NBA 2k11, famous (or not) for being the first game in the series to feature a retired player (2k12 would be the second) on the cover, is definitely worthy of having Jordan on said cover.

I can't continue this review, without first mentioning something about Jordan's part in the game.

Michael Jordan is featured very prominently in this game... whether it be in the form of letters from him during My Player mode (the career mode) or through the Michael Jordan Challenge mode (where you play as him, during his key moments) or even the Be a Legend mode (think My Player, but your character is Michael Jordan. I'm not kidding you.)

Jordan is very well featured in the game... you can even assign him to any team you want via Roster Control, and subsequently use him in any play mode. Never before has it been so easy to play as Jordan.

But enough of my Jordan love, let's focus on the game itself... which is very good.

Graphics - 7

The graphics themself are nothing special, but the presentation kind of is in a way. I'm not talking sound presentation, but more how they graphically portray it. Players will do pre game rituals just like in real life (although it gets boring watching LeBron James throw chalk in the air every other game) and move on the court similarly to how a basketball player would.

Another note, graphically, is that the menus are pretty good, and for the most part lag free. There is slowdown from time to time, especially if you go through as many menus as you can at once. If you take it slow, you will be pleased.

Overall though, the graphics are pretty mediocre, although there's not a whole lot more they can do... animate hair? Make LeBron's sweat more outstanding? Make people look a little more lifelike, when you only see them up close a few times a game?

In the end, very passable.

Sound - 9

I would have liked the ability to add in a custom soundtrack, but I'm ok with it, since the music in game actually FITS the game. It's mostly rap music... but that's kind of the culture of the NBA and basketball in general.

The music itself isn't anything spectacular, they could have chosen better rap songs, but they did good with a lot of them, so I'm not inclined to mark them down for that.

The sound presentation in game is very varied at times, although sometimes the commentators will say the same thing over and over. It's hit or miss. The biggest offender is Dorris Burke who chimes in with the Sprite Surge of the game after the third quarter. Since I play as the Bulls, and I'm normally winning pretty handily, all she has to say is "The performance goes to the Bulls for that major surge."

You have no idea how annoying it can be to hear the same thing all the time, so I normally try to skip her rambling.

The sounds on the court are incredible though, you can really hear the clang of a ball off the rim, the sound of a big man dunking the ball home, the crowd is vibrant, and the stadium makes accurate noises (such as the sound that plays every time the Knicks do something good)

The biggest qualm with the sound has to be the NBA 2k advisor. I get why he's there. To help you out. The problem with him in My Player is that if you are like me, and get bored of playing games back to back, and just want a snack, that he'll keep talking about old quotes and how he has a hard on for Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson, all of which he calls "my man". It's cute at first, and it's like "huh, I did not know he said that", but as you hear it 7 or 9 or 23 times, you get bored of how limited his commentary really is.

Speaking of My Player, the sound is one of my favorite things about it. After games, you get into press conferences (by far the coolest feature ever in my opinion) and the press will ask you a question based on recent events. Are you involved in trade rumors? Are you the conference's player of the month? Did your team make it into the playoffs, did you have a record breaking night? The questions are rather varied, and into my second season, I'm still hearing new questions. You can choose to answer with professionalism, loyalty, indifference, or arrogance. Generally, I find the best option is to be arrogant if it's about you, and loyal if it's about the team. But the other two lead to good sound bytes as well. With so many questions, and 4 responses per question, 2k really did their job with this one.

Addictiveness - 9

It's the best basketball video game ever made. I have played 2k12, didn't like it, and came right back to 2k11.

How rare is that? For you to play a recent sports game, decide it sucks, and THEN GO BACK TO LAST YEARS VERSION.

It's very rare, I'll tell you that. I haven't played any of my old baseball, football, or soccer games. This is the first time I have EVER chosen to play an older sports game. And for good reason.

It's fun.

That's the ultimate point in any game. Is it fun? Does it have any replay value? It does. And boy, am I still playing it.

For example, for the past 2 years now, I've been playing My Player mode on and off. It's basically what I exclusively play these days. I am only in my second season (I have 82 game seasons, with 10 minute quarters) although I am close to the end of it.

I'll probably still be playing up to 2k13's release... and knowing how good 2k11 is... I may just keep playing this one. I might simply choose to save 60 bucks, and stay on this game. That's how they know they've done their job right, when I don't feel the need to upgrade it, because it is great as is.

Story - nill

Sports games tend not to have a story, and this is no different. Aside from the My Player and Michael Jordan challenge mode, there's nothing close to a story mode. As a result, I refuse to grade it for one.

Depth - 9

Game Modes include

Michael Jordan challenge
Association (basically franchise mode)
NBA Blacktop (which includes 3 point shootout and Slam Dunk contest)
My Player
Creating/Be a Legend mode
Online modes
1 on 1
Scrimmages

etcetcetc

Point is, there's a lot to do, and it's totally worth the effort to get into. It's impossible to get the platinum now, given there are no more NBA Today matchups, as of the end of the LAST regular season, but that's not a problem, as this game had a difficult platinum to begin with. Odds are, you'd miss the online ones without a little help.

The fact I'm still finding new ways to enjoy the game speaks for it's depth. Sports games are always unrealistically deep, and this game is no exception to that.

Difficulty - Varies

I wish I could just not rate difficulty, as the game itself varies entirely based on how you play. So instead of rating the difficulties... let's talk about my biggest gripe with this game.

The controls.

Most of the time, the controls are fine. Everything works as it's supposed to. Except when it doesn't. Here are a few irritating things I had no control over. My Player mode, my player is a Point Guard with maxed out passing. I throw a pass maybe a quarter court length to get it to a guy over the half court line, to beat the half court clock. The player's name is Ray Allen. He MISSES THE DAMN BALL. OR...

the worst of all...

He flies out of bounds trying to catch a ball that was nowhere near the line. It would have been in if he jumped half an inch upwards and caught it. But rather, he chooses to run to the ball, and get called out of bounds. And it's a turnover.

The game shouldn't be more difficult because the AI is idiotic. The computer never makes these mistakes, so I assumed it was my fault. This is not the case, they jump for the computer, they don't jump for me. Ever. As a result, I had to max out my speed stat, ignoring my ability to shoot for a while so I could just get by the defenders and not get a million turnovers a game.

Another control issue is the freestyle control on ball handling.

You'd think the ability to use the left control stick to control the dribbling and breaking opponent's ankles would be cool.

I thought so too until I found out how needlessly complex and unresponsive it is. I almost never break ankles on plays, when I do, it's by pure accident.

The controls shouldn't be the hardest part of the game. So I'm going to rate it a 5 simply on principle, and let you decide for yourself.

Overall - 9.6

It's one of the best sports games ever made, finishing second only to MLB 12: the Show for me. There are a few kinks they could work out, but 2k12 didn't really improve too much, so I'm fine with playing 2k11 until they make a more perfect game.

All they have to do is make ball handling easier to accomplish, and tone down AI Stupidity, and the game will be right up there with 12 the Show.

Either way, let's focus on the good. A great game with a great soundtrack, and a great amount of things to do. What more can you ask for?