NBA Elite 11 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (PS3, 360)

[buffalorunner]

I did notice some slow down when players get close together for a dunk or during a rebound. its much harder to hit a shot than live 2010 too. I had to switch the camera angle to broadcast as well, but I was pleasantly surprised.

i used the live 2010 controls, as I dont like change.

[sleepytercel]

Okay, here's my take. It took me only about 3 games to get the controls down. They really are not hard, and I actually like some of the controls. I do like that the game feels very much videogame skill based. If I get a steal or a block, it's because I did it, and not based just on ratings. However, this brings to the worst part of the game. It doesn't feel, react, or look anything like basketball.

This is what happens when you get "full control" of everything on court. When player ratings are set aside and user control is completely given, then you have a game where everyone plays the same, and you have stats that are terribly inflated. My goodness, I think I had 7 blocks in that 5 minute quarter alone playing on AllStar. Steals shoot out of hands. Mid air collisions look like mid air convulsions. In fact, people refer to 2K as canned animations...so I will refer to Elite as "mid air convulsions". I like it.

Basically, the game is all over the place. It's like some altered reality of NBA basketball. It feels like 2003 when combined with the commentary and sounds as well. However, it was fun. I played the demo about 10 times and it intrigued me. If you're someone who really cares about a game being as realistic as possible, then this game should be nowhere on your list. I really don't think they can balance their physics and realism...something has to give, and after playing Elite, I completely see why 2K decided to leave some canned 2 player animations in the game. It just confirms that they are needed.

I was explaining the physics engine to an online friend, and I think I got it down. Basically, the animations are much shorter than in 2K's, which allows for more control. Think of NBA Today on 2K10. The commentary is done by splicing short bits of words and then placed together to form a sentence. It makes the game sound a bit robotic. The animations feel the same way in Elite. It's like a bunch of extremely short animations that splice together and forms what we see, which is insanity because players are flying around and wigging out all over the place.

Can the game be fun? Yes...I think it would be a fun game against a friend on a good drinking night. It has a lot of unintentional laugh out loud moments...kinda like a poorly scipted b-horror flick...it sucks, but it makes you keep watching and makes you laugh. That is Elite to me.

[wmassie]

Quote: Originally Posted by t-mac357

I was actually excited to download the demo, learn the controls, and see what the game had to offer. I must say i'm extremely disappointed. The gameplay is so many steps behind Live 10 it isn't even funny, the new control scheme is jerky and the presentation can't carry the dead weight. Live 10 was the perfect game to build off of and they went in an entirely different direction. Elite is in no way a representation of sim basketball. Slight improvements to Live 10 and a solid list of features and the Live series would have been fine. Now I think the death of this franchise is inevitable and I don't even believe NBA Jam can save it.

Agreed. All they needed to do to Live 10 was add more animations, continue to improve the AI, add more attributes to differentiate the players, allow more than 50 CAPS and fix the fastbreaks -heck I would have just settled for fixing the fastbreaks.

[JohnnyRu31]

I like it. Unpolished but I love the direction. It feels like a new game unlike NBA2k, Madden, etc

[wmassie]

Quote: Originally Posted by icecoldcash

After logging a good amount of time with the demo, I must say I have mixed feelings. People crack on the graphics, which I can understand, but I would have been fine with it if the overall gameplay was there. Gameplay > Graphics I'll check in next year for Elite 12. Good luck devs.

You are correct sir. People harp to much on the graphics. I could make do with stick figures if the gameplay was authentic and realistics. EA spend your time on the AI and player tendencies

[shadio5]

I LOVE IT!!!!!




vc/2k sports fan

[parkinson]

Today was my day off so I could play the demo all day long, . At last I decided to support developers direction. It's a really fun and realistic game. Yes motions are suck but everything else which developers try to do in this game is good. Real-time steal, block, cut the ball etc...especially defense is very nice. I will order this game and hope motions get better next year.

p.s. Icon pass felt delayed. please fix it devs for retail version so I can use off-ball control well.

[Guard-ian]

After some hours playing with the demo I’m starting to get used to the controls, I’m felling the game better now, so I can stop playing fearfully, free my mind and try to be myself.

I think the artistic part of the game is very improvable (yes, the animations and the flow of the game look weird) but I think we have potential here, I’m gonna give Elite a chance and we will see how all this new (and -in my opinion- fresh) approach evolves over the near future…

Cheers.