NBA 2k11 Review

Story by Alex Wunrow 

| Published Oct 26, 2010

A friend once told me that playing sports video games is nerdier than playing “World of Warcraft.” I tried to disagree with them, but then I was reminded that I’ve purchased every edition of the Madden football series since 2000. Which, I guess is more dedication than I’ve ever expressed toward any woman, including my mother.

But sports nerds are my favorite nerds, and with the release of “NBA 2K11” earlier this month, sports nerds across the nation have been rejoicing.

The 2K series has long been heralded as the superior company in producing basketball games over EA. This year that thought process was magnified so much that EA had to delay their release of their own NBA video game, just so they could make their game within the same realm as 2K11.

Any other year, a choppy game with a gimmicky control system would have still sold a fair amount of copies, and EA would just go back and fine-tune it for next year.

Unfortunately for them, 2K may have just made the finest sports game ever created.

The game play of 2K11 is quite possibly the most fluid of any game ever made, and with the confidence that this game was going to be one of the greatest ever, 2K put the greatest ever on the front cover — Michael Jordan.

Aside from dazzling game play, with astonishing attention to detail — whether it be making Kobe’s shot look like he’s in your living room or letting LeBron James burn the house down with a deafening jam — 2K went one step further, putting Michael Jordan into the game.

Not only does the newly fashioned “Jordan Challenge” pin you as one of Jordan’s legendary teams, it pins you against one of the many legendary teams that Jordan had to pound through in order to collect his six rings.

The challenges range from nailing six threes in the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers while Jordan simply shrugs, to taking on Larry Bird’s ‘85 Boston Celtics. Not only does the challenge give the gamer an appreciation for the level of difficulty that Jordan faced, but it gives them an understanding of how remarkable the feats were that Jordan made look so easy.

But what it all comes down to is game play, and 2K11 has sharpened the details more than enough. And as long as they keep building on what they’ve done this year, 2K11 will always be king.