NBA 2K Is the Champ

[ChaseB]

If I'm judging sports games based on this generation of consoles, then NBA 2K stands above the rest. But if I think back to the beginning of this generation, it's hard to imagine saying such a thing. It's easy to forget now, but Live and NBA 2K went their separate ways back in 2005 when the Xbox 360 launched.

NBA 2K was coming off a couple "misfires" as the PS2/Xbox era was winding down with NBA 2K5 and NBA 2K6, which really just means these titles were good rather than amazing, and Live had peaked with Live 04 and Live 05. That being said, both engines were under fire for being a bit outdated as we entered the "next-gen" era. So what ended up happening with the launch of the Xbox 360 in 2005 was that gamers got two basketball games that were on divergent paths. The 360 version of NBA 2K6 was a high-res version of the PS2/Xbox game in many respects, and NBA Live 06 was a stripped down game with a new engine and a lack of modes. Again, it's hard to remember, but at the time I do remember many people saying, "Live might not be as good as NBA 2K this year, but it has the much more promising future."

And then the NBA 2K7 demo happened, and trailers like this one happened, and then it was over. NBA Live 07 was actually worse than Live 06 while NBA 2K7 served as the beginning of a gaming dynasty. Yes, the engine still got criticized a bit for feeling outdated, but a mix of signature style, graphical presentation and a renewed focus on refining and updating the game engine really began again with NBA 2K7.

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[DurtySoufReppin]

Re: NBA 2K Is the Champ

E.A. Sports.. You're out the game

[FieldMarshallP1]

"NBA 2K this generation. It is the poster child for pleasing the hardcore and casual user on a yearly basis right now because it's found a way to make hardcore users feel overwhelmed at the start of each year while mostly avoiding scaring off casuals."

This Statement is exactly what EA (Football)has a problem doing. They don't know what direction to go, as to either pleasing the Hardcore fans or pleasing the Casual fan. EA does not know how to get that balance. This is the reason why Madden is what it is .

[ROSStafarian]

Re: NBA 2K Is the Champ

E.A. Sports.. You're out the game

Yeah they really are, its bad when someone from the EA sports camp comes out and says "well were just not going to put a game out for this year and possibly longer" so its like there almost throwing in the towel for now, which is sad for EA. Going back and trying to play (EA sports) NCAA BB 10 is really hard to do now that i own 2k11 and quite frankly i only did once and that was enough for me to say that 2k11 was above and beyond whatever NCAA10 BB had to offer.

[Da_Czar]

Excellent write up ! Way to take it back to the beginning Chase. Also I learned a new word also axiomatically. Great read sir !

[JerseySuave4]

E.A. Sports.. You're out the game

yea its amazing, Fifa is really the only sports game EA does well anymore. They just have the name recognition and more importantly the exclusive rights to make NFL & NCAA Football games. Madden is still big simply for the fact that its Madden. Everyone grew up playing Madden and even though 2k Football was and probably still is the most complete football that came out, Madden always had that name recognition which made it bigger. But we've seen how Sony produces the best baseball game, 2k the best basketball game and how much closer those games are at representing a true to life sim for those respective sports, Madden & NCAA Football aren't close to that level yet. NBA 2k is the most enjoyable sports game because of how well it plays, how well it looks, the presentation, the depth and the replay value. Even though The Show & NBA 2k aren't flawless or without bugs, those games are so good that you can usually look past those issues no problem. But with the football games the bugs are so obvious, so glaring and they effect the way the game is played. Add to that the fact that everytime they come out with a patch for something like NCAA Football, it fixes a few things and then creates even more problems.

[lofeazy]

Re: NBA 2K Is the Champ

Great write up.

[DutchMastah7]

Re: NBA 2K Is the Champ

Good read.

I'm curious as to how well 2K makes its transition to the next 'next-gen' consoles. We can only wait and see.

[Spanky]

Re: NBA 2K Is the Champ

E.A. Sports.. You're out the game

I'm beginning to think that all the developers who worked on EA's NBA Live series were simply moved over to work quality control for NCAA and Madden.

[guesswhozbak17]

I think EA sports devs may have given up and are just as excited as we are for to play 2k12.

[Beneezy]

Cold truth! 2K all the way!

[RUFFNREADY]

Awesome write up! EA should take notes. I liked the rise and fall aspect of the blog; NBA 2K series rising to the top, and watching Madden series fall quickly; and let's not forget how the NBA LIVE was destroyed by 2K.
cheers

[NikeBlitz]

Re: NBA 2K Is the Champ

Nice read.

EA has really screwed up the "Live" series. It's sad since NBA Live had everything to succeed. Big community, license, made by the biggest company in the video games industry ... How the hell did that happen so quickly ?

2k did a great job but ... i want College hoops !!!!!

[coolcras7]

Re: NBA 2K Is the Champ

Nice read.

EA has really screwed up the "Live" series. It's sad since NBA Live had everything to succeed. Big community, license, made by the biggest company in the video games industry ... How the hell did that happen so quickly ?

2k did a great job but ... i want College hoops !!!!!

That is the reason they failed the game was just a way to create a profit they stopped caring about anything else.

[ChaseB]

Re: NBA 2K Is the Champ

Just for the record, the article is not really about Live vs. 2K in any real way, I just wanted to use the comparison in the intro as a backdrop to remind folks about where we stood at the start of the generation.

However, I still remember how excited I was when I watched this trailer way back when:

<iframe width="420" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-9TPbtKzjB4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>