Video Games Hate The Raps

If you are a fan of video games and basketball you are well aware that NBA2K11 hit the stores this week. This has been perhaps one of the most hyped basketball video games of all-time. It honestly lives up to all the hype and then some. It was so good that EA Sports decided to delay the release of NBA Elite 11 (Formerly known as NBA Live) which was/is suppose to feature Kevin Durant on the cover. But regardless of EA or 2K there has been one thing in the basketball video game wars that has remained the same. No love for the Toronto Raptors.

In the player ratings the Raptors year in and year out get hosed on a yearly basis. Long before Jose Calderon struggled on the floor he was rated far below his skill set in the video game world. He is just one of many examples of Raptors getting jobbed in video game ratings. The odd Raptor star player has been able to avoid the ratings beat down. Vince Carter and Chris Bosh were always rated high and were as good as the real thing if not better. But key role players have never got the proper love and respect they deserve. Linas Kleiza is a 55 overall rating in 2k.The Young Guns are rated like cap guns. Demar DeRozan is only a 64 (Ed Davis is rated higher at 67) while Amir Johnson is just a 63 and Sonny Weems a 60. Other things of note about this latest addition of the Raptors. Andrea Bargnani is rated lower than Leandro Barbosa. In fact Barbosa is the highest rated Raptor because likely when the game began production he was going to be a Sun. There just seems to be a bias here and it has always been that way.

Now with the evolution of online gaming these mistakes can be altered as players perform well in a season. On EA they used a feature called dynamic dna that would be updated daily through out the season. But what did the Raptors do to you video game people? Canada did invent the sport that gave you a job making cool basketball video games. I wonder what Dr. Naismith would think of NBA 2K11? I know as someone that starting playing video games on an intellvision the whole video game world of today blows me away.

Just like the Raptors seldom find respect in the U.S media the same holds true in the video game world. This year is not the best example to complain about as the Raptors were not projected to be good by anyone. But some of these ratings just make me scratch my head. The Raptors are pretty much the worst rated team in NBA2k11. So if you are going to try and be them in the game you may have to do some creative trading to make them competitive. That or slap the game on the easiest mode of play.

Marcus Banks is rated higher than Sonny Weems...seriously did these guys ever watch the Raptors play a game? Wait if they live in the U.S how could they because as Charles Barkley noted TNT is bias against Canada. While ESPN just likes to hire Canadians to work there. But showing the Raptors is a rare event. Oh well the game is still great and after years of this happening think we are all use to the Raptor Bias on these games by now.

So that is all for a Friday, Raps will be in action on Sunday vs Boston (The Real Ones). No T.V for this one I do not believe but T.V or not will have a breakdown of what happened on Monday. Enjoy your weekend. As a note if you are playing 2k11 and may not have the greatest skills being the Miami Heat can make up for a lot.