Question for those that play association mode

[Cantgetright69]

This isn't really for people who are new to the series or people who recently got it. But my question for the seasoned vets is how long did this years association mode entertain you? Did it start off hot like all years then before you knew it, out of no where you just felt this intense boredom and almost emotional pain that struck out of no where? And you conditioned yourself over your life span to keep coming back day after day but after a certain point this year as much as you tried to come back and keep grinding away with your favorite team, it just couldn't keep your interest no matter how much you died to feel that great feeling of pleasure that comes from a good franchise mode?

Well if you are anything like me then thats exactly what happen this year. It probably has happened every year but this year was a big disappointment in my book. Because I bought into the hype again. But can you blame me? Who wouldn't want to believe this year was going to be "The Year". Now I'm starting to reach the point where it is becoming more and more clear that as much as I want that killer game I just don't think we will get it mainly because if you compare sports games to say the modern warfare series, sports games development time is way shorter.

If you look at replay ability in a nutshell and compare sports games with first person shooters I firmly believe technically these games should be just as replayable as the other. The reason I feel they are not is because one is more well thought out and thorough than the other.

It has gotten to the point where I would love nothing more but to see sports games come out by some kind of law or common courtesy every 2 years. Instead of one. I just get tired of these half ditch efforts we see in every sports game created. Not saying no sports game in the history was well made but lets face it, the more you spend on creating a game the better.

[2SiQ2Quit]

To me to really get into a sports game I have always loved to chises and posting on sites like this which I'm new to but also IGN which I have over 10k post. I just feel like getting involved in the community keeps me having fun in my franchise and always makes the trades realistic

[J.Bauer24]

Generally my association modes only entertain me for like the first month, but this years has been going strong. Im just hoping the playoff atmosphere is better this year.

[Boge]

Yeah, I'm getting a little bored of it. I think it's because, like many, I'm trying to get the perfect setup, the players playing perfect, the sliders and stats perfect, but there're always a few things that are just hard coded and you can't change. Every game those things come up, I get a little more frustrated with the game.

As for the games being half baked, I seriously think they do it on purpose. Think about it. These games are always just good enough to consider buying and playing a bit, but never good enough for you to not consider next years game. You're always playing and thinking,"Man! If they'd just done this, the game would be so much better!" Guess what happens, next years version comes out and you get all excited, hoping that it will be at least as good as last years except that one thing was fixed. Sad part is, everyone is so busy talking about how perfect Kobe's finger tape looks that you can't get a straight answer whether the gameplay is for you or not. So you bite the bullet and find out for yourself. Just like last year, the game is good, but if they'd only done this, then it would have been better. They completely fixed this, which is awesome, but what happened to this? Why did they screw that up?

I think they purposely don't make the game as good as it could be, or the make some features ruined from last year in order to get you to look forward to the next version.

[Armor and Sword]

I won't need to buy another NBA 2K game for years.


Disagree 100%. This game is as good as it has ever gotten. And the getting is fantastic. Basketball IMO has long been the most difficult game to pull off. I only had enjoyed 2 basketball games in my entire life that gave me at least a year of replay value and those were NBA Live 95 and NBA Live 2005. This game is the mother of all NBA video games.

Everyone has their own opinions. So mine is:

I don't understand how anyone could not agree that NBA2K11 is the GOAT in the basketball console sports games arena. And quite frankly maybe the GOAT in sports video games.

[Cantgetright69]

Quote: Originally Posted by Boge

Yeah, I'm getting a little bored of it. I think it's because, like many, I'm trying to get the perfect setup, the players playing perfect, the sliders and stats perfect, but there're always a few things that are just hard coded and you can't change. Every game those things come up, I get a little more frustrated with the game. As for the games being half baked, I seriously think they do it on purpose. Think about it. These games are always just good enough to consider buying and playing a bit, but never good enough for you to not consider next years game. You're always playing and thinking,"Man! If they'd just done this, the game would be so much better!" Guess what happens, next years version comes out and you get all excited, hoping that it will be at least as good as last years except that one thing was fixed. Sad part is, everyone is so busy talking about how perfect Kobe's finger tape looks that you can't get a straight answer whether the gameplay is for you or not. So you bite the bullet and find out for yourself. Just like last year, the game is good, but if they'd only done this, then it would have been better. They completely fixed this, which is awesome, but what happened to this? Why did they screw that up? I think they purposely don't make the game as good as it could be, or the make some features ruined from last year in order to get you to look forward to the next version.

Yeah this is a great post. I look at what the text sim programmers like ootp and even draft day sports create with their franchise modes and they have no real budget just one programmer with a passion. And they are able to do great things.

Then you look at all these big time video game companies who care 100% about money and not much else and you can't help but notice how for the huge millions of dollars in their budget we just aren't getting the type of product you would expect from a billion dollar business.

Comparing what one man can do with a passion programming then comparing what 20-30 programmers getting paid great money can do and its not even close.

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cantgetright69

Yeah this is a great post. I look at what the text sim programmers like ootp and even draft day sports create with their franchise modes and they have no real budget just one programmer with a passion. And they are able to do great things. Then you look at all these big time video game companies who care 100% about money and not much else and you can't help but notice how for the huge millions of dollars in their budget we just aren't getting the type of product you would expect from a billion dollar business. Comparing what one man can do with a passion programming then comparing what 20-30 programmers getting paid great money can do and its not even close.

Console sports games are supposed to be fun and accesible first and foremost. What makes the 2K series, Show Series, and the EA NHL series so fantastic is they have that balance just about nailed. The gameplay is fantastic first and foremost, but they also have deep and immersive franchise play for those that want to delve into running a team and at the same time not be overwhelmed by menus upon menus of text, numbers and spreadsheets.

I think it is so difficult to please everyone. These 3 series do it well. The last thing I want is any gameplay sacrificed for more room for off-season mumbo jumbo.

95% of my time is either on the diamond, court or ice with these titles.

[travis72]

Quote: Originally Posted by Boge

Yeah, I'm getting a little bored of it. I think it's because, like many, I'm trying to get the perfect setup, the players playing perfect, the sliders and stats perfect, but there're always a few things that are just hard coded and you can't change. Every game those things come up, I get a little more frustrated with the game. As for the games being half baked, I seriously think they do it on purpose. Think about it. These games are always just good enough to consider buying and playing a bit, but never good enough for you to not consider next years game. You're always playing and thinking,"Man! If they'd just done this, the game would be so much better!" Guess what happens, next years version comes out and you get all excited, hoping that it will be at least as good as last years except that one thing was fixed. Sad part is, everyone is so busy talking about how perfect Kobe's finger tape looks that you can't get a straight answer whether the gameplay is for you or not. So you bite the bullet and find out for yourself. Just like last year, the game is good, but if they'd only done this, then it would have been better. They completely fixed this, which is awesome, but what happened to this? Why did they screw that up? I think they purposely don't make the game as good as it could be, or the make some features ruined from last year in order to get you to look forward to the next version.

Very well said.