Should NBA 2k be officially reviewed on a later date?

[mrchiggs]

The purpose of a review is to aid people in choosing to buy an item. Its meant to give them the rundown. Are they important? Yes, because millions of people use them for everything. I use reviews to choose PC parts or my TV.

Same with a video game! I have no clue why somebody would say they don't matter, when clearly they do. Most review vids on Youtube are the highest watched vids.

I personally know what im getting with a 2K title But I don't trust many reviews anymore. Too much money at stake and the ethics in game media leave much to be desired...

[Nodima]

All sports games should be reviewed a week after they've bene released, and I've felt this way since before patches were a thing. Both the obvious great things about the game and the obvious busted things about the game aren't apparent after just a few games, and especially now that these games are complex as they are...

Look, NBA 2K17 is four games in one. MyTeam isn't MyPlayer isn't MyGM isn't Play Now Online, and reviewing this game as if it's one singular experience with four distinct modes is disingenuous to the way these games are designed.

•• In MyTeam you are trying to game the system so that you execute as many plays as possible to earn as much MT as possible while still winning the game so you can move on to the next challenge, not play basketball with your custom team (a real let down from MLB The Show's Diamond Dynasty).

•• In MyPlayer you are trying to average 40/15/15 because that's how you get good as fast as possible, and if you try to just be a role player you'll never improve to the point the game is actually fun. The A.I. also plays noticeably differently.

•• In MyGM You're looking for a completely sim experience and constantly battling the programming of the game for these other two modes, along with allowing the casual basketball fan to enjoy the game, to find that balance.

•• In Play Now Online, you're dealing with players, animations, and timing that moves at half speed except when it doesn't except when it does except when it moves at 1/4 speed and you just have to accept whatever the **** a given game is going to be when you press play, not to mention the high change your game will drop just as its getting good.

[Mos1ted]

As some posters have already mentioned, reviews are an essential part of the buying process for most informed consumers. One of my hobbies is photography, and photography equipment is very expensive. Before I make any photography purchases -- whether it's a $1200 camera body, an $800 lens, or a $100 camera bag -- I check both expert and customer reviews. If the product has an average of less than 80% (4 out of 5 stars), I do not make the purchase. There is just too much money and too much hassle involved (should I decide to return it) for me to "form my own opinion" as others advocate. I need to see that there is a consensus on this being a good product in order for me to feel it's worth the money and hassle in the first place.

What I appreciate about photography equipment reviews especially is that reviewers, expert reviewers at least, tend to caution consumers on the product's target audience. They note often throughout their reviews that the Canon 7DII is a camera suited best for sports and wildlife photographers. In other words, its features and improvements over previous models would be most appreciated by photographers who typically shoot in those environments. It's not that a portrait photographer wouldn't enjoy the 7DII, but there may be other models on the market that will give the portrait photographer more bang for the buck or come with more features specifically suited for that style of photography.

For sports gamers, on the other hand, we do not have nearly the range of options as photographers do when it comes to products. We went from having several options per sport years ago to having virtually only one football game, one basketball game, one hockey game, one baseball game, and one combat sports game (or two if you count WWE). Golf games are no longer released annually it seems, and there hasn't been a boxing or tennis game in at least five years. The sports gaming industry has regressed dramatically in a time where sports is actually rising in popularity. It's puzzling and serves at yet another negative impact of the exclusivity deals that started popping up over a decade ago. This is why sports game reviews tend to hold less importance nowadays because it's a take it or leave it scenario regardless of what a game scores.

[Mos1ted]

Quote: Originally Posted by raidertiger

I agree, I didn't purchase the game because of the review. But it's not really about me, it's about the many people out there who do look at reviews as a key indicator for buying games. And with the influence OS has I just feel that they should be being more careful in their review to more accurately cover the game. Regardless of whether you feel the game is fun or not, do you think its fair to someone who comes here to read a review without mentioning the numerous glitches that were there, the double teaming issues, the ACE issues, the moving screens etc? People care about this stuff, it does affect the gameplay a lot, and unless you go into forums and dig deep you wouldn't even guess that any of those issues would exist, because if they did you'd assume they'll be mentioned. OS is a site for the more hardcore gamer, I just want the reviews to catch up to that by capturing the full experience of a game rather than a quick couple of days.

From what I can remember, OS didn't start doing reviews until a few years into its existence. Those of us who were early adopters to this site strictly came here for the forum; it was the only community on the web at the time dedicated to sports gamers. A game like Inside Drive, for example, wasn't popular to the masses, but it was a fan favorite on this site. In fact, that's how we got acquainted with Mike Wang because he was a developer on that team before joining 2K. He likely came to this site because it was one of the few places where Inside Drive was openly received as a game that put substance over flash and emphasized the X's and O's of basketball over everything else. This was in the wake of an era where Live's flashy gameplay attracted the masses, and 2K was the new kid on the block with the shiny graphics.

[CujoMatty]

It would be a cool article idea for OS. Revisting a review a month later. Most entertainment driven reviews are a one and done with it being a movie, tv show, book or music, what you see is what you get with most other entertainment. A users experience definetly has the ability to change in the video game world over time. I have a feeling the scores would be the same or fairly similar because in reality my negative experience is probably the minority but I'm ok with that. I don't need everyone to feel the same as me. It would be interesting though I think.

[Jordanmike6]

I think it is not the review which should be on a later date, but the game.
The game should come out mid-October, or early November.

[esham313]

Quote: Originally Posted by beans2k

Problem with reviews is when 2k makes a video called 'Accolades' and flashes, 5/5 and "A stunning and robust basketball simulation" - Yahoo Games, sends wrong message to everyone. Do you really think that 2k17 is that, a robust basketball simulation? Or Best Basketball Game Ever? Because those are the accolades being g thrown at 2k for this year's sim-abomination. Sorry, but this stuff matters. If I did a half *** job at my job, but I still got awards...why the hell would I ever change or get better? Wouldn't. Human nature to take easiest way out while cashing in as much as possible.

Agreed my man. 2k16 plays better basketball than 2k17. Graphics no better and what's up with some of these skinny players looking like they are deathly ill. 2k17 is a mess and I now wish I bought hard copy rather than digital download as I would've traded 2k17 in for Battlefield 1 and just kept playing 2k16. 2k17 equals chaotic basketball.

[SirGaryColeman]

Quote: Originally Posted by mrchiggs

Personally I think 2K needs a 2 year Dev cycle.

I agree.

I would argue that 2k releases one game per Console... 2k14 and 2k17 side-by-side are very much the same game.

2k17 is 2k14 with DLC/Patches, but not a brand new game.