NBA 2K14 Impressions (PS4/Xbox One)

[Csquared]

Quote: Originally Posted by yg63

Hey did you ever make that video?

I just checked back In this thread to see if he did as well haha

[Chairman7w]

Fantastic review. I agree 1000%

Quote: Originally Posted by Drewski

I've logged close to 15 hours on this game now and feel pretty confident after playing against and with many teams to go into my impressions. Pros First and foremost the gameplay is the best in the series and that's what really stands out as their first crack at next-gen. I haven't had this much fun since 2K11 (not sure why/how that game has always stuck with me). I was awestruck not just by the graphics in my first handful of games, but by how much fun I had simply playing the game. I don't feel like I could say that about the last three games in the series, including current-gen 2K14. The foot planting created a noticeable difference in how players move. This has created a bit of a steeper learning curve for on-ball defense, which I'm still adjusting to, but it makes for an overall improved experience. The new ecomotion engine is legit. The fluidity in everything happening on the court creates for a better experience overall. Pull-up jumpers feel like a pull-up jumper should. Fade-aways from the low-block are perfect (see me with Paul George I'll cut ya' up down there). It's not just the improved control, but the perceived outcome of what I want to happen when I perform a move matches what actually happens in the game way more often. And it looks beautiful doing it. All of these new intricacies with ecomotion have created player likeness never before seen in a sports video game. The amount of detail the team was able to put into each players game, especially the marquee guys, is astounding. Kevin Durant moves like water and will stick you from 18 out while shooting over a smaller defender. Derrick Rose's ability to finish around the rim (not this season though sup Chi-Town fans) is obvious. Kobe's footwork and back down moves feel like they should. When LeBron James is barreling to the rim and jams it down you can see the momentum, feel the impact. There's serious physicality in the way these guys "play" and this is inspired work from 2K. The offense is fluid. I can swing the ball and probe for breaks in the defense. I can work inside out, draw doubles when someone like David West is hot in the low-post, and attack the weakness in the defense. I can run a pick and roll as a ball-handler, draw defenders from the dive man, and find an open man on the perimeter. Players cut baseline, to the rim, all over the place as they react to where the ball is. It feels good, the spacing is much improved, and the computer AI is just as improved. The Detroit Pistons, for example, relentlessly attacked the paint with Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum while Brandon Jennings often worked the perimeter game. If I shut down the paint I could feel Detroit adjust, going back to a perimeter oriented game. This is a huge improvement that adds to the likeness mentioned above. Cons The players who weren't scanned in, or had less attention to detail, stand out like sore thumbs. It really detracts from how good this game looks at it's peak. Playing against the Orlando Magic and seeing Nikolas Vucevic and Glen Davis really shocked me (was one of my first MyGM games). For a game that works so hard to pull you in this shoves you out. The menus don't really matter much to me, but I think it would have been a pleasant surprise. So many people played/will play NBA 2K14 as their first Next-Gen game and loading into that menu was really disappointing. It doesn't matter at all to the core gameplay, but first impressions matter and the menu left much to be desired. Removing features from previous games is never a good thing. I personally can get past much of it, but it's obvious that those features being included would have made a much better game overall. We have no idea how the breakdown of the work they did or if simply "porting" said features would have worked, so they get the benefit of doubt from me because of how incredible the gameplay is. The minimal customization you can make to your MyPlayer is disheartening. I imagine this is caused by the need to motion-capture faces for the vast amount of cutscenes they've included, but it's disappointing to have to settle on some of this. Another area they can hopefully improve on -- there's no reason to think they can't here. Virtual Currency needs to be completely re-hauled. The entire system is archaic, though I completely understand what they're trying to accomplish with it. The inclusion of MyGM has created another layer of intricacies and costs, and VC can no longer stand on it's own. I don't care that I had to pay 500 VC to adjust rotations, it's a one-time thing. I do care that I had to pay to unlock a special ability for MyGM (pep talk) for X amount of VC, and in order to have said pep talk with a player it costs another X amount of VC. The currency is spread too thin to enjoy multiple modes to the fullest extent, but the team clearly had no other way to put costs on things aside from X amount of VC. That has to change going forward. I look forward to seeing how they address this as the franchise continues to expand into new areas. It's out of date and out of touch. I want to enjoy all these features and RPG elements. My currency is spread too thin and I'm often left pinching pennies carefully instead of trying out all of these new inclusions. TL;DR, I can't enjoy the game to it's fullest capabilities because everything costs a great deal of "VC." Removing a lot of the "quick play" functions, and the overall unintuitive in-game D-Pad menus hurts a bit. Maybe over time I'll get used to the play call functions, but it's a bit tough to adjust to. It helped a bit once I learned "quick post" was just a swipe on the PS4 controll touchpad, but a little more quick control might go a long way. I can probably go on and on, and likely left out some other key things, but I wanted to get some thoughts down because this is an incredible game and step forward. Hopefully everyone else is enjoying the great gameplay if nothing else.

[solofx7]

Quote: Originally Posted by yg63

Hey did you ever make that video?

I am so po'd, I could not make the video. It was my second best moment with this game so far. I have been having a slight issue with the game and I can only attribute it to the update. Sometimes after a play, you cannot replay if you get fouled, which I think in an issue that was in last gen also. Second I have an issue where normally at any point you can go back into a game and view an individual players highlights and I cannot do that, and finally player of the game replays are not happening either. I think that this all happened after the day 1 2gb update.

That all being said, that moment was a truly fluid "one animation" liquid moment that I controlled. I pump faked the CPU and drove baseline late in a close game, got the foul, and the shot to fall and igoudola fell to the ground and did push-ups. It was insane.

If you are playing with a team that does not have an emotional player on it, please get one or use a team that has one. piggy's emotion makes a huge diff.

Next, there are a couple moments in my gaming life that I look back at and say "this is what made me a gamer for life." First was playing Lakers v Celtics at a friends house, next was NFL 2K5, which I still can't get rid of to save my life. I keep it to relive the change it made in gaming at the time and 2K14 next gen. 2K14 next gen is filled with those moments nearly every game. There are things missing for sure, but this game sets the bar high for gaming I mean real high. Graphics are one thing, but the graphics make a difference in the game and how it plays and you play it.

Sorry I could not capture the video, I will surly try harder next time and also hope that 2K fixes those issues I referred to, but honestly there is no reason not to get this game. Even if you love the missing things to death, you will be doing yourself a disservice to miss this game as a gamer, a sports gamer or even a ball fan.

To that end, check out the "The Photographic Side of NBA 2K14 Next-Gen" thread as I have been posting pics since launch... I have lots of other launch games, but this is the only one that I want to play. I honestly hope that websites that review games start to use people that love sports or have a history of playing sports games or can generally give a better review of a sports game because this game is not getting enough praise....

In the moment when playing the game, so many little things happen to immerse you in the game that its hard to remember them and post them. But I will give you all this last tidbit as I do not think that the sound design is getting enough respect. There is something to be said for playing at home and the crowd going nuts for everything that you do right? I see, understand and respect the programming that takes. But on the road? The game shines there. I have gotten into a lull and played crappy on the road only to get into the forth quarter and decide that its close enough that I am going to throw everything that I can at winning the game. To that end, having the computer battle with me in a game and have their crowd go insane to the point that I cannot hear the announcers is great. Then to go to the next level and make a play that silences and I mean silences the crowd is truly amazing. A good sound system plays into that, but I am normally playing on Astro A50 headphones and it is amazing. Standing at the line and hitting free throws that puts the game out of range for the home team and listening to the home team boo is one thing, but them booing through both free throws and s my teams goes back down the court on D is another.... wow...

I know there are things to nit pick about, but I cannot and will not given that 2K has always taken chances and thats what they have done here. This game is amazing and a huge leap forward. Slow clap for 2K. Take my money, please...

[solofx7]

Quote: Originally Posted by Glenn33

IMO I just think the passes we used to make in the CG weren't exactly SIM. Have to make sure the spacing is good and lanes are open. The CPU plays tight man to man so I have had to adjust my play accordingly. Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

I have put in a lot of time with this and I totally agree. They play the men tight on the perimeter and they play the passing lanes close. I thought that they were cheesing at first, but I decided to approach it differently and cut down on the angle to eliminate their chance of intercepting those passes and it made a huge difference.

[RunN1st]

I'll preface by saying that I played the CG very little this year... I noticed that my AI teammates will isolate me automatically when I post up a smaller PG near the block with Thompson. Loved it!

[syncinatti]

"Sometimes after a play, you cannot replay if you get fouled, which I think in an issue that was in last gen also. Second I have an issue where normally at any point you can go back into a game and view an individual players highlights and I cannot do that, and finally player of the game replays are not happening either. I think that this all happened after the day 1 2gb update."


I've had this same issue. If your fouled the replay only shows after the foul occurs or the free throws. Also the box score and player of the game highlights only work in mycareer (not sure about mygm, I haven't started yet). In quick games or nba today games highlights work in the first half then sometime during the third quarter it stops working. I'm sure this can be fixed by a patch. Hopefully the devs know about it because it's been a day one issue but I haven't seen anyone else mention it.

[Glenn33]

Quote: Originally Posted by jukeum445

Are any of you guys having game play issues with this version? I know they switched the control scheme but i'm still having issues when playing with lesser teams.. So far in my GM mode i've been getting rolled on by the computer, I'm 2-10 so far with the lakers.. Are any of you guys having issues getting used to this game? I hate to say ti but this game is border line impossible to win at when playing against the cpu.. Human on Human i get way better results.

Humble yourself sir. I did. I'm playing on Pro (and still only win half the time) . But take heart....your teams ratings/matchups/ home vs away does have an impact.

[aukevin]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jistic

THe audio is constantly glitching in this game for me. Every other game works fine. It's choking on dolby digital.

Same for me if I set my audio to Bistream Dolby or DTS, I'm constantly having to reset the audio. I can set it to PCM Linear and it is fine, but then I'm not getting surround sound which is unacceptable. I submitted a ticket (#453846) to 2ksports, hopefully they take it seriously.