Since the Early Days of Madden, I haven't really enjoyed sports games; and I don't care for basketball that much either; but last year NBA2K 11 ascended to the scene and brought basketball gamingl (and the Sports Game genre) to a new level. Things would never be the same again. A lot to live up to.

However, NBA2K 12 meets the high standard set by its predecessor and builds on the smart gameplay and graphical design. Even more than last time, you feel as if you control the players. And oh the players to choose from. Its like 2K took the NBA2K game and super sized it . I am still not comfortable with all the controls, but its fun learning, and that is saying something in and of itself.… Expand

No season, no problem. This is more of a beta review/first impressions since I have not had time to play it in-depth, but seems to me like it's 2K11 2.0. I'm just happy it works, I had to return 2K11 before last year's finals because it just stopped working after several PS3 firmware updates. In fact, even with the very first load, I could not connect to the 2K servers (waited 10 minutes before cancelling). At least, it seems the network play is decoupled from offline play so that we can enjoy either just fine (hoping this is the case). Graphics are crisp and text seems even clearer than before. Controls are responsive and I saw no glitching after an hour of play, smooth framerate. Default sound is skewed heavily towards arena/ambient sounds and even with 100 volume on the announcers, you could hardly hear them over the crowd noise and organ. Agree with one of the critic reviews that character models are improved in some places, worse or no change in others. Same announcing team, more sponsors. Announcing is great but I saw an awesome dunk on a computer vs computer and didn't hear the emphatic shout from Clark Kellog. Seems like a good mix of tracks on 2K beats, but I miss Snoop's 2K theme from last year. I also liked 2K11 showing some of the Arena locations and external shots. Have yet to see that here. Looking forward to getting into Association and My Player to check out improvements there. However, it looks like they took away the 3 point shooting contest and other street ball features and replaced it with a generic NBA blacktop mode. Hmm. Anyway, while we wait for the real NBA to get its act together, this will keep the fans busy.… Expand

Holy God is this game good! I hate sports games but 2K games are another story! This is incredible, graphics are unbelievable, gameplay almost perfect, I have no complaints about this game. Best Basketball game of all time right here hands down. Only complaint I have is that these guys got shut out by EA at doing a good football game. Buy this right now worth every single penny!

Best basketball game I have ever played. I played a lot basketball games on the PS2 and enjoyed most of them. This is my first basketball game on the PS3 and this is better than all the previous basketball games I have played.

In light of the ongoing NBA lockout and the absence of competing hoops sims, it's really fortunate that 2K12 is the greatest basketball title ever made. I've stuck with this series since the Dreamcast titles and I've never been disappointed. Feature-rich, deep and rewarding gameplay, amazing animation... the only game that can top this is next year's 2K13.

I would have rated this game a 10 but this game is good but far from perfect. Gameplay and animations are improved versions of last year's. Controls are slightly different (can be a good and a bad). What makes this game really stand out from the previous 2k Sports games are the NBA's Greatest challenges. It's fun to play old classic players and teams but what makes this mode so great is it's presentation. You will feel like you are actually there. You play Celtics with Bill Russell and the screen will be black and white and the scoreboard will look like what it should've looked like before and there will be no three-point line. My Player changed for the better and is not as boring as it was before. I still find it boring to be playing only one guy but 2K made enough changes for it to be a little more fun and less boring. But like I've said this game is far from perfect. 2K may have improved some things but last year's problem is still found in 2K12 which is ONLINE. Online in 2k12 is really bad and it will most likely disconnect before you even finish the game. But NBA 2K12 is good game especially for fans like me who have nothing to do during the lockout.… Expand

An NBA game that's good, i never thought i'd see the day. this game is easier than 2K11 since i am a terrible 2K player and even i can be good at it. the my player mode took awhile, and bored me a little. my favorite part was playing quick match over and over and over.

NBA2K12 IS THE BEST NUBER# 1 IS GOOD GOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD… Expand

An amazing and well crafted sports game. The only sports game I will ever pick up too. The 2k Series revamps its My Player mode making it easier in ways, and more exciting in others. This game doesn't cease to dissapoint and will, I repeat will, keep the gamer engaged at all times whether it be My Player or Legends Mode. Its a must buy. Perfection in basketball as a game. That's what it is.

Even with the lock out going on this game is loads of fun, the new mechanics gives u more options on wat u want to do post up wise and even dribbling it feels as if u have more control and they even added more signature shots now when lebron shoots it actually looks like its his jump shot not that in the past it didnt but they made it even more realistic. 2k sports continue what your doing because its working and Thank you for finally fixing the my player mode now i actually look forward and have fun playing now that i feel i can finally reach my player to an all star.… Expand

awesome! worth every penny i paid, tons of fun and graphically stunning. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$4

Terrific Basketball experience. Online isn't that great but the game itself has great longevity if you enjoy some NBA. Still some things here id like to see improved, such as the player creation system who you will find allot of generic looking guys. Great association mode.

A fantastic sports game, perhaps the best I have ever played. The presentation is very close to a television broadcast and the gameplay is very good. I see some people have criticised the shooting as if you have a 99 rated player and you get an A+ shot away you can still miss but that is why he is rated 99 and not 100. Even MJ missed shots which he should have scored. That is sports.

The one negative point is that 2K seem unable to do faces properly especially the face of my favourite player, Steve Nash. He looks like a gorilla in the game which is ridiculous. Sort it out and this game would get a 10.… Expand

I cannot tell you how many times I cursed this game, threw my paddle and swore I would never boot it again. The most intriguing portion of this game is the player creation that starts your career as a young, mediocre player... and it is very hard, and frustrating... at first. However, I kept picking up the paddle, kept putting in the game. Something about it kept me wanting. Then, something changed. I played through some of the new Training sessions, ran through some scrimmages, and kept plugging away and spending my ability points. I finally got it. I was scoring 25 points a game (5 min quarters) hitting my goals, etc... We did not win much as the rest of my team was horrifyingly bad (Jazz), but grew through the ranks, was traded, and am now having a blast working towards a Championship and eventually Hall of Fame. I can now say this is a very, very good game. The work definitely pays off, IMO. Keep trying. This is not an arcade game, it is an NBA game. The complexity makes it far more enjoyable than any "blast and dunk" game, it merely takes a little work to find the gem this is.… Expand

great game alot better then madden 12 in my opinion even though i am a huge madden fan after madden 10 i couldnt stand playing madden so i bought nba 2k12 and wow its really good feels really realistic and having all of the classic teams and players is extra special however lag online and constant server issues, and a lack of dunk contest keep this game from being perfect

As socokid has noted the My Player mode can seem quite unforgiving at first but stick with it. My player has definitely been improved from 2k11 you start off with mediocre stats as opposed to being terrible in 2k11 and gain skill points for completing training drills, winning matches and completing certain tasks assigned before and during a game. Gameplay is about as good as it gets in any sports game for mine, the presentation is absolutely top notch, I love the commentary which has very good variety with such gems as "he's barreling in there with bad man intentions". I'll take a moment to address the shooting which has been lambasted on here by some, firstly ignore the shot helper (this is the icon that pops up when you shoot, which shows either a green or red shooting symbol on the screen) it's basically useless, you can get green and have a 99 shot rating and be unguarded and you can and will still miss, now like all NBA games that I've ever played you try to release the ball at the top of the players jump for the best chance of a shot going in, choose a jumper where your player jumps (ie not Paul Pierce or similar style) and watch your player, it takes practice but once you've cottoned on you should be fine, secondly your shot success depends on a lot of factors just like in a real game, if you have a guy right in your face then this makes your shot harder, if the player happens to be taller than you this will make your shot harder, if you shoot off the dribble and don't set yourself = harder shot, I'm sure you're getting the picture by now. I will take a stab and say that most people giving low ratings are having trouble with the shooting mechanics, I just say take what I've put into account and you will improve. General gameplay wise the game is not perfect, in fact it can be very frustrating and the game IMO does cheat at certain times, for instance on a fastbreak with no one on me with the scores close in the last part of a game the computer has made me miss dunks (I can't recall ever seeing that happen IRL). The computer AI has psychic pass interception powers and superhuman reflexes ie you can pass to a team mate with a computer AI opponent in between and even if you are close to your team mate and the AI is looking at your team mate and not you, the computer can will often intercept your pass, so beware. Sometimes the AI just does not want you to win a game, this will become obvious rather quickly, as in some games with my Layup rating of 91, my player will repeatedly miss uncontested layups, my shots will always bounce out and away from the rim, with the computer nailing shots from everywhere defended or not and getting good bounces all game, in fact I've had a buzzer beater go more than halfway into the basket and pop back out, the computer will just plain cheat IMO and there's really no 2 ways about it. Having said that it doesn't happen too often and although it really grinds my gears at times, I always come back for more, am I a glutton for punishment, maybe. Is it a great game, damn straight!… Expand

this is the greatest sports game i have ever played next to NFL 2k5. if your a basketball fan this is a must buy! you will not want to put the game down, i could play this game all day long

I was kinda disappointed from the poor graphics (worse than in 2K11), but still this game is better than the previous game. Now you can play with more basketball legends players. This is one of the best basketball game of the year 2011, and It's really successful. (9.2)

NBA 2k12 is debatably the best sports game of all time! First of all it's great to see that 2K have made noticeable changes from last years game which is rare to see in the sports genre. The main aim of a sports game should be to deliver the sport to the gamer that is extremely realistic, to make the gamer feel like they are actually taking part in the sport, In NBA 2K12 every element makes you feel this way from the gameplay, presentation and commentary etc. You get a lot of bang for your buck with 2k12 with the various amount of modes such as association mode, my player, NBA's greatest and NBA Blacktop to name a few. This game is a must buy for all sports fans… Expand