11 Improvements for NBA 2K11

Throughout the current season of virtual ballers, everyone knows that NBA 2K10 was the undisputed champion of consoles. If you call yourself a fan of sim basketball, you already are aware of how dominant the series has been over the last ten years. But that doesn't say the game is perfect. We've still got a few glitches, gameplay annoyances, and there are even some elements from last generation games that still have yet to be introduced on a more recent edition. The My Player mode was a great way to further innovate the series, but it is far from polished. Along with fixing all the little bugs, there is plenty of work left to make the mode more accessible and more enjoyable. Even in a game as good as NBA 2K10 was, there's always room for improvement. Here's eleven ways to make 2K11 the best basketball game to date.

The NBA is known for highlight reel plays, with the stars flying high and capping off thunderous dunks, but for anyone who has watched a game in real life, they realize these spectacular plays are few and far between. But when they do, it creates a special moment. Now, 2K10 did a good job at keeping things from feeling arcady, but the next step in becoming a true simulation game is limiting the number of rim rocking dunks.

As a frequent user of the Cleveland Cavaliers, I find it way too easy being able to weave by a defender while controlling either the Akron Hammer himself or Jamario Moon, then blow by defenders on my way up for a leaning tomahawk. Both players have the ability to do this, but when they're doing it multiple times per game it takes away from the ecstatic energy that should be felt from a play of such rarity.

By toning down the dunks a focusing more on running an offense around plays the gameplay would automatically be given an authentic lift. Working on the post game, both offensively and defensively will help slow the game down to a more reasonable pace. Off ball contact and assignment switching or help defense will allow for less open lanes for players with high dunk ratings to plow their way through.

This one is simple. For starters, there is no reason that I should be finding lag in my offline game. For whatever reason, I could just be in a standard game against the computer, or someone on the same console and the game will start skipping around for a few seconds. It doesn't happen too often, but it's a small complaint that needs to be fixed. I mean, it can't be that difficult to get a game running smoothly offline can it?

Playing a game online is a different story. The gameplay feels completely different than offline, which leads to less time to react and allows players to abuse some cheap exploits. It's manageable once you spend a few games getting the hang of the new pacing, but it is extremely annoying that you can't enjoy NBA 2K10 with friends online in the smooth way you should be able to. If just this could be fixed, and we had a perfect running game online for next year, and all the other ten suggestions were ignored, I think I would be content.

And while I'm at it, bring back ranked online lobbies.

Maybe it was an underlooked feature, but it was something that really helps add personality and life to your own Association. It was in NBA 2K3 and a few releases after that, then getting to this generation it stopped. I can understand doing away with it for a few years, because surely it isn't easy to produce, but by now it should have been included already. College Hoops 2K8 had it, why can't NBA 2K11. The weekly show provides a great source of keeping you up to date in your virtual league. You have access to the latest scores, moves, rumors, and commentators opinions. While this is too wishful of thinking, it would really be a blast if they could get the cast of Inside the NBA for this.

Sometimes, hardware limitations can be beneficial. I almost want to say that's the case with the latest games in the NBA 2K series. Back in previous generations (and even some of the earlier games this gen) basketball games were a lot simpler. Less flashy, sure, but simple. You controlled all the basic fundamentals: passing, dribbling, shooting, the works. Now all these actions are supported by an eye-catching animation. While I'd be lieing to say it doesn't drastically improve the presentation, I could make the argument that gameplay becomes more of a hassle.

Many times it can feel like you aren't in total control of your player. When you just want to take the ball up court, your PG can get stuck in an animation, and possibly do something you didn't want to happen, or at least waste a few unnecessary seconds. Shot blocking is also harmed by this. It does look pretty nice, seeing some big time stuffage or a come from behind swat on an unsuspecting player on the fastbreak, rather than just seeing the ball change trajectory after contact was made, but this also can take away from the satisfaction of getting a rejection. Rather than timing the jump correctly, it's more about the battle of whose animation will prevail.

You can keep adding to the repertoire of dunk/layup/shot animations, though. Those simply add authenticity without the negative impact. So the more, the merrier, 2K!

Online leagues are fun and all, but what if you could get the full experience in a multi-year Association with other user controlled teams? Every game suddenly becomes that much more important, and off-season management, like fighting over the top free agents, becomes that much more competitive. EA Sports has managed to include this in both of their football games. It's time to step up to the challenge 2K, and bring this to the basketball world.

Not every game in the NBA has sold out seats and packs the same level of intensity. I want to be able to feel the difference between a regular season game at the Arco Arena in Sacramento and a Game 7 at the TD Garden in Boston. Maybe even bring back the 6th Man meter (another feature from College Hoops 2K8 that the NBA franchise never has seen) to show a shift in momentum when a big play occurs.

Maybe integrating some crowd cutscenes could work, too. Showing them holding signs, getting in altercations, trying to rally their home team, or heading home early during a blow out. If possible, it would even be neat to see celebrity cameos at games. They've gotten celebrities to appear as street players in the past, so having them sitting courtside doesn't seem like too far of a stretch. Even if they couldn't get Jack Nicholson, Spike Lee, and Usher to donate their likeness, at least putting Kanye West, Asher Roth, and The Game dressed up on the sidelines would be a nice touch.

Maybe this is taking the idea a little too far, but I'd like to see an owner mode similar to ones found in certain EA Sports titles and MLB: The Show, where you take on the responsibility of marketing, ticket prices, stadium upgrades, etc. to impact the crowd of your home games. First thing is handling the crowd atmosphere in gameplay, but we're allowed to dream about something even more in depth making its way into the game.

I don't think Blacktop mode has seen a significant change since it was introduced in NBA 2K8. How about some new moves for the dunk contest? Maybe add a Skills Contest or Shooting Stars? HORSE might even be fun. At least some different court options would be nice. Having the dunk contest inside an arena for a change would be a start. It would be great if this would be implemented into the Association as part of All-Star weekend. It's one of the biggest and most exciting sporting events of the year and adding the full package to the Association would be a big upgrade. The core is already there. All that needs to be done is update some presentation and you have All-Star weekend.

2K Sports games have always been known for having a great, fitting soundtrack, and it looks like they're already shaping up to deliver another satisfying entry, but not everyone will enjoy the same music. Why not give all the users the option of putting their own favorite songs onto the game with custom soundtracks? It's easy enough, and everyone is happy that way.

Let's incorporate an even deeper level of customization. How about a revamped player creator, something that makes sculpting features easier. It would really be something if they allowed you to input a picture of someone's face to have recreated in-game, or with the coming popularity of the PS3 Eye thanks to move, and Natal's camera, you could take pictures of real people to be in the game. Also maybe having a custom tattoo creator and more accessories to fill your character with would be nice.

Better yet, the ability to create your own custom uniforms and build your own arena. Just think how cool it would be to play into the 2020 season in Association and decide it's time for a new look. There was a decent uniform creator in Team-Up, so it could be an easy task to expand and add it to Association. Heck, what if you could relocate, or just build a new arena when your team's was getting old? Maybe even a logo editor?

NBA 2K10 was headed towards this with some excellent pre-game routines and such, but how about taking that a step further. I'd like to see more unique cutscenes of players interacting on the court, close-ups of members in the crowd, players and coaches interacting on the bench, small things like you would see being shown at a real life game being broadcasted on television. While, 2K10 already had a slick cinematic approach to the game, I'd just like to see them take it to another level. Oh, and one more thing, make those pre-game rituals stick around after the first year in Association mode.

With an already robust set of things to do, My Player mode seemed like icing on the cake. While having this career mode is a more than welcome addition, there is a lot to be left to hope for next year. One thing in particular is the lack of interaction you have with your created player. Rather than just going through the motions, from doing drills and playing games, spice things up and give a little life to this mode. Being an NBA player is about so much more than just playing games.

For starters, take a page out of EA's book and start adding some similar features found in Madden's Superstar mode (although it's better to go of the last generation games). Signing an agent, doing interviews, shooting movies, all that fun stuff.

Remember “The Crib” from those older 2K Sports games? Well, what if it made a return as a little feature in My Player. This would finally bring a meaning to your contract, and get you actually caring how much money you make. It might seem like a little too much, but there are a lot of people (including myself) who believe it would be awesome filling out your own house with all kinds of decorations, games, and furniture...and those bobblehead dolls.

My Player mode has its fair share of glitches, but nothing is more annoying than missing a shot from down low, right beside the basket, and getting deducted for “Bad Shot Selection”. In my years of playing basketball, I've never had a coach who would tell me to pass up on that shot. There are a lot of small things like this that turn My Player into more of a hassle than its worth. I find myself getting frustrated when I constantly see my teammate grade going down because of something that I feel wasn't even wrong. If my man scores on a fastbreak opportunity, can you really blame me for it? On the other hand, you are rewarded for disrupting the offense and setting screens on everyone you possibly can.

Logan Smithson, Noobfeed