EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

[dexvex]

Quote: Originally Posted by Epiffani

Lets see, you've been widely rated unfavorable in comparison to the competition for almost a decade and running now. During that same span, you've seen the sales gap widen between you and the competition. The person whom you built a part of your marketing campaign around in 09, and who ultimately was supposed to bring "Live" back to prominence leaves you, and goes back to the competition due to you "going in a different direction that he didn't like and envision..." Now all of a sudden, in a year span we are suppose to call and view you as "Elite?" This name change makes no "since" (yes I used it incorrectly on purpose) and the article is filled with enough fluff to supply an entire 3rd world country with top-tier pillows. Until people like Peter Moore, and other big-wigs at EA fundamentally change their approach, and try not to be so concerned with the status quo, I don't see much changing in regards to the balance of power in basketball video games.

Breh its a name. You all are reading into it a little too much. I mean what did you think Live meant lol. Besides do you read many PRs? Fluffing is the whole point, its gives non-gaming outlets ways to describe a game. The point is the game has pretty much been going up hill for a couple years and while beluba had a big part in that it was still the dev team that had to execute who is still there more or less.

[Logic Doctor]

The vision for NBA Elite sounds conceptually compelling and could potentially lead to a challenging of the b-ball crown....................in about 2 or 3 years.

Let's keep it real, Elite has no shot of dethroning 2k in 1 year. While their new approach might entertain the thoughts of some curious basketball gamers there's no way it will compare to the depth and familiarity 2k offers.

Last year EA sang the same exact song only it was Mike Wang completely reinventing the Live franchise, now its a Skate 3 control scheme and a new name.

You might be wondering why I seem bothered by something that should be considered good news for sports gamers and basketball gamers in particular. Well, I'm not, as I initially said I think the concept and new direction is quite brilliant.

What bothers me is the inevitably buggy, depthless, gimmick that this game is destined to be, simply because its forced to be a 1 year turnaround rushed job. It's frustrating to see wonderful concepts like NBA Elite get stripped down to the bones because of short term corporate thinking.

1 year is simply not enough time to build anything that has market dominating potential in the sports-gaming world. At a minimum you need 2 years and especially if your talking the kind of reinvention Elite is.

You know, I guess I'm just getting irritated with this "let's release beta's for $60 and call them revolutionary" business philosophy EA has ran with this console generation.

And not to mention the solution was staring them right in the face. NBA JAM would have been a perfect 2011 buffer if released on all platforms. Hell, I would argue that NBA JAM would have sold double what Live 10 sold as Jam is the perfect complementary b-ball game to NBA 2k's every-more simulation heavy experience.

Hooray for a brilliant concept!

and

Boo for the management of it!

[Nike Fattz]

Quote: Originally Posted by 23

A one year dev cycle is a one year dev cycle, thats all im saying.

Though it had it's problems, Live 10 wasn't, and isn't bad. I personally enjoyed it more so than I enjoyed 2k10.

[dexvex]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nike Fattz

Though it had it's problems, Live 10 wasn't, and isn't bad. I personally enjoyed it more so than I enjoyed 2k10.

thats what puzzles me. Why are people so up in arms when the last game was a big step up.

[Kully]

Still taking the "wait and see" approach.

I don't expect them to come out with a brilliant game in one year. I'd like to see their progress however.

[Nike Fattz]

Quote: Originally Posted by dexvex

thats what puzzles me. Why are people so up in arms when the last game was a big step up.

Exactly. I understand being skeptical, but lets not pretend Live 10 didn't play a fairly solid game of basketball. 2K10 wasn't head and shoulders above it.

[TreyIM2]

Quote: Originally Posted by dexvex

thats what puzzles me. Why are people so up in arms when the last game was a big step up.

Yea, people seem to forget or just hate on what was built in Live 10. Plus, I don't think EA just built the real-time physics engine in just one year. Something like that usually takes much longer unless u have a huge team of, say, 100 people, entirely focused on building the engine, which is NOT the case for EA.

Not to mention, NHL 11 will be using the same engine. This engine was definitely being developed and tested for a long while behind the scenes and now that EA feels it's ready, they are introducing it in both games. Nothing to do with a 1 yr cycle.

[Kully]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nike Fattz

Exactly. I understand being skeptical, but lets not pretend Live 10 didn't play a fairly solid game of basketball. 2K10 wasn't head and shoulders above it.

Because it seems like yet another "reboot" of the series.

If they throw away the progress they made over 09-10, then I don't see how this would be a good game. They are introducing a (seemingly) new physics engine and control system which would probably take a lot of time and effort to produce. I can see why guys would be a bit down on the fact that all their effort could go into producing these new things while leaving the basketball aspect aside.

I'm not one of them, I'm just gonna wait to see what they do. I won't judge one way or the other.