NBA 2K12

In America, basketball fans are suffering because salary disputes have stalled this year’s National Basketball Association season. They won’t find solace in NBA 2K12: an overpriced and ultimately unsatisfying title.

The pedigree is solid. The NBA 2K series has a great reputation on the consoles, and this new edition on iPad features retired preeminent point guard Michael Jordan as the cover star. In fact, it offers Jordan Challenges, which are game scenarios right out of MJ's illustrious past.

Otherwise, you have the basic B-ball options here: quick game, practice, long-term season, scenario-based situations, and the heated playoffs. Having the official licence is nice for two reasons - all the major NBA teams are available, and the sharp play-by-play announcers can call the players by their real names.

Off balance

Unfortunately, the problems with NBA 2K12 start as soon as you tip-off. Firstly, the big still shots of the players literally fall apart when in motion.

You see jaggy textures, disappearing faces, and even digital lines jutting off characters as if they were controlled by puppet strings. We tried rebooting the app, then rebooting the iPad 2, and it still looked awful.

Secondly, the two control schemes on offer are equally sub-par. The classic mode gives you a virtual thumbstick and three contextual buttons, but the characters are too sluggish to react to the nimble AI.

The one-touch mode tries to simplify the game by encouraging taps and slides, but it isn’t versatile enough to get the job done.

One on None

All this is compounded by the lack of multiplayer. And, aside from Game Center, there are no leaderboards or competitions with other, you know, humans.

NBA 2K12 launched at £6.99 / $9.99, making it one of the more expensive games on the App Store. Like the real-life athletes of the NBA, it's asking a lot. Unlike those players, it doesn't have the quality to back up its demands.