Better than 2k11, stil a couple of issues ruins the overall result.
After spending a week with the new game, once more I am left with the same impression. A great game that needs one or two corrections to be perfect.
All the positives have been previously mentioned from other reviewers, so I will focus on what frustrated me. I will categorize the game in MY PLAYER and OTHER MODES, you will understand why.
MY PLAYER: The mode is 90% the same. You are selected with a terribly unrealistic way: an exhibition game. The previous procedure with the training camps was clearly better and more realistic. The fact that some found it boring and lenghty doesn't mean that it had to be changed. Then you are selected and if you are lucky and don't get selected by a team with a star in your position, after 15-20 good games you will be in the starting line up.
Something that happened two or three times in my first games, was that I was rarely getting some 4th quarter action. Obviously this is realistic for a rookie, but in one of those games, I was by far the best of the team up to the third quarter, with 20 points.
The gameplay of this mode seems like it is different from the rest of the game. While in other modes the differences from 2KK1 are obvious, My Player plays exactly like 2K11! I don't know why this has happened.
Because of this, the action doesn't seem very fluid. In 2K12 scoring in the paint is harder and getting blocked is very easy. So the PGs drive in the paint like they did in last year's game, they make a post move (unrealisticaly to many times) but then receive a thunderous block from a tall guy, wasting an offense.
Plays are not executed smoothly and I don't know why setting a screen has become so dificult. It is beyond me.
OTHER MODES: In the other modes, everything seems better and more realistic than last year. I will mention some things I didn't like.
As I previously said, guards make too many post moves for their size. Apart from top class short sized guards, like Rose, Paul etc, I don't think that many other players are capable of entering the paint, posting up, shaking off taller guys like they are Centers and scoring with a simple lay in. This happens too many times and 2K has to correct it in future patches.
They also have to tweak down the last second shots' efficiency. It's like awarding bad offense and punishing good defense, because not few will be the times that you will see a CPU guy hold the ball for 15 seconds or so going left and right, make a jump shot with your hand in his face with a second left and score.
Another thing that I didn't really appreciate, is the new play calling system. You have to take your eyes from the game to pick a play and that's not right.
As for the rosters, I understand that the lockout has frozen everything and since the rookies haven't signed their contracts yet, they can't be in an NBA game. I believe that as soon as the lock out is over, there will be a data update that will ad all the rookies.
I may have mentioned some negatives of the game, but it doesn't mean that I didn't love it. It will keep me in front of my tv until the next one arrives, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.