The Greatest NBA 2K Game of All Time

[Music] took flight rose above all change the game and became a legend it's pretty fitting that Michael Jordan was on the cover of the greatest NBA 2k game now I could see the argument for any 2k from 2k 11 through 2k 16 being the best but when you look at the impact the height in the overall package 2k11 brought to the table in October of 2010 I don't see how it could be topped of course a decade later the game playing graphics of 2k11 are outdated and it's missing some popular additions that were later added in other 2k games such as Park in my team but when you look at 2k 11 in its prime when the game was the newest and greatest basketball game that had ever released the energy surrounding the game has yet to be replicated by another two K's release since this is the game that ended NBA lives chances at market control the game that took my player to the next level the first 2k to have classic teams and players gameplay that revolutionized basketball video games no vici no microtransactions a legendary soundtrack the game that built the foundation for two K's rise to the top this is the NBA 2k game that left behind a legacy [Music] MBA 2k11 laid down the groundwork for two K's domination this was the same year EA nearly released MBA elite 11 the bar really wasn't high at all if 2k simply took MBA 2k 10 a great game in its own right and updated the rosters 2k11 would still have been a massive success however even without real competition visual concepts took it upon themselves to innovate further and push the envelope of what a basketball game could be operation sports voted NBA 2k11 as the greatest sports video game of the decade noting that NBA 2k11 was a turning point for basketball video games it will simultaneously the beginning of the end for the NBA Live series in the start of the true rise of the NBA 2k series it was the game where people seemed to realize that NBA 2k was not just out there to make the next yearly basketball game but rather become a series that was a love letter to the NBA as a whole in an era where sports games feel regurgitated in simply a roster update year after year 2k11 felt different this is noticeable from your first time booting up the game it throws you into Michael Jordan's first appearance in the NBA Finals going against a dominant Lakers team led by Magic Johnson this game felt like a time capsule of NBA history this wasn't just a video game this was an experience unprecedented at the time the game featured classic teams that were actually licensed in older sports games historic teams did exist but they had generic players filling up the team's 2k11 actually got the rights to the players making up these teams got their faces scanned into the game and immortalized these teams and players forever allowing people to experience an order era of the sport in a way that most never would have seen coming this is a feature that many take for granted today as NBA 2k continuously adds new historic teams a year after year but 2k11 introducing classic teams was a game changer the games featured mode was the Jordan challenge mode where players could play through the most iconic moments in Michael Jordan's career only that each moment have accurate teams and players but those players actually looked and played like the real-life counterparts did these historic players have their own signature animations that brought them to life anyone who watched basketball in the 80s or 90s would have immediately been able to tell which player was which the commentary and presentation was another insane detail to this mode the announcers would actually talk throughout each moment as if it was happening in real time doors burkewood mentioned that a certain player who missed that specific game due to injury couldn't play that money Kevin Harlan will mention Jordans specific struggles against a certain team or player or talk about matchups to watch if you actually made six threes against the Trailblazers Michael Jordan's player model would actually shrug playing these moments made you feel like you were actually there in that era and it was magical it's just one small feature that makes NBA 2k11 so great but it really did push the genre forward sports games could be so much more than a mere video game they could be time machines the Jordan challenge was actually pretty difficult which made the player respect just how insane Michael Jordan was in his prime it wasn't easy to average 11 assists over an entire NBA Finals series or drop 69 points in one game other 2k games have had similar modes with their cover athletes but 2k11 was the first the height behind this game and the game mode was insane as this was the first 2k game to have Michael Jordan in the game since he retired and expected afterthought today seeing MJ along with Larry Bird Magic Johnson Patrick Ewing and Karl Malone have recreated in a video game for the first time was special after completing the 10 challenges you unlock a rookie Michael Jordan to use in the career mode my player and you can then see how Michael Jordan's career could have turned out if he joined the NBA in 2010 speaking of my player this was the second year of the game mode as 2k10 introduced the game changing career mode in the previous year not much changed but compared to the grand movie like my career receipt today it's almost refreshing it to go back and play this older version of my player it's simple and to the point start out as a d-league scrub and work your way through your career trying to leave the best legacy you can you won't be locked in to long cut scenes with bad acting and you won't find the mode to be a tedious grind meant to push the player into buying VC instead you'll find that this mode existed for one reason to be fun don't get me wrong it was still a deep game mode however especially compared to other sports games postgame press conferences meant something as certain answers to certain questions could lead to teammates refusing to pass through the ball or even the crowd chanting traded but it wasn't full of flashy filler it was just basketball and I think a lot of people today would prefer that a game mode connected to my player that was exclusive to 2k 11 was the crew mode allowing users to team up with other my players online create a team and play online against other crews people missed this mode a lot as it was kind of like pro-am but with better matchmaking and more control over how your team's roster is filled out there wasn't a park in 2k 11 but some people might find that to be a positive while the park is an insanely colossal and creative undertaking that no other sports game even has a comparable game level to it was a no-brainer for 2k to monetize the mode and make it pay to win which effectively made it a negative for many people the same goes for my team the Association mode was the games Maile or franchise mode and it was super deep in fact NBA 2k11 z' association mode is deeper than the franchise mode in any twenty20 sports game besides 2k formatting to FIFA 2 NHL to MLB the show 2k was so ahead of the curve back then with NBA Elite 11 cancelled NBA Live fans who bought the game and stumbled upon this mode were amazed at the level of detail deft and immersion you could control and play through the dealy you had complete stat tracking from the Hall of Fame to team records to player records to league records the game mode was an MBA database that grew with your fictional universe the presentation of 2k11 was fantastic as well while EA held the ESPN license that they stole from 2k back in 2004 2k delivered a better and more realistic presentation with AT&T inspire broadcast the crowd stands up in reacts during these moments the sideline reporting of Doris Burke adds immersion and storylines to the game while Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg do a great job at sounding authentic the halftime show was phenomenal if you were playing 2k11 and someone walked into the room they might have thought you were watching a real game of course - Caze presentation has improved since toupee 11 but this game set the foundation it blew away every other sports game gameplay was a massive improvement over 2k 10 defense was overhauled completely and it shows the game wasn't as easy as people were used to you can't simply hold sprint and drive to the rim like you could in 2k 10 or NBA Live you had to play basketball by passing the ball setting screens and using police to get an open shot if you don't know how to run a playbook you better play on rookie even playing today the AI awareness of the defenders is impressive this was the first 2k to put pick-and-roll on the left bumper rather than on V or Circle which was a lot smoother and easier to run the game released with 10,000 new animations and almost every player had their own signature ones player movement in momentum is fluid and realistic and while the gameplay may feel a bit aged today for its time it was unprecedented the game's soundtrack was amazing this is pretty much unanimous from hits like over by Drake to hype music like serious by the Alan Parsons Project - underrated catchy songs like so far by the red land this soundtrack slapped it wouldn't be a great sports game without a great soundtrack in the description I put a link to a playlist of the soundtrack if you want to go check it out a few other features in this game were the situation mode which is a game mode I wish we saw in current sports games this mode allows you to pick two teams and create a scenario to jump into you'd set the score time left etc and then jump into it the game also had a cool feature where after each game you'd see a slideshow of screenshots the game took for you showing the best moments from the game in camera angles beating someone online and then sending them the screenshot of you posterizing them was awesome the game also featured a full customization suite for creating a team which was very in-depth for 2010 later - Caze have improved upon this however by allowing users to upload any image into the game for logos and patches but having a team creation suite is something that's easy to take for granted in soo k-11 having it in the game is worth noting NBA 2k11 set the stage for one of the most impressive runs in the history of sports video games from 2k 11 to 2k 16 2k was pushing the bar higher and higher in creating games that were actually worth the upgrade each year where other sports games were busy reinventing the wheel each year and losing features 2k started building upon a foundation that only grew stronger each year today's 2k games while riddled with microtransactions and server issues are still incredibly deep and destroy games like NBA Ville high fever or Madden because of the strong foundation 2k11 started that culminated with NBA 2k16 Michael Jordan was the perfect cover athlete for 2k 11 because like MJ 2k11 was the best for its time the gameplay was incredible the game modes were deep and fleshed out and the new features and innovations took the game from great to legendary it was everything you wanted in a sports game and then some NBA 2k11 was not just a video game it was an MBA experience created by people who loved basketball we may never again see the same type of drivin passion in the creation of a sports game that visual concept showed in 2k11 like Jordan the game has aged but no one can deny that in its prime the game was spectacular the greatest of all time [Music] you

Channel: SOFTDRINKTV

Views: 560,498

Keywords: nba 2k, nba 2k11, nba 2k12, nba 2k13, nba 2k14, nba 2k15, nba 2k16, nba 2k17, nba 2k18, nba 2k19, nba 2k20, nba 2k21, nba2k, nba live, nba elite 11, madden, fifa, retrospective, softdrinksports, softdrinktv, michael jordan, goat, video game, basketball

Id: lzaEg43sEDY

Length: 12min 18sec (738 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 14 2020