Michael Jordan Makes Cover of NBA 2K11

By Ian Bell June 3, 2010

Basketball superstar Michael Jordan will help develop the upcoming “NBA 2K11” video game and will be on its cover.

That’s a departure from a typical cover deal with athletes, according to Jason Argent, vice president of marketing at Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.’s 2K Sports, which is publishing the game.

Typically, the game maker simply hands over a check. Argent said Jordan will work closely with the game’s developers, right down to such details as whether a character’s elbow in the game is at the correct angle for a shot. Players will be able to play Jordan’s character to vicariously slam-dunk their way to victory from the comfort of their couch.

The company provided little information about how the game will look and would not disclose financial details about the deal with Jordan.

The game will go on sale Oct. 5.

The last basketball cover athlete for 2K’s NBA game was Kobe Bryant.

Video game deals are lucrative for top athletes. Tiger Woods is among the best-known sports figures with an ongoing game deal with Take-Two rival Electronic Arts Inc.

EA is also launching an NBA game in the fall. The company said Wednesday the game will be called “NBA Elite 11,” a name change for EA’s long-running “NBA Live” franchise.

Publisher

I work with the best people in the world and get paid to play with gadgets. What's not to like?

Gaming

Stop! You’ve got to grab this GTA-like classic before it leaves PS Plus next week

The promo art for Mafia 2 Definitive Edition.

While PS Plus subscribers are awaiting word on which titles will be available in December, the clock is counting down for any subscribers who haven't already claimed the three titles that are available this month. Mafia II: Definitive Edition, Dragonball: The Breakers, and Aliens Fireteam Elite are all available via PS Plus until December 4. While you should claim all three while you still can, you should especially make sure you grab Mafia II: Definitive Edition before it's too late.

The original version of Mafia II hit consoles in 2010, while the remastered Mafia II: Definitive Edition arrived 10 years later. Neither version is without flaws, and if you're expecting something as good or as polished as a Grand Theft Auto game, then you're going to be disappointed. But if you're looking for a compact crime story that you can finish between longer games, then there's more than enough here in Mafia II to recommend playing it.
Band of bros
Mafia II's best asset in 2010 was its story, and the same is true for the definitive edition. The game plays out as a mixture of The Godfather and Goodfellas. That may not be groundbreaking territory, but it's got enough plot and character to get players through the game's storyline. Some fans may not appreciate how linear it is, but it never lets up on the story and it actually lets gamers worry about its heroes when their good fortune inevitably goes bad.

Gaming

The little details in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s new trailer make a big splash

Peter and Miles leaping in the air in the city.

A new look at Marvel's Spider-Man 2 wrapped up Sony's September State of Play presentation narrated by Bryan Intihar and showcased all the details our wall-crawling heroes can expect in the nearly twice as large open world.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - Expanded Marvel's New York | PS5 Games

Gaming

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Gamescom trailer confirms delay, but looks fantastic

A Stalker from Stalker 2 look off in the distance with a radioactive symbol behind him.

At Gamescom 2023, Ukrainian game developer GSC Game World gave another update on its highly anticipated first-person shooter horror game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. It did push the game back until next year, but we also got our best look yet at gameplay in a new trailer.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl — Bolts & Bullets Trailer
The trailer begins with the player emerging from a sewer into the game's irradiated wasteland. We see the player slowly move around a few different environments before shooting at a supernatural enemy in a facility. The trailer only gets more intense from there as we see the player kit out their gun before taking on a variety of enemies, from humans to dogs to more disgusting-looking supernatural enemies. At the end of the trailer, we learn that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will now launch in the first quarter of 2024 and that preorders are finally open.
This long-awaited sequel to a PC cult classic has had a very turbulent development. It was originally supposed to be released in April 2022, but has gotten delayed multiple times due to development challenges and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some of its developers are fighting with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while others moved to the Czech Republic to finish the game. On top of all of that, GSC Game World has faced multiple cyberattacks and game leaks it attributes to Russia.

Despite all of the challenges GSC Game World has faced in the development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, the game seems to be shaping up nicely. This new trailer is full of intense action and very atmospheric moments, and previews from people playing the game at Gamescom 2023 are positive. Hopefully, GSC Game World can take this positive momentum and meet its new release window.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will launch sometime in the first quarter of 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.