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30 September 2011
Myself and Craig Gonzalez were fortunate enough to be on the NBA 2K12 developer call on Wednesday September 28th. Representing 2K Sports on the call was Erick Boenisch, producer of NBA 2K12, and Mike Wang, senior gameplay designer. Full audio of the call can be downloaded HERE.
One impression I had throughout the call was that this sounds like a year of subtle refinement for the series to existing gameplay mechanics. Lots of animation refinement, online refinement, gameplay refinements, etc. One thing that seems to stand out is that there doesn't seem like there's that huge 'Back of the Box' highlight feature beyond the 15 NBA Legend Scenario mode (Called NBA's Greatest.) Each of the 15 legends has a one showcase game represented, which contrasts with last year, where the classic teams that were included were ones that made the cut because that team and that year was a showcase historical scenario for Michael Jordan.
It sounds like 2K has really done their homework with the classic teams. Uniforms, sock styles, signature shots, tendencies, you name it. Even era-specific broadcast cameras ans styles are included, which even includes black and white presentation for the Bill Russell era classic team(s). There are 34 classic teams in the game, however there was no mention of whether or not real, named rosters extend beyond the starting five, which they didn't last year. We shall see.
My Player mode has also received some attention. This year the "entering the NBA experience" for your My Player is a bigger deal, and the presentation for that mode really emphasizes that point. Eric Boenisch says that My Player probably saw the most attention/upgrade this year.
There's also new animation programing that allows the various animations to "mesh" between moves... (Such as running, and then having that animation meshing into one of the 30,000 different shot animations without a visual hitch. Very interesting. Much talk on the call was about enhancing the on-court experience. There's also a very vocal, very integrated 3 man commentary booth with the inclusion of Steve Kerr.
After the call, I'm left with the impression that NBA 2K12 looks like a very solid, very refined release. This seems to be backed-up with the just-published today IGN REVIEW of NBA 2K12. (9.5 Editor's Choice). Stay tuned for more impressions once we receive our copies of the game.
Scott Hemphill
Senior Writer
Consolesports.net
