NBA 2K11 Review

Michael Jordan has yet again come out of retirement and is looking to make one last championship run with the team of your choice. Headlining the cover of an NBA licensed videogame for the first time ever, it would only make sense that the greatest player of all time would be showcased in undoubtedly the greatest basketball videogame of all time – "NBA 2K11."

Before even seeing the main menu screen, the gamer is immediately transported to the old Chicago Stadium for game one of the 1991 NBA finals which featured the Bulls against Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. With a camera focused on Jordan standing in the tunnel of the stadium, his Airness shifts his head towards the screen and simply asks, "Are you ready?" He then turns back around and heads onto the basketball court to the cheers of crazed fans paying witness to the Bulls on in their first NBA finals appearance ever.

When word went out that Michael Jordan would grace the cover of "NBA 2K11," many fans wondered how he would be integrated into the game. 2K Sports developers not only incorporated Jordan into the game, they recreated ten of Michael Jordan's greatest career performances in a game mode called the "Jordan Challenge." In this mode, you must recreate Jordan's greatest career performances including the flu game in which virtual Michael Jordan must score at least 38 points, record 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and win the game. If any of these goals are not met by the end of the game, you must start over and try again. The "Jordan Challenge" lives up to the name it has been given and proves to be quite difficult at times, as you are brought back to the past to play the glory teams of the late 1980's and early 1990's, such as the Celtics, Lakers, Pistons and the Jazz.

Upon completion of all ten Jordan challenges a new game mode is unlocked, in which a user can draft Jumpman 23 as a rookie onto the team of their choosing. However, there is a downside to this game mode as there is a restriction player lock on Michael Jordan, meaning you can only control Jordan and not the rest of the team. After each game you get a score based on how well Jordan is clicking with the team. Ball-hogging and bad shots result in a bad score whereas sharing the ball and making plays improves Jordan's ratings.

Not only does the Jordan upgrade help make this game one of the most dominant of its kind. Improved artificial intelligence (AI) makes this game one of the most realistic videogames on the market. The days of making pinpoint precision cross court passes, breaking a defender's ankles and sprinting in for a monster dunk are over. Increased AI makes you work for every point scored during the games and proves to be quite the challenge, no matter what a player's skill level is. Success in games depends on how well you utilize your playbook by keeping opponents on their toes.

Also new to the game this year are the player control aspects. From dribbling to passing to scoring, every aspect of the game is player controlled. This new control system happens to be quite hard to get the hang of; however once mastered, gamers can develop a certain style to their game and ultimately control their fate at the end of ballgames.

The "NBA 2K" series has been neck and neck in previous years with the EA Sports "NBA Live Series" (now called "NBA Elite"). This year, "NBA 2K" developers had the goal of edging past their rival basketball videogame franchise. The game is so intimidating that this year's "NBA Elite" game has actually been cancelled.With Michael Jordan gracing the cover, as well as the pure realism of the game, "NBA 2K 11" is truly one of a kind – just like Mike.