NBA 2K12

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 146 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 107 out of 146
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 146
  3. Negative: 15 out of 146
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  1. SmartApps
    Nov 9, 2011
    7
    This game gets everything right, other than online multiplayer. That part of it is sloppy, laggy, unintuitive, and just generally needs work.

    Also, in my player mode your character will talk as if he is African American, no matter what.
  2. anarin
    Feb 6, 2012
    6
    The look of the game is great, they definitely did their homework on presentation. Now with that being said, if you can stand a game that plays robotic (to the point where your players feel like they are lagging online, but you are playing an offline game), an online league that you can't control, multiplayer vs mode (2 on 2, 3 on 3.. etc.) that you can't change between players, doesntThe look of the game is great, they definitely did their homework on presentation. Now with that being said, if you can stand a game that plays robotic (to the point where your players feel like they are lagging online, but you are playing an offline game), an online league that you can't control, multiplayer vs mode (2 on 2, 3 on 3.. etc.) that you can't change between players, doesnt have a blacktop online mode, takes 5 minutes to synchronize the rosters and save your game data every so often when you are playing, and restricted online gameplay. Then this game is for you.

    If you are like me and you wish for a more smooth flowing game, with more control of the product you own. You will email and plead to EA to get back into the NBA market.    … Expand
  3. SirSalley23
    Nov 20, 2011
    6
    Being a die-hard nba 2k fan (i own and have played every 2k since 2k3) I have to say for the all GREAT and amazing strides 2k11 made last year (on top of finally killing off the terrible nba live series) this game took the madden approach this year in my opinion but the one thing that I know has hurt the way the game plays this year is the lack of an NBA season and no living roster updatesBeing a die-hard nba 2k fan (i own and have played every 2k since 2k3) I have to say for the all GREAT and amazing strides 2k11 made last year (on top of finally killing off the terrible nba live series) this game took the madden approach this year in my opinion but the one thing that I know has hurt the way the game plays this year is the lack of an NBA season and no living roster updates because those are basically the glitch patches that games like WoW see. The most surprising as well as upsetting thing to me this year is the lack of decent player ratings this year. So your telling me that the nba's players as a whole average around below adequate while there are about 4-8 superstars and the second coming of jesus is Lebron James? Its just entirely not fair to anyone that plays against the heat just about, lebron is unstoppable and faster than Rajon Rondo with an unstoppable midrange jumper. The worst thing about the game this year is all it takes is one of the NBA's super elite allstars and your set you don't even need 4 other people on the floor because they will dunk, and shoot over 5 guys whenever you want. The 2k series in my opinion needs to make a return to strong team-based play and not focusing on one unstoppable all-star (i put up 59 points with lebron in a half with 8 minute quarters and 40+ with KD in a half as well). Its impossible to go to the basket with anyone under 6"7 because just about everything gets blocked now its as if nba players don't know what a high arching layup is or a teardrop even some of the most elusive drivers in the nba today (tony parker, rajon rondo among others) cant get to the basket for nothing and pumpfaking before going up with those guys is a deathwish as well under the basket. The pure midrange scorers are also irrelevant now as well (paul pierce, kobe bryant) because getting to the basket after a good pumpfake or their trademark turnarounds aren't a quarter as effective as they really are. Also the last issue I have with the game is the TERRIBLE teammate A.I. it feels like im playing 5th grade basketball all they do is stand there and stare and sometimes cut and the passing is at a 5th grade level as well at times while the A.I. just ballhawks more than ever like its psychic, players throw the ball directly into teammates and opponents backs or they make a terrible chest pass when a bounce pass or a wrap around pass is a much better choice. I thought these were NBA players not 5th and 6th graders playing aau for the first time. But the game also made some positive stride like the redesign of the shotstick is so intuitive now but its all for one on one scoring and even though thats what the nba is all about now the games physics just aren't at a level where it can accurately mimic the speed and precision of the real players yet and when you attempt to fall back on good ball rotation and shot selection its impossible to get an open shot because no one moves and there arent even any off ball screens unless you call a play and the lane just clutters when you go to the basket and if your not lebron or KD or josh smith or anyone else with like a 99 dunk and 99 layup and 99 shoot in traffic your going to get your shot blocked or thrown at the bottom of the rim more times than your even going to get a decent attempt at the rim (not even a make). Its still a very solid title and the lack of an nba season this year hurts the balancing of teams and players but there still is no reason the game should have taken some of the slides backwards it did this year. And 2k has to realize that nba teams, college teams, highschool teams, and AAU teams dont just run set plays everytime down the floor they run offenses with certain rotation schemes, with about 5-8 set plays and a couple a quick hitters for coming down the floor when 2k realizes this and stops feeding into how the average fan sees basketball and starts to really model the game after the way it is really played at the top competetive level thats when we will see a perfect basketball simulation until then I always hold hope for next year.… Expand
  4. JoMo
    Oct 5, 2011
    6
    The reality is that most of the game-critiquing world slobbered all over 2K11 and praised it as the best basketball game of all time. In many respects that was praise was well-deserved because of how jam-packed it was with unprecedented (albeit untested, and often times frustratingly poorly implemented) gameplay concepts. Said reviewers however, used these excellent additions to overshadowThe reality is that most of the game-critiquing world slobbered all over 2K11 and praised it as the best basketball game of all time. In many respects that was praise was well-deserved because of how jam-packed it was with unprecedented (albeit untested, and often times frustratingly poorly implemented) gameplay concepts. Said reviewers however, used these excellent additions to overshadow the major faults that would often times cripple the gameplay and experience. Most notably, the online experience.

    2K12 improves on virtually all aspects of the basketball simulation, specifically the GAMEPLAY. I think the animations are smooth and beautifully blended together, making the game look and feel totally organic and fluid. The new post-system is really robust despite it's simplicity. Everything just feels more responsive (except for non-icon passing, which is still inexplicably innaccurate despite working fine in almost every basketball game since like 2000), and more streamlined. The player collisions are excellent in the paint, and once fouls are turned up on the sliders, it just feels a lot more legit inside the arc. On the perimeter there are some issues in that man-to-man defense is a little rough with the new "close-out" and "high pressure" animations. When not in those animations, defender's footing is so slow that it becomes more of a nuisance trying to stay in front of ANYONE with a handle.

    It's odd that they touted this new and improved MyPlayer experience, and then wound up packaging literally the exact same thing as last year, with some new useless flourishes like better interviewing mechanics (which are overly long, unskippable, and obnoxiously dull), better billboards, and better indications about and more opportunities for skill points. Everything else is literally cut and pasted from last year. Same arbitrary and dull 3 objectives per game, including one wasted on "achieve this letter grade," despite receiving points for it elsewhere. The scoring system in games is a little tuned up, but identical to last years in terms of logic. Im sorry, one nice addition is the variety of moves you can earn and specialize in (at high prices), as opposed to getting giant packages of moves.

    Oh, wait, they forgot to cut and paste the biggest element they had going for them last year - Crew Mode. The game is now tailored for single player as you cant pit your myplayer against friends' characters because they fully removed the feature. Just inexplicably terrible decision making on their part, without explanation. Additionally, the online experience is just as godawful as it's been for years, when every other sports game has it figured out. Their servers fail more often than they work, and it makes me want to just give up virtually every time I try.

    Additionally. Can anyone explain the logic of marketing and hyping the idea of these classic teams, and then not letting people use them when they play online against friends? Does that make any sense at all?    … Expand
  5. EJA
    Jul 29, 2013
    7
    This game is really good for a couple reasons:
    1) the character animations are fantastic and so is the presentation of the game
    2) Teams play differently and you can recognize it 3) Playing games throughout history and learning from it is lots of fun 4) Players have unique skill sets and playing in the post is entertaining. This game also has some real issues to work out: 1)    This game is really good for a couple reasons:
    1) the character animations are fantastic and so is the presentation of the game
    2) Teams play differently and you can recognize it
    3) Playing games throughout history and learning from it is lots of fun
    4) Players have unique skill sets and playing in the post is entertaining.

    This game also has some real issues to work out:
    1) Momentum in the game is really overpowering. If your opponent has hit a few shots in a row you will NOT make an open jumper, lay-up, etc. If your quarter starts and your down 8-0 its gonna get worse.

    2) Players generally miss open shots if you shoot too early in the shot clock; your punished for uptempo style

    3) In Association mode, computer GM's make awful trades and sign free agents that make little sense. Teams will overstack with 3 starting point guards and pay not attention to their power forward. One team in particular had Kyrie Irving, drafted a top 5 point guard, and then signed Chris Paul in free agency.... Needless to say after a few years the league gets pretty whacky.

    4) Drafting is a crapshoot. Unless you have a top 3 pick dont even bother. The system is shallow in that an overhyped prospect doesn't bust and you never find diamonds in the rough in later rounds. You also have no sense of your prospects game so the first couple years is a trial and error of shots, drives, and fails.

    The Graphics, Presentation, and general gameplay alone makes this game a 9.5
    The flawed Association mode and now dead Online mode makes this game a 5

    I'll go 7 in the middle.    … Expand
  6. dirtykrew
    Dec 6, 2011
    5
    this is a good game. they just need to fix the in player mode. it freezes way to much! also thought that they would fix the lag issue online. same graphics as 2k11, which were pretty good. just dont like the freezing issues. not worth 60 bucks right now but if they fixed those issues it would definitely be worth the money
  7. Ishman
    Dec 20, 2011
    7
    Awesome, But really doesn't do much more than 2k11, I realize this a sports game so that comes with the territory, I personally hardly notice a difference from 11 to 12. I don't think its worthy of all the praise heaped upon it. Multiplayer is Lagged out to the Max also, which should have been fixed from last year. If you like Ball, you will enjoy this, especially if you haven't played aAwesome, But really doesn't do much more than 2k11, I realize this a sports game so that comes with the territory, I personally hardly notice a difference from 11 to 12. I don't think its worthy of all the praise heaped upon it. Multiplayer is Lagged out to the Max also, which should have been fixed from last year. If you like Ball, you will enjoy this, especially if you haven't played a basketball game in years. It is the NBA Live Killer after all.… Expand
  8. ThisReviewSucks
    Jun 6, 2013
    6
    Do you enjoy constantly missing layups? How about watching the league's best sharpshooters go completely cold and lose the ability to hit wide open three point shots? Would you like to see your defensive efforts end up all for naught as the computer makes all sorts of contested shots and layups at will? Then this is the game for you!

    Let's start off with something positive, shall we?    Do you enjoy constantly missing layups? How about watching the league's best sharpshooters go completely cold and lose the ability to hit wide open three point shots? Would you like to see your defensive efforts end up all for naught as the computer makes all sorts of contested shots and layups at will? Then this is the game for you!

    Let's start off with something positive, shall we? 2k12 has great gameplay flow. The normal ups and downs in real NBA basketball games take place in every game you play; no team stays hot forever. From here, though, everything goes downhill.

    First off, we might as well start with the most annoying flaw in NBA 2k12: missing layups. In my association mode, Roy Hibbert consistently bricks layups and gets blocked by point guards, for example, Monta Ellis. I don't care how passive he is in real life, he's 7'2". If it's difficult to make a layup with someone that tall, you can only imagine the frustration trying to make layups with your point guard. While the cpu easily runs past anyone you have defending the paint to make a flawless, uncontested layup (regardless of your generous use of the Y button), you have to deal with getting hacked, not going to the free throw line, and missing layups.

    Secondly, the large stretches in the game where you suddenly find your best shooters forgot how to shoot the basketball. While every team gets cold now and then, it can get quite ridiculous in 2k. I really don't know who has fun when their collective team of sharpshooters(for me, Jrue Holiday, Nicolas Batum, James harden, Josh Smith) seemingly lose any shooting skill they ever had.

    Thirdly, the player A.I. I think we can all agree that your team's player A.I. in 2k11 was completely stupid. While it is slightly better in 2k12, you will realize very quickly how much smarter the cpu players play than your own. For instance, when playing against a team that, say, has Dirk Nowitzki and Andrea Bargnani in the game(Yes, this is from my own experience once again). These are two big men you do not find in the paint very often. Yet, if you try to slash your way to the basket, or box out on the cpu's miss, you'll find these guys run to the paint quicker than Usain Bolt. In comparison, you will find that your boneheaded big men will follow players such as Jason Maxiell all the way out to the 3-point line and stand there without any thought as to who may be slashing into the paint. They do not find their way back there on misses, either, as you find your guards fighting for the rebounds with the other team's bigs quite often(Jrue Holiday and James Harden lead me team in rebounds many times that I play. Should I reiterate that Roy Hibbert is 7'2"?).

    Even with all the moments I find to be furious at this freaking game, though, I still find myself addicted to it. Because, when at its best or, to put more truthfully, when the cpu decides to give you an illusion of fair play I do find myself enjoying the game. To keep a game close based on both teams making legitimate shots, and not on one team making any contested shot they want while you have to work the ball around to find someone wide open every time, is fun. To have your team on a roll and firing on all cylinders is very rewarding. To create your own super team and make them a powerful franchise brings a feeling you can't find with any other game.

    So, if you love basketball like me, and can't contain yourself, welcome to Clank City. If you know what's good for you, then you should probably play something that is actually fun. Chao!    … Expand
  9. brobeans
    Oct 22, 2014
    6
    Decent basketball game. Playing as "the Greats!" is really fun. But the A.I... The A.I..... Is so stupid. UNLESS you're playing against the A.I, and the difficulty is above Pro. In MyPlayer (and in normal games a bit) there is a MAJOR balancing issue. If you have the game on All-Star, i feel like it only turns up the skill of the opposing team, NOT your teammates. "But brobeans, they didDecent basketball game. Playing as "the Greats!" is really fun. But the A.I... The A.I..... Is so stupid. UNLESS you're playing against the A.I, and the difficulty is above Pro. In MyPlayer (and in normal games a bit) there is a MAJOR balancing issue. If you have the game on All-Star, i feel like it only turns up the skill of the opposing team, NOT your teammates. "But brobeans, they did that because then YOU have to lead the team." Ok, i sorta understand that, but when you start out with a FRICKN 60 OVERALL YOU CANNOT LEAD YOUR TEAM!!!!!!! And because you start out with a low overall, it's fun to move up each game, as you get to watch him progress. But in 2k12.. When there are terrible, and i mean AWFUL balancing issues, that's REALLY HARD to do.

    I don't "Hate Decent basketball game. Playing as "the Greats!" is really fun. But the A.I... The A.I..... Is so stupid. UNLESS you're playing against the A.I, and the difficulty is above Pro. In MyPlayer (and in normal games a bit) there is a MAJOR balancing issue. If you have the game on All-Star, i feel like it only turns up the skill of the opposing team, NOT your teammates. "But brobeans, they did that because then YOU have to lead the team." Ok, i sorta understand that, but when you start out with a FRICKN 60 OVERALL YOU CANNOT LEAD YOUR TEAM!!!!!!! And because you start out with a low overall, it's fun to move up each game, as you get to watch him progress. But in 2k12.. When there are terrible, and i mean AWFUL balancing issues, that's REALLY HARD to do.

    I don't "Hate the game". As i said, it is fun playing as the greats. But because of the MyTeam/MyPlayer sucking, it really takes away from the game, and adds frustration to you. Now for my rating, i really am trying to be optimistic about the score, with giving it a 7/10. The graphics are good, atleast, compared to past games, the animations are alright, not to much changed, the only change from 2k11 animations to 2k12 animations is the fact that in 2k12 when they move it isn't as stiff. I do not recommend this game, when theirs other, better 2K games out there (2k13, 2k11, etc), i just hope that this is will all be fixed for the later 2k games. That is all! I must go now... *swoosh*    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
42
#42 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
63
#63 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Console Monster
    Jan 31, 2012
    75
    NBA 2K12 is definitely a game any basketball fan should own and a game that will keep you occupied until 2K13 is released at a minimum. If I had more online friends who played the game I know I would have enjoyed the online experience more than I did, so it's definitely a game you should check out if you know a few friends who would also play. Casual sports gamers should at least rent this game and see if it tickles your fancy. Swoosh!
    Read full review
  2. Games Master UK
    Nov 20, 2011
    85
    Slightly rocky in-game mechanics just stop this from slamdunking the competition. [Christmas 2011, p.65]
  3. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Nov 15, 2011
    80
    Basketball done right. [Issue#78, p.89]
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