Alright folks, so I finally got around to tackling my NBA 2K11 collection project. Specifically, I really wanted to figure out the whole “Best Cover” thing for that year. People ask about it, and honestly? I was kinda fuzzy on the differences myself. Time to dig in.
The Confusing Search Starts
First step? Jumped online looking for answers. Everyone talks about “the cover” like it’s one thing, but my gut told me different regions got different stuff. Problem? Real info was buried deep. Official places barely mentioned it, old forum posts were all over the place. Mostly just people arguing “Kobe was best!” or “Rose was better!” without actually showing proof.
Decided I needed physical copies to see for myself. Started hunting for cheap used copies of the game. Grabbed a few off different sites. Figured, get ’em in hand, compare side by side. Simple, right? Ha.
Dealing with Fakes and Figuring Out Sources
First batch arrives… and wow. Got a couple that were super blurry, like someone photocopied the cover at Kinko’s. Learned quick: gotta check where they were printed and look for the small details.
Had to return two fakes immediately. Total pain. Started asking sellers specific questions before buying: “Where was this originally sold?” and “Can you show me the back near the barcode?”
- Scrubbed off game key stickers? Big red flag.
- No proper hologram? Likely dodgy.
- Spine text looking pixelated? Probably bootleg.
After some frustrating back-and-forth, I ended up with three legit boxes that seemed different: one bought years ago at GameStop in New York, one off a collector in Europe, and another from a dude out west who swore it was original.
The Side-by-Side Comparison Day
Alright, moment of truth. Cleared my desk, slapped those three boxes down.
Just put them together under my lamp. The biggest surprise? The actual paper stock felt different. Lighter, heavier, kinda glossy on one, sorta matte finish on another.
Started noting tiny details you’d never see online:
- Kobe’s jersey lines: Super crisp on the European one, slightly softer on the US version.
- Michael Jordan’s outline (yeah, he was on some!): Much sharper definition on one copy.
- Faded colors on one that saw too much sun.
- Even the printing codes on the inside flap varied between regions.
My GameStop copy? Definitely standard US release. Simple design, held up okay. The European one? Thicker cardboard, that glossier look I mentioned. The third one? Turned out to be a regional Australian release – slightly different color saturation.
So What’s the “Best” Then?
Here’s the deal I realized after staring at them for like 20 minutes: “Best” is mostly about where it came from and what you like.
Feeling a thick, glossy cover? Go Euro. Prefer that classic, straightforward look? US standard does it. Got a thing for very specific print quality? Might hunt down a mint Jordan variant.
The “right one” really depends on whether you want it pristine for a shelf or just love a particular player. Authenticity mattered way more than I thought – that blurry junk ruins everything. Comparing real ones side-by-side? That’s the only way I finally got it.
