NBA 2K12

 PlayStation 3
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 140 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 84 out of 140
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 140
  3. Negative: 32 out of 140
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  1. devanteswing
    Oct 23, 2011
    1
    Could be the perfect game if online had no lag, lobbies as per 2k11, excessive 3 point and steals cheating was fixed.

    Sorry, this is not a 9/10 game.
  2. wlitw
    Nov 23, 2011
    4
    I was a big fan of NBA 2K11, the best sports game ever made. I was so excited to get NBA 2K12. Then I got the game ... .then I'm VERY VERY disapointed !!!! If the gameplay is not that different than the previous one, it's REALLY more full of bugs.

    1st of all, the shooting rating. Absolutely NO meaning. Remember in NBA 2K11, you could have a little picture that was telling you how you    I was a big fan of NBA 2K11, the best sports game ever made. I was so excited to get NBA 2K12. Then I got the game ... .then I'm VERY VERY disapointed !!!! If the gameplay is not that different than the previous one, it's REALLY more full of bugs.

    1st of all, the shooting rating. Absolutely NO meaning. Remember in NBA 2K11, you could have a little picture that was telling you how you succeed in your shot (green or red). The same is still here, and you can now have a rate of your shoot (for example, green picture plus A+, or A- or B, etc...). And it means NOTHING !!!! You can have an open shot (99 player's rating at middrange), get the green picture, get the A+ .... and you shot is out of the basket .... WHAT ? OUT ? With 99 player's rating, open shot, green picture, and A+ ? So what is the point of this "A+" ??? On the contrary, you can have a shoot inside the basket with green picture, open shoot and a B- or B+ rating. It's stupid to propose a rating if it's useless ....

    2nd, the "browd's bug". Your players going too fast and go into the crowd ? Too bad for you guys ... until next timeout, your player could STAY into the crowd, WITHOUT any possibility to go again on the floor.

    I'll stop here, it would be tooooooooooooo long to enumerate all the bugs ....

    One last thing, and really it's a pure shame, 1 trophy cannot be obtained. CANNOT, AT ALL !!! The NBA Today trophy. Why ? Because 2K decided that because there is no season, you can't obtain that trophy. That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard ! So it means that if there were a season and Kevin Durant was injured, so you would not be able to grab the trophy of 48pts with Kevin Durant ? The explanations of 2K Sports are pure **** !!! And Ronnie2K saying that this unobtainable trophy can't be fixed .... What a shame !

    Shame on you 2K Sports !!! Instead of trying to earn more and more money with your DLC, tou should work on YOUR bugs in the original game.

    Be sure on 2 things : I'll never buy the DLC, and I probably won't buy NBA 2K13 if it's the same than this game.

    2K Sports, the road of money requires not to cheat on your customers ...    … Expand
  3. tyreke
    Oct 23, 2011
    0
    ONLINE NEEDS TO BE FIXED. hello 2k... it's been 4 years since online was good. its almost the year 2012 and you dont have proper software for people to play over the internet. EA got it right 7 years ago.
  4. MeltedFab5
    Dec 8, 2011
    3
    Best looking game ever but possibly one of the most frustrating experiences imaginable. The controls are so tight and wonky you will be breaking controllers in no time. Unnecessary animations, unrealistic steals and 3s, a lousy manual and simply over-complicated frustrating game-play, remember when it was fun to pick up NBA 2K and play basketball??? 2K sports forgot.
  5. javartan
    Dec 6, 2011
    3
    Wow.. Where do I start? Terrible multiplayer. You wait a lot and drop in the middle of the game. Terrible MP mode. Its fun to make a career but with stupidly missed details are throwing you off. If i wasn`t playing a shooting guard I would never play this game again. These guys makes these games and forget to put rookie all-star game in MP mode? and there are only 3 rookies ? At pressWow.. Where do I start? Terrible multiplayer. You wait a lot and drop in the middle of the game. Terrible MP mode. Its fun to make a career but with stupidly missed details are throwing you off. If i wasn`t playing a shooting guard I would never play this game again. These guys makes these games and forget to put rookie all-star game in MP mode? and there are only 3 rookies ? At press conference , why reporters are all the same? Are you joking ? Do you have the same mentality as Fifa 2012? It seems like no one works hard to make games anymore. What make games better are details.. and no-gamer developers don`t know anything about it.… Expand
  6. Sanford
    Mar 13, 2012
    1
    Worst game ever. Don't waste your time on this piece of crap. They didn't even make an effort. I'll never buy another 2k sports game. I hope they made a lot of money.Worst game ever. Don't waste your time on this piece of crap. They didn't even make an effort. I'll never buy another 2k sports game. I hope they made a lot of money. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$… Expand
  7. 3rdwheel
    May 24, 2012
    1
    Like NBA 2K11 before it, it is a great great game until at some point it glitches out all over the place. When it works, this is one of the best sports games I've ever seen, but at some point the menus freeze, online play glitches, and it all turns to poop. Epic fail!
  8. Sonic7877
    Nov 10, 2011
    0
    These greedy millionaires are on strike because their salaries are going down slightly. They are still millionaires! I make 30,000 a year. A 7% drop in my pay would hurt, but unlike them I save and don't live paycheck to paycheck. We are in an economic crisis and they think they can complain about money!? Even with this drop in salary they make more than anyone can ever dream of making.These greedy millionaires are on strike because their salaries are going down slightly. They are still millionaires! I make 30,000 a year. A 7% drop in my pay would hurt, but unlike them I save and don't live paycheck to paycheck. We are in an economic crisis and they think they can complain about money!? Even with this drop in salary they make more than anyone can ever dream of making. And just for playing a game. Do I get paid for playing a game. No. I have a job, I actually contribute something to society. So, long story short, do not support these crybabies. DO NOT SUPPORT THE NBA. Don't buy this game, don't buy jerseys, and don't tune in on tv when these greedy crybabies get back to work.… Expand
  9. Dabuten_09
    Nov 15, 2011
    2
    Perhaps the best game of basketball.
    but a great blunder, so removing the 2K11's online ... only 1 years ago.
    So I can not put more note. this is a joke.
  10. TheTruthM
    Dec 3, 2011
    0
    Huge step back, the AI is psychic, they removed the ability to run a simple pick and roll play. Just avoid this game under any circumstance. 2K have completely taken advantage of the fact that EA's NBA Live doesn't have a release this year. I am a huge 2K fan, every release has been better than the last, except for this one. This is the least fun I've ever had with a NBA 2K game. It's justHuge step back, the AI is psychic, they removed the ability to run a simple pick and roll play. Just avoid this game under any circumstance. 2K have completely taken advantage of the fact that EA's NBA Live doesn't have a release this year. I am a huge 2K fan, every release has been better than the last, except for this one. This is the least fun I've ever had with a NBA 2K game. It's just unbalanced garbage, plain and simple.… Expand
  11. MileHii
    Feb 7, 2012
    3
    Way too difficult for the casual player. Layups and post shots are WAY too hard to make, your team's CPU players DON'T play transition defense, on ball defense is good up to the point of the shot clock fading where at the point the CPU just figures out some miraculous way to score, 3 pointers are too inconsistent, little players like Nate Robinson somehow can stop Dwight Howard fromWay too difficult for the casual player. Layups and post shots are WAY too hard to make, your team's CPU players DON'T play transition defense, on ball defense is good up to the point of the shot clock fading where at the point the CPU just figures out some miraculous way to score, 3 pointers are too inconsistent, little players like Nate Robinson somehow can stop Dwight Howard from scoring, and there's other bugs and glitches.

    It's obvious the critics that rated this game only played once or twice because there's no way this game deserves a ten. I might just go with NBA Elite next year...    … Expand
  12. chc2100
    Jan 10, 2012
    0
    This is possibly the most frustrating and aggravating gaming experience I have ever had. I haven't owned a basketball game since the last NBA live and was willing to try something new this season. I was actually somewhat excited to play this game after hearing all of the positive reviews. To say I was disappointed would be an extreme understatement. My issues with the game mostly revolveThis is possibly the most frustrating and aggravating gaming experience I have ever had. I haven't owned a basketball game since the last NBA live and was willing to try something new this season. I was actually somewhat excited to play this game after hearing all of the positive reviews. To say I was disappointed would be an extreme understatement. My issues with the game mostly revolve around controls and player movement. Even if they worked as intended the controls are in my opinion unintuitive. To make matters worse, they don't even work properly. Many of the players, regardless of actual size, move and handle like centers or power forwards. There is a sometimes significant delay between your input on the controller and the players reaction in game, meaning they do what you tell them to do quite a while after you tell them to do it. The game sometimes even gets your input backwards. For example, in NBA live I liked to do a pump fake to get the defender in the air, then try and dribble to the hoop. When I attempt that move in this game my player will often dribble THEN stop and pump fake even if I had told him to do it the other way around. This stops my dribble and possibly my drive if I had managed to get by the defender. Players will sometimes perform moves you didn't intend to occur causing you to step out of bounds and turn over the ball. Shooting is not much better as the right stick controls can be hard to get the hang of, and players will often shoot the ball in ways you clearly didn't intend. Another gripe I have with the game is the passing logic. I realize that pressing "R1" and then selecting a player ensures that the ball goes where you want it to go. However, it's sometimes much easier to press "X" when on a fast break and not need to worry about what button you need to press to get the ball to the player on the other end. In theory there is a way to tell who the ball is going to go because the game puts a grey circle beneath the player it believes you are targeting. In reality, this circle is not only inaccurate much of time (the ball doesn't go where the game says it will go), but doesn't appear beneath the seemingly logical target. The game will decide to throw the ball down the court instead of passing to the open player in front of you, or pass to the player being covered as opposed to the open player on the other side of you. The passing indicator also seems "sticky" and won't switch to a different player even if one becomes a better target.
    Many people have said that this is more of a simulation while NBA live is a more arcade like experience. While the game definitely seems more difficult, much of the difficulty comes from the game not functioning like it is supposed to. The various game modes seem cool and well thought out, but the core gameplay needs serious tuning. If there was another NBA live I would grab that in a heartbeat. Unfortunately this is the only option until NBA elite finally comes out, and that doesn't seem to be a project headed in the right direction. Basketball video games are dead to me    … Expand
  13. komplikate
    May 4, 2012
    0
    Its hard to begin the complaints on how poorly NBA 2k12 plays out, compared to others in the series.
    Most people don't know that there's a training option which will display every option an offensive player can take and do....cool.
    -There is no defense training. -The "Momentum physics" are poorly done...imagine ice skating, to start and stop, both taking an extremely long time to play out    Its hard to begin the complaints on how poorly NBA 2k12 plays out, compared to others in the series.
    Most people don't know that there's a training option which will display every option an offensive player can take and do....cool.

    -There is no defense training.
    -The "Momentum physics" are poorly done...imagine ice skating, to start and stop, both taking an extremely long time to play out correctly.
    -There is no way to play without feeling like you're on ice skates.
    -The steal button makes your player swing, miss, and gamble completely out of the play (as well as with block attempts).
    -Animations make your controlled player turn the wrong direction, all for you to figure how to simply turn them back around, which is a hard task when you're sliding all over the place. -the ball jars loose, sometimes without anyone forcing it.
    -Whenever the game decides a blow out, you'll know; no one makes any baskets.
    -You cannot shoot yourself out of a slump, no matter how well you release the shot.
    -With all the special moves you learned on offense (driving) comes a simple defensive vertical jump or bump to stop all the work you've done.
    -Defensive A.I. is helped by your offensive pass being telegraphed, or thrown poorly.
    -You cannot choose between bounce, chest, or lead passing.
    -mid-air collisions are rarely fouls.
    -offensive A.I. is absent. teammates can be wide open, but they don't react to it correctly (by making the shot easier on themselves)
    -the bump animations are excessive on the ball handler; these should be either abandoned or called as fouls.
    -the game forces turnovers on you because the offense A.I. won't run like a real offense. Too often they bluff cut attempt, stand in the same spot, don't run with you, run in the dribblers path, etc.

    This videogame has 1,000 TOO MANY animations, you wont be able to tell what you're going to pull out or if the computer is playing for you. There is a complete lack of control.The outcome is scripted based on the match up.

    Just a sad 2012 replication of NBA basketball. A complete waste of my money. Its way to frustrating for a diehard NBA fan like myself. I recommend you do not purchase this game.

    Graphics: 8.5 (players don't sweat....2k is known for introducing this and they forgot it in 2k12, they also promised haircut changes, which I've only seen in Ty Lawson)
    Atmosphere/presentation: 10
    Control: 3
    Replay value: 3.5    … Expand
  14. FuzzyUsh
    Jun 2, 2012
    0
    When I called the 2k customer support line to complain about the online experience, the representative essentially told me that they knew about all the online issues and that they were probably not going to get fixed. If you play sports game for the online experience, STAY AWAY FROM 2k! They've been getting worse every year, and now they can't even get something as simple as your ownWhen I called the 2k customer support line to complain about the online experience, the representative essentially told me that they knew about all the online issues and that they were probably not going to get fixed. If you play sports game for the online experience, STAY AWAY FROM 2k! They've been getting worse every year, and now they can't even get something as simple as your own basic statistics right. Can't for the competition to shape up. Good bye forever 2k.… Expand
  15. Poobah
    Dec 21, 2012
    1
    My Player is riddled with bugs. The signature mode destroyed by junky programming. Prepare for your MVP, 2 million vote All Star to play 12 minutes off the bench in the big game. Online was broken, trophies didn't pop, and DESPICABLY 2k REMOVED trading Legends to teams, the best feature of 2K11. Oh, but they put this feature in their DLC. 2K has been slipping for 3 years. Let's hope thatMy Player is riddled with bugs. The signature mode destroyed by junky programming. Prepare for your MVP, 2 million vote All Star to play 12 minutes off the bench in the big game. Online was broken, trophies didn't pop, and DESPICABLY 2k REMOVED trading Legends to teams, the best feature of 2K11. Oh, but they put this feature in their DLC. 2K has been slipping for 3 years. Let's hope that crappy Live comes back to push 2K into polishing up a darn yearly title.… Expand
  16. audiblekbrad
    Oct 28, 2013
    0
    My horrendous review is based on one sole reason, but personally if it happened or happens to you, the review couldn't be different. Honestly I don't think I have ever been more upset, beyond anger, like genuinely hysterical about a video game. I still haven't fully recovered.

    I started an Nba 2k "my player" in college and was the biggest game my collective roommates as a whole bonded    My horrendous review is based on one sole reason, but personally if it happened or happens to you, the review couldn't be different. Honestly I don't think I have ever been more upset, beyond anger, like genuinely hysterical about a video game. I still haven't fully recovered.

    I started an Nba 2k "my player" in college and was the biggest game my collective roommates as a whole bonded over. A lot of hours have been put into doing this "my player". I stopped playing when college ended, but recently took it up again and started to just rain fury on the NBA with my player. Jackie Moon was his name, based on Will Ferrell's semi-pro character. I loved that player, I put everything I had into him.

    Than one day I went to check on my hall of fame status while I was petting my dog or something stupid. I accidentally clicked one spot up, game automatically saves progress, Jackie Moon is retired from the NBA. It was one split second of minor attention to the dog in between playing a few quick games... and I can never play Jackie Moon again for the rest of my life ever.

    I called the help line, not really panicked at first because I'm thinking "there has to be some go back/undo button. The guy was maybe done with his fourth season in the NBA, why the would this game think its his time to hang up the uniform." When I called them, first off she put me on hold only to come back and say she would email me later. Like 10 minutes later I get an email saying yeah there is nothing you can do, sorry about wasting you time for the last however many years.

    This may seem like a very biased or even selfish review, but I cannot tell you how heartbroken I was. I honestly don't play a lot of video games... that was it, that's what I put my time into. I hoped one day when I went to visit my different roommates we could pull that game out and play Jackie Moon. Show my progress and see what progress they get and make it a thing. One slight slip of the finger and an instant later, Jackie Moon is a 24 year old retired NBA player...****.

    Thinking about that even now is getting me a little seething, why would retire even be a ****ing option? Wouldn't everyone want to be a the greatest player of all time playing until 40 or whatever the max age, if not than they'll just stop ****ing playing the game. Also sorry about the recent flair in vulgarity, I'm not happy. If you enjoy playing this game than power to you and I hope you keep having fun. But this game broke my heart and I will never forgive it for that, I give it a 0    … Expand
  17. asdgasgea
    May 19, 2023
    2
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Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best PS3 Game of 2011
38
#38 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
85
#85 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 38 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 38
  3. Negative: 0 out of 38
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Mar 6, 2012
    90
    More than an update, this is an overhaul. If you have even a passing interest in basketball, or love sports games, get this now. [Dec 2011, p82]
  2. Gamereactor Denmark
    Jan 23, 2012
    90
    Oozes basketball atmosphere in a way that we've never seen in any other sports game. 2K Sports have made a game that's difficult to pick up if you're still a basketball virgin, but once you've learned all the moves, there's plenty to explore in this entertaining and challenging release.
    Read full review
  3. Official PlayStation Magazine Benelux
    Dec 29, 2011
    93
    The gigantic NBA stadiums are a delight to behold. It's an amazing feeling when you finish a fastbreak with a devastating slam dunk. The crowd goes absolutely wild, even the players on the bench have a little party. [Nov 2011, p.78]
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