NBA 2K12 is a basketball video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It was released on October 4, 2011 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Microsoft Windows, Wii and for the first time on iOS iPhone and iPad. For the first time in the series, there were three different covers to choose from when purchasing the game. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan were the three cover athletes.^[1][2] It is the thirteenth installment in the NBA 2K series, the first game in the series to have "built-in" support of 3D for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, and the first to include motion controls using the PlayStation Move. NBA 2K12 is the successor to NBA 2K11 in the NBA 2K series.

Gameplay[link]

• NBA's Greatest mode: For the first time in the series, gamers are able to take control of the most iconic players in NBA history and match them up against other classic or modern-day teams. Each of these 15 basketball legends has been recreated along with period-specific depictions of their arenas, team uniforms, signature moves, and historically accurate broadcast presentation styles. Gamers are now able to utilize signature moves, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's sky-hook and Hakeem Olajuwon's Dream Shake. "NBA's Greatest" legends in NBA 2K12 include:^[3]

• My Player mode returns from NBA 2K10 and NBA 2K11. The Draft Combine and Summer Circuit have been replaced by the "Rookie Showcase". After that, three general managers interview a basketball player before the draft. Good conversations can increase draft stock. Another new feature added to My Player mode and The Association mode is that NBA Commissioner David Stern reads all the 1st round picks.^[4] Other additions include endorsements where a player can appear on billboards and magazine covers, create shoes and even be featured in an NBA "Where Amazing Happens" commercial. Players receive paychecks to use on skill points or new things like a basketball clinic to raise their local fan popularity. Instead of playing every game of the season, gamers can choose to only play Key Games, instead of the 82-game grind. The point of this is so players can make it through their entire career. Press conferences are upgraded and now players statuses on league popularity, team chemistry and fan support can be seen. Players can now get inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as well.

• Creating a Legend mode also returns from NBA 2K11 with improvements of its own. Now instead of taking a rookie Michael Jordan onto any team, players can take control of any current NBA player and play out the rest of his career. Players are not able to have press conferences in this mode.

• Steve Kerr, formerly of the EA Sports NBA Live/Elite series, joins the returning broadcasting team of Kevin Harlan, Clark Kellogg and Doris Burke.

Development[link]

2K Sports had a gameplay presentation with Kobe Bryant at E3 2011. The game was released on October 4, 2011. The first official teaser commercial for NBA 2K12 debuted on May 31, 2011 on ABC at the beginning of Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks. The demo for the game was released on September 20, 2011 on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, featuring a rematch of the 2011 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.^[5]

Lockout Effect[link]

Because of the 2011 NBA lockout, rookies taken in the 2011 NBA Draft weren't originally in the game.^[6] But after the lockout was resolved they appeared in downloadable rosters, which also featured recent transactions. Ron Artest's name change to "Metta World Peace" was also included in the update.^[7]

Soundtrack[link]

Duck Down Records and 2K Sports hosted a competition for a song placement on the official game soundtrack. After parsing thousands of entries down to 10, by popular vote the producer Alex Kresovich (Ithaca, NY) and the rap group D.J.I.G. (Glassboro, NJ) were named the winners. The song by D.J.I.G. "Now's My Time" and Kresovich's "The Return" will appear on the official soundtrack.^[8]

The winning instrumental from the Duck Down contest, "The Return" by music producer/composer Alex Kresovich, was also featured in the debut commercial which aired on ABC on May 31, 2011 during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.^[9][10]

The complete NBA 2K12 soundtrack was announced on August 11, 2011^[11] and mostly consists of hip hop and indie rock songs.

Reception[link]

This section requires expansion.

NBA 2K12 has received critical acclaim, with a current Metascore rating of 90 of 100 on Metacritic.^{[citation needed]} IGN gave the Xbox 360 version a 9.5 out of 10, claiming that everything that it has to offer makes "for a game that any basketball fan has to pick up".^[12] GameSpot gave it an 8.5/10 for PC, PlayStation3, and Xbox 360 versions.^[13][14][15] GamesRadar gave both PlayStation3 and Xbox 360 versions a perfect 10 out of 10.^[16]

Sales[link]

As of April 2012, sales have reached 4 million units.^[17]

See also[link]

• NBA 2K
• NBA Elite series

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• NBA 2K Debate