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I'll admit, when 2K Sports first announced that Michael Jordan was going to be on the cover of NBA 2K11, I was a little skeptical. Michael has been away from the game of basketball for so many years, surely they'd have to heavy-handedly force him into this year's package, right? Well, no, as fate would have it 2K went the opposite route and built the entire NBA 2K11 package around His Airness. That means everything from the opening cinematic to the main menu has Jordan firmly entrenched in the presentation. Yesterday I went hands-on with every mode that incorporates Mike and can say that I've never seen such a wonderfully nostalgic yet wholly original treatment of one of the world's greatest athletes.
When we first revealed the list of ten Jordan Challenges that would be in NBA 2K11, it looked like pretty much any other set of in-game objectives. Score this many points, get this many rebounds, dish out this many assists. Wash, rinse, repeat. It wasn't until I actually saw the context and the amount of detail that has been put into recreating Jordan's greatest games that I got really excited about how much potential MJ brings to the table.
For starters, every single one of the challenges (which date from his rookie year to that "final" shot against Bryon Russell and the Jazz) features every player that you'd care about. Whether you're talking about Horace Grant on the Bulls, James Worthy and Magic on the Lakers or Karl Malone and John Stockton on the Jazz, they're all here. What's even more impressive is that they all have their signature moves and styles in the game. Playing against the Jazz, Stockton continually fed Malone the rock and The Mailman did that old man jumpshot and kissed everything off the glass. I think Stockton is a little showier in his NBA 2K11 skin than he should be, as he dribbled the ball through his legs more times in one game than he did in his entire career in real life, but I'm sure 2K Sports will tweak things before the game launches.
It's hard to put into words how cool it is to see Michael take on the various looks that we all know and love from throughout his career. Even more special is the fact that 2K Sports went to great lengths to track down each of the starters for every one of the opposing teams Jordan will face throughout the list of challenges. As if that wasn't cool enough, they've even included hallmark animations from each of the contests. That means that you'll see The Shrug against the Knicks, you'll see Jordan use Scottie Pippen as a crutch after the flu game -- there are even special animations for embarrassing Jazz players (stripping Malone and breaking Bryon's ankle). In other words, if there's a moment from Jordan's career, some image that is etched into your memory, it'll be in NBA 2K11.
Of course that wouldn't mean much if it was a static Jordan player model staring you in the face, regardless of what year you're playing in. 2K Sports took the time to change both Jordan's appearance so that rookie Jordan has the short-shorts and actual hair and 1997 Jordan is bulkier and bald, as well as sculpting his attributes to match his skills at that point in his career. When he first came into the league he was a high-flier (yes, you can absolutely do the free throw line dunk in-game) with little to speak of in terms of outside shot, whereas later in his career he was a real shooting threat from anywhere on the court, but lost some of his hops.
During my demo I got the chance to try out a few of the challenges for myself and found there to be a solid offering of objectives that vary wildly in difficulty. The 1991 NBA Finals against the Lakers will likely be the toughest as you have to win the entire series while averaging 31 points and shooting an impressive 55% from the field. Oh, and while it's not an objective, you can do the famous (and probably unneeded) layup where Michael switched the ball from his right hand to his left in mid-air just for good measure. Other games are a bit easier, like Father's Day Victory from Game 6 in the '96 Finals where Mike put in 22 points and grabbed 9 boards against Gary Payton and the Sonics.
As if Jordan Challenge wasn't already shaping up to be the biggest time-suck in the history of sports games, 2K Sports seems to have gone the extra mile in just about every way. Not only will every jersey and stadium be authentic, but the 2K commentary team recorded custom dialogue to match each situation. If you hop into the The Flu Game you'll hear them reference Mike's temperature and his performance in earlier games in the series. Not only that, but 2K also recently sat down with Jordan himself to get some of his thoughts on his opponents from way back when. It's cool to hear Kevin Harlan talk about Jordan's feelings about playing against Hersey Hawkins and know that it actually came from MJ himself.
Last but certainly not least is a mode called MJ Create-a-Legend that opens up after you've completed all ten challenges. The premise is simple: players insert Rookie Michael Jordan into any team they want (yes, you can run with Lebron, Bosh, Wade and Jordan on the Heat if you want) and then try to develop him into the player we know and love, but with the current crop of NBA talent. Jordan's look will change as you progress through his career and will mirror the physical differences that we saw as he moved from '80s Michael to late-'90s Michael. He begins as a high-flying youngster with an overall rating of 79 and it's up to you to bring him to greatness. The gameplay performs just like My Player in that you're player-locked to Michael Jordan and will have to complete different objectives for each game.
I'm sure I'm beating a dead horse by now, but playing as Michael Jordan is great. The nostalgia I felt from playing some of the games that I grew up watching was wonderful. Plus, the fact that there are so many Jordan-specific animations and great-looking classic players (Larry Bird versus Jordan makes an appearance) that not only look great, but move with a staggering level of authenticity, make Mike's modes feel nicely separate from the rest of NBA 2K11. The amount of detail that 2K Sports has poured into every aspect of the package that features Jordan makes it clear that they're leveraging MJ's coveted virtual likeness to the max. Even going as far as to feature every single one of MJ's shoes (25 in all), including the original Air Force Ones. You'll also spot Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul's shoes, all of which are a part of the Jordan brand. Assigning these shoes to different players will net you different attribute boosts depending on which shoes you slip on your player's feet.
When you first flip on NBA 2K11 I'm sure it's going to be a little strange to see Michael Jordan all over the place. It's not until you take the reigns as basketball's greatest player that you realize just how awesome it is to play with him using today's technology. Everything looks just as it should and competing against all the classic players that you know and love is indescribably fantastic, especially if you remember the original events. There are still a few small inaccuracies that I'm sure will be ironed out before the game launches on October 5th. If that happens, the competition had better watch out; NBA 2K11 is going to be tough to beat.
Stay tuned to IGN.com for more on NBA 2K11 -- which lands on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii -- including our first look at My Player mode coming in the next several weeks.