Our first real look at NBA 2K12 has been released in the form of a fast-cut, minimal gameplay trailer that blends footage of today’s athletes in action along with some of those that are featured in the game’s NBA’s Greatest mode.Topped off with a superb music choice and some flashy dunks from stars both young and old, this is how you build excitement for a basketball game.

Among the items to take note from the trailer are a plethora of fully realized animations along with visuals that come as close to recreating the game as any Madden or FIFA title. If this is where we are headed with the NBA 2K12 franchise, it’s going to be tough for all of the other titles to keep up.

If anything can be said, at least as far as the visuals are concerned, about NBA 2K12 it’s that it isn’t resting on the laurels of its predecessor. While NBA 2K11 came out to tremendous fanfare, mostly as a result of its Jordan Challenge mode, NBA 2K12 is upping the ante by including more hall of famers (sans Charles Barkley) and more ways in which to encounter them.

Here’s your trailer courtesy of IGN:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxszlngUD6E

From the trailer it actually looks like when playing as certain NBA greats, the screen takes on an almost dated look. I’m not quite sure if that is just part of the trailer’s aesthetic or if that is an actual feature put in by Visual Concepts, but if it is, it’s pretty brilliant.

The game’s set to release in a little over the month so gamers can expect more footage from NBA 2K12, including a first look at the game in action on GameTrailers TV, in the coming days and weeks.

Do you think that NBA 2K is the gold standard as far as sports games are concerned? Is there another title/franchise out there that is pushing forward as much as NBA 2K does?

NBA 2K12 is scheduled for an October 4, 2011 release on the PS3, PC, Xbox 360, PS2, and Wii.

Source: IGN