan, you just played as a faceless 23. But for him to finally allow himself to be represented in a game, and for 2K to give him the proper respect he deserves, it's just amazing. The Jordan Challenges are a blast. Unlocking the multiple Air Jordans: Brilliant! It's just very very well done, and something that the twenty-somethings like me will really really enjoy. However, I can also understand how it may be a little bit daunting to complete all of the challenges. They're quite long and have some pretty high requirements solely of Jordan, but if you're like me you will not be disappointed in the fun that they bring. I mean I got to play in the Flu Game!
Since I've highlighted everything that the game has done well, I'm now forced to touch on the one part that it slacks in and the thing that stopped me from giving it a 10. That thing is: it's multiplayer. Don't get me wrong, 2K definitely had the right idea here. Being able to compete either 1v1 or 5v5 in a basketball game is really fun. However, I've yet to play in a game where there hasn't been horrible horrible lag. It may just be my connection and I may be one of a few people that actually experience the problem. However, this is my review so I have to state the problems that I have with the game. This is really my only one. I wish the multiplayer were better, but at the same time I could have been much worse. Maybe we'll see improvements in 2K12.
All in all, at the end of the day, and like I previously mentioned, NBA 2K11 is the BEST basketball game I've ever played. 2K11 is for basketball exactly what Fifa 10 and NHL 10 were for soccer and hockey: REVOLUTIONARY! EA Sports will be forced to take not of what 2K is doing and change what they are doing when it comes to basketball, however I think that if 2K continues to build upon this amazing title, they will always produce the better basketball game. Even if you don't enjoy basketball, I think you'll enjoy this game. Rent it, borrow it, buy it, I don't care. Just get this game in your system and start throwing down on the hardwood. Oh... It has a great soundtrack too.
Visuals: 9.5
Gameplay: 10
Game Modes: 10
Controls:9
Multiplayer: 7.5
Soundtrack: 11