NBA 2K11

Play As Michael Jordan in NBA 2K11

We explore everything that the greatest player in the history of his sport will bring to this year's game. First gameplay video included.

 

I'll admit, when 2K Sports first announced that Michael Jordan was going to be on the cover of NBA 2K11, I was a little skeptical. Michael has been away from the game of basketball for so many years, surely they'd have to heavy-handedly force him into this year's package, right? Well, no, as fate would have it 2K went the opposite route and built the entire NBA 2K11 package around His Airness. That means everything from the opening cinematic to the main menu has Jordan firmly entrenched in the presentation. Yesterday I went hands-on with every mode that incorporates Mike and can say that I've never seen such a wonderfully nostalgic yet wholly original treatment of one of the world's greatest athletes.

 

When we first revealed the list of ten Jordan Challenges that would be in NBA 2K11, it looked like pretty much any other set of in-game objectives. Score this many points, get this many rebounds, dish out this many assists. Wash, rinse, repeat. It wasn't until I actually saw the context and the amount of detail that has been put into recreating Jordan's greatest games that I got really excited about how much potential MJ brings to the table.

 

For starters, every single one of the challenges (which date from his rookie year to that "final" shot against Bryon Russell and the Jazz) features every player that you'd care about. Whether you're talking about Horace Grant on the Bulls, James Worthy and Magic on the Lakers or Karl Malone and John Stockton on the Jazz, they're all here. What's even more impressive is that they all have their signature moves and styles in the game. Playing against the Jazz, Stockton continually fed Malone the rock and The Mailman did that old man jumpshot and kissed everything off the glass. I think Stockton is a little showier in his NBA 2K11 skin than he should be, as he dribbled the ball through his legs more times in one game than he did in his entire career in real life, but I'm sure 2K Sports will tweak things before the game launches.

 

It's hard to put into words how cool it is to see Michael take on the various looks that we all know and love from throughout his career. Even more special is the fact that 2K Sports went to great lengths to track down each of the starters for every one of the opposing teams Jordan will face throughout the list of challenges. As if that wasn't cool enough, they've even included hallmark animations from each of the contests. That means that you'll see The Shrug against Portland, you'll see Jordan use Scottie Pippen as a crutch after the flu game -- there are even special animations for embarrassing Jazz players (stripping Malone and breaking Bryon's ankle). In other words, if there's a moment from Jordan's career, some image that is etched into your memory, it'll be in NBA 2K11. Of course that wouldn't mean much if it was a static Jordan player model staring you in the face, regardless of what year you're playing in. 2K Sports took the time to change both Jordan's appearance so that rookie Jordan has the short-shorts and actual hair and 1997 Jordan is bulkier and bald, as well as sculpting his attributes to match his skills at that point in his career. When he first came into the league he was a high-flier (yes, you can absolutely do the free throw line dunk in-game) with little to speak of in terms of outside shot, whereas later in his career he was a real shooting threat from anywhere on the court, but lost some of his hops.

 

During my demo I got the chance to try out a few of the challenges for myself and found there to be a solid offering of objectives that vary wildly in difficulty. The 1991 NBA Finals against the Lakers will likely be the toughest as you have to win the entire series while averaging 31 points and shooting an impressive 55% from the field. Oh, and while it's not an objective, you can do the famous (and probably unneeded) layup where Michael switched the ball from his right hand to his left in mid-air just for good measure. Other games are a bit easier, like Father's Day Victory from Game 6 in the '96 Finals where Mike put in 22 points and grabbed 9 boards against Gary Payton and the Sonics.

 

As if Jordan Challenge wasn't already shaping up to be the biggest time-suck in the history of sports games, 2K Sports seems to have gone the extra mile in just about every way. Not only will every jersey and stadium be authentic, but the 2K commentary team recorded custom dialogue to match each situation. If you hop into the The Flu Game you'll hear them reference Mike's temperature and his performance in earlier games in the series. Not only that, but 2K also recently sat down with Jordan himself to get some of his thoughts on his opponents from way back when. It's cool to hear Kevin Harlan talk about Jordan's feelings about playing against Hersey Hawkins and know that it actually came from MJ himself.

Last but certainly not least is a mode called MJ Create-a-Legend that opens up after you've completed all ten challenges. The premise is simple: players insert Rookie Michael Jordan into any team they want (yes, you can run with Lebron, Bosh, Wade and Jordan on the Heat if you want) and then try to develop him into the player we know and love, but with the current crop of NBA talent. Jordan's look will change as you progress through his career and will mirror the physical differences that we saw as he moved from '80s Michael to late-'90s Michael. He begins as a high-flying youngster with an overall rating of 79 and it's up to you to bring him to greatness. The gameplay performs just like My Player in that you're player-locked to Michael Jordan and will have to complete different objectives for each game.

 

I'm sure I'm beating a dead horse by now, but playing as Michael Jordan is great. The nostalgia I felt from playing some of the games that I grew up watching was wonderful. Plus, the fact that there are so many Jordan-specific animations and great-looking classic players (Larry Bird versus Jordan makes an appearance) that not only look great, but move with a staggering level of authenticity, make Mike's modes feel nicely separate from the rest of NBA 2K11. The amount of detail that 2K Sports has poured into every aspect of the package that features Jordan makes it clear that they're leveraging MJ's coveted virtual likeness to the max. Even going as far as to feature every single one of MJ's shoes (25 in all), including the original Air Force Ones. You'll also spot Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul's shoes, all of which are a part of the Jordan brand. Assigning these shoes to different players will net you different attribute boosts depending on which shoes you slip on your player's feet.

When you first flip on NBA 2K11 I'm sure it's going to be a little strange to see Michael Jordan all over the place. It's not until you take the reigns as basketball's greatest player that you realize just how awesome it is to play with him using today's technology. Everything looks just as it should and competing against all the classic players that you know and love is indescribably fantastic, especially if you remember the original events. There are still a few small inaccuracies that I'm sure will be ironed out before the game launches on October 5th. If that happens, the competition had better watch out; NBA 2K11 is going to be tough to beat.

 

Stay tuned to IGN.com for more on NBA 2K11 -- which lands on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii -- including our first look at My Player mode coming in the next several weeks.

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It has been confirmed that all NBA 2K11 online games, including ranked, will be set on the simulation gamestyle.

 

If you've kept up with the NBA 2K11 Developer Insights at 2K Sports, you'd know that they are offering a new feature called "Gamestyles". Gamestyles are preset settings that cater to the specific slider. This was also a great feature in NHL 2K8, and it's nice that Visual Concepts is finally adding it to NBA 2K11.

 

This goes far beyond just selecting a difficulty level like in past NBA 2K's. The simulation gamestyle is a set of dedicated settings that should reflect a realistic game. For instance, the Insight pointed out that it should be nearly impossible to abuse the baseline when using the simulation gamestyle.

Hello NBA 2K Fans!

Erick Boenisch here, Producer for NBA 2K11. Many of you may know me by my forum name, SimBaller. Today I’ve got something very exciting to tell you about. In the Developer Insight for The Jordan Challenge, we teased that something cool happens when you complete all 10 Jordan Challenges. I’m here today to tell you what that ‘something cool’ actually is. I’m very pleased to announce that it’s actually an entire new mode entitled “MJ: Creating A Legend”, featuring none other than Michael Jordan.

 

The concept for this mode is simple, you take rookie Michael Jordan into today’s NBA and place him on any team of your choosing. From that point on, you will be controlling Michael exclusively as you guide him through his career and define his legacy against the greatest stars the current generation of NBA players has to offer.

 

Imagine putting Jordan on the Heat. Your starting lineup would be Wade, Jordan, LeBron, Haslem(?), and Bosh. Maybe you’ll want to pair him up with Kobe to see how two of the greatest players of all-time play together. Or maybe you’ll want to put him on the Clippers to battle Kobe and the Lakers head-to-head for the true bragging rights in the City of Angels. The number of scenarios you can create in this mode are endless. What do you think would make for a great story?One thing to keep in mind here with this mode is that you will be with rookie Michael, who will only be rated a 79 to start out with. This leaves you with plenty of room to improve his overall rating as you guide him towards super-stardom. I can tell you that his physical skills and general athletic ability are through the roof, but you’re going to need to build his outside shot, his defensive prowess, and his unmatchable killer instinct in the clutch before you can take him to ‘best ever’ status. You can build up Michael’s rating by earning Skill Points and spending them on the attributes of your choice. These Skill Points are earned by in-game stats and accomplishing in-game goals set forth by the game.

 

The presentation for the mode is centered entirely around Michael. The entire menu system has been branded to feel Jordan-centric. The in-game presentation will speak a lot about Jordan’s rise to the NBA early and how he will fit into the team you have chosen for him. From there, they will call out important milestones for Michael and discuss how his season/career is progressing moving forward. I have seen some discussion about whether this replaces the popular My Player mode from 2K10. It absolutely does not, I will be speaking about My Player in the coming weeks in a Developer Insight.

 

Ultimately, Michael Jordan’s legacy lies in your hands. Every move, every decision, is up to you. Our only question to you is, where will YOU take him? Answer our call on October 5th, when NBA 2K11 is released.

 

- Erick Boenisch, Producer

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Michael Jordan. Sadly, that name might not mean much to younger fans of the NBA, particularly in an era where the most talented stars hold hour-long TV specials to announce which team is going to pay them more than the last. Still, Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest to play the sport of basketball, and his appearance on NBA 2K11's cover--according to developer Visual Concepts--is not only a celebration of that, but also an opportunity to expose the current generation of Kobe and LeBron fans to a man who took the NBA to a whole new level. To be clear, Jordan is more than NBA 2K11's cover athlete. In fact, there are a couple of modes in the game that specifically focus on number 23 and his career. The first mode is the Jordan Challenge--a series of 10 games, offering a selection of Michael Jordan's best and most memorable moments. Remember when Michael Jordan scored 69 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1990? Do you remember when he scored 63 points against a Boston Celtics team stacked with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, and a non-arthritic Robert Parish--even after missing 64 games due to a broken foot? Then there was "The Flu Game." During the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, Jordan was diagnosed with serious flulike symptoms, but despite the team trainer's wishes, Jordan went out to play one of his most impressive and hard-fought games, only to drape himself on teammate Scottie Pippen at the end because of exhaustion. If these games aren't familiar to you now, they will be.

 

In the Jordan Challenge, you're tasked with replicating Jordan's performance as closely as possible by completing goals associated with that game as well as sub-goals if you want to get really accurate. But what's particularly noteworthy about this mode is that Visual Concepts attempts to make it as authentic as possible. All of the games in the Jordan Challenge are accurate down to the player rosters (like the Bad Boys-era Detroit Pistons) and even individual, team-specific plays. In other words, what you're looking at in these games isn't merely a palette swap, replacing the heads of current players with those of the past. The players are all designed to behave much as they did during those actual games. Likewise, the commentary is also meant to reflect the era and the setting of the game. For example, in Jordan's 63-point game against the Celtics, you might hear the commentary team (staffed with the team used for modern games, so no Marv Albert and his delightful "Yes!") make reference to Jordan sitting out most of the season and how his career is taking shape. Ultimately, Visual Concepts hopes that this immerses you into that experience and era as much as possible.

 

Along those same lines, Jordan himself has been designed to accurately reflect the era. In that aforementioned Celtics game, it was only his second season, so MJ still has hair, and the skills for his outside game had yet to develop. As a young buck, he could drive through the paint and take a serious beating, but in his later career, maybe not so much.

 

When you've successfully completed all 10 of the games in the Jordan Challenge, a new mode called MJ: Creating a Legend opens. This mode lets you take a fresh-faced Michael Jordan and put him into the modern NBA, on any team. So, naturally, if you didn't think the Miami Heat had a good enough team with James, Bosh, and Wade, you can beef up the team with a rookie Michael Jordan. The catch is that MJ is ranked only at a 79 overall, but you can earn skill points that let you increase his individual stats and eventually turn him into the NBA great. There are also other methods for increasing stats in the form of Air Jordans (it's gotta be the shoes) that you can unlock. There are around 25 different types of Air Jordans (as well as others from the Jumpman brand), some of which are rarer than others and thus give better stat boosts. Each pair also has a bit of history attached to it, so if you don't really understand the phenomenon, this feature sheds more light on the subject. It's worth noting that in MJ: Creating a Legend, you play only as Jordan. This means that if you get benched, you have to watch the game from the sidelines. Additionally, the game rates how good of a team player you are. If you're making poor shot decisions or just generally hogging the ball or playing stupidly, then your rating goes down and the likelihood that you'll live up to Jordan's legacy decreases. If you land on a team that doesn't give much playing time, you can always go to team management and ask for a trade to another team that fits your demands.

 

It'll be interesting to see how the younger generation of NBA fans takes to these Michael Jordan modes, but even if they don't, it's great to see one of the greatest professional athletes of all time get his due in a modern game. NBA 2K11 is scheduled for release on October 5.

NBA 2K11 My Player, Association and NBA Today News Coming Soon, Finals Patches Are In

Jordan Challenge – Relive 10 different legendary games from Michael Jordan’s career and replicate in NBA 2K11 what MJ did on the court. Successfully reenact all 10 game scenarios to unlock the MJ: Creating a Legend mode.

Historic Chicago Bulls Teams – Ever wondered how the Lakers of today might fare against the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls? Get the chance to play as some of the greatest teams in NBA history as the 1985-86, 1989-90, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97, and 1997-98 Chicago Bulls squads are put at your fingertips in Quick Game mode.

My Jordans – While playing through NBA 2K11, users will be awarded pairs of Air Jordans for hitting game milestones and accomplishments. Collect the entire line of Air Jordan shoes that MJ wore throughout his career and gain specific attribute bonuses when you have them equipped.MJ: Creating a Legend – Complete the Jordan Challenge to unlock this special mode where you get to take control of a newly drafted rookie Michael Jordan and craft your own version of Michael’s career in the NBA.

ALL-NEW IsoMotion™ Dribbling Controls - Delivering the most realistic feeling and reacting dribbling system to date with seamless transitions between ankle breaking moves. Coupled with an all-new gesturing system allowing users to intuitively translate thought to motion and dominate like Michael Jordan from the perimeter to the paint.

ALL-NEW Dynamic Shot Control – Take your offensive game to the next level with an unprecedented amount of control via the enhanced Shot Stick™. Dozens of new shot types, from layups to jumpshots to dunks and everything in between, are completely under the user’s control with the flick of a stick. The new Shot Branching system also allows you to adjust your shots on the fly in mid-air just like MJ and ensures that you’re never stuck in long drawn out animations.

BEST NBA 2K Soundtrack EVER – The GREATEST soundtrack to date featuring an eclectic mix of upcoming breakout bands and highly acclaimed hip-hop artists such as Big Boi, Drake, and even an original, exclusive track from 12 time Grammy nominee, Snoop Dogg.

Full PlayStation®Move Functionality – Look for more details coming soon, but know that NBA 2K11 will be taking full advantage of this exciting new hardware feature.

Plus, look for more news soon about great enhancement coming to other core features like My Player and Association modes as well as NBA Today..

Miami Heat vs. Phoenix Suns

truputis informacijos

# Coming up this week, it's all about the next evolution of My Player mode. The rumors are true: it's gonna make your head explode with awesomeness! You better stock up on gauze.

 

# In this year's My Player mode, the game doesn’t end after the final buzzer. In NBA 2K11 you gotta take the podium for your own post-game press conferences. But watch what you say, your answers can earn you admiration or get you run out of town. Will you claim all the glory or will you praise your coaches?

If you're gonna Become The Greatest, you gotta have your own signature shoe. Dominate in this year's version of My Player mode and you'll see your customized kicks on the feet of other guys in the league. What's your signature shoe gonna be called?