By Cameron Tillett–
So it’s already early November and there’s been almost no development on the NBA lockout front. This is particularly depressing since the levels of talent, competition and overall star power in the league have been on an upswing since the boring days of Pistons and Spurs Championships.
We were supposed to be seeing Blake Griffin emerge as the most exciting player in the league since LeBron was drafted. We should be watching the Knicks experiment as it either comes together or completely falls apart. We’re supposed to be watching Dirk and the Mav’s title defense season against hungry young superstars like Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and the Heat. Instead, most fans are just hoping some agreement can be reached so that there’s even a season this year. And that’s a best case scenario.
Luckily, college basketball can’t get locked out. That doesn’t mean there’s not a hole in the collective heart of basketball fans across the country. The college version is basketball at its purest form, but the NBA is basketball at its highest level of play. Both are beautiful in their own right, but one can’t replace the other.
So what are the downtrodden and desperate fans of the NBA to do? Well, it might not completely fill that Brian Cardinal-sized hole in their life, but NBA 2K12 is one of the best ways for a basketball junkie to their fix.
The 2K franchise has dominated the basketball video game market for a few years now. No other games produced have even measured up to NBA 2K10 or 2K11. And the latest installment has only upped the bar that much more.
Attention to detail is one aspect that’s helped them do so well. Kobe fades on his jump shot. When Rondo gets into the lane, the player can make use three ball fakes before scoring or passing off to a teammate for a score. Facing up with Dirk is almost unstoppable. Knock down a big three with Jason Terry and he’ll run down the floor like the Jet. All the little details that make an NBA basketball game what it is are present in this game.
This aspect of the game translates to the player feeling like he or she has actual control of an NBA player. Thus pitting two 2K players against one another can have the same thrill of an actual NBA game. Watching Zach Randolph knock down a game winner will cause players to fist pump the same way they would watching an actual game. Rivalries develop between players the same way they do in an actual game.
In short, 2K12 won’t completely fill the void left by the NBA lockout, but it’s a good way of distracting yourself from it.
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Photo courtesy 2k Sports
