"As I'm sure you know by now, the controls of NBA Elite have been totally remapped since last year's NBA Live 10. The right stick is getting the same treatment that EA Sports' NHL series got so many years ago. The result is an NBA game that feels much more responsive than it has in the past. Every flick of the stick results in either a cool dribble animation or shot and while the early version of the game that I saw didn't stack up very well against NBA 2K11 in terms of authentic player animations, I've gotta say that the responsive of the controls shows a lot of potential for this year as well as years to come.
That said, the five-on-five gameplay still needs some polish before consumers take to the court. I had no problem breaking ankles left and right with crossover moves and nailing outside jumpers with the right analog felt much easier than when I saw the game at E3. The shooting is all supposed to be skill-based, so I'm either an extraordinarily talented NBA Elite player or the difficulty needs some tuning. I'm betting on the latter. EA Sports has assured me that they're in the midst of finding the sweet spot when it comes to overall difficulty, so don't pass judgment until we get our hands on a final build to see if it's been fixed."
Pretty nice preview. I'm loving the KD screenshot as well. Now bring on the blog EA!!!!(jk, I'm looking forward to it, but I'd rather have them focus on the game than rush getting out some silly blog.)
I agree. It was like he didn't want to say anithing
And then you look at what he did say. No problems breaking ankles left and right. Shooting easy. Can't match 2K in signature style. 5-on-5 is really wiggle stick around and shoot open jumper (which, you'll remember, is super easy). A couple maybes and a dash of potential.
Some of it is just diction, but really the preview painted the game in the worst light possible based off of what OS staff & invitees have written along with devs. I expect today's blog and whatever is popping up next week to be more informative.
Yea, I agree .. It seems like Elite is raw right now but they could be in store for a bright future with this solid foundation
It is very raw, but it's getting more and more polished each day.
It's funny, the critique in this preview was exactly the feedback the producers brought back to the rest of the team a few days ago after the press event.
We've already addressed the two biggest ones (effectiveness of one on one defense and shot difficulty) and the gameplay has changed dramatically as a result. Much more of an emphasis on team play, passing and proper build up.
We've had people commenting for the last two days about how much better the game is playing as a result.
I'm excited to see how far we can take it before we ship the final product.
Good to know thanks Reanimator, how are the dunks in Elite so far?
As the preview stated, last week there were way too many dunks. It was pretty easy to break down your opponent and if you started a dunk you were going to finish it.
This week, with the changes made to the in air collision system, when you start a dunk you are more likely to get bumped off your path and forced into an adjust than you are to finish.
We still need to hook up ratings to this, but the default case now is less superman and more average player.
Dunks are great this year, but they happened too much.
Now that you have to work for them, they are much more rewarding when you do get them.
It's a matter of balancing at this point. The features are all there and are really well done. It's finding the right balance that we're working on now.
Thats what i wanted to hear cause that preview had me kinda worried but the harder the better, he jus threw 2k all up in there like man give me a break but im ready for more news
I agree. It was like he didn't want to say anithing
Yeah I can agree to an extent. It was very ho-humish.. While the info is there, I felt Llike Ben Stein was reading it to me in my mind, with that voice of his.
Remember, this Nate Ahearn cat is the same person who did the hands on with 2K11. That explains a lot. Hard to be objective when you're obviously fawning all over one product and then have to turn around and give a hands on of a competing product. Understandable but not professional, in Mr. Ahearn's case.
That being said, I'm pulling for the lil engine that could in Elite 11 but to be honest, I am being fair to the comp. I just wanted to see more coming from this preview of Elite 11. LOVED what I read about Elite 11's physics engine in the blog. I like that techy, geeky stuff. I look forward to more.
Remember, this Nate Ahearn cat is the same person who did the hands on with 2K11. That explains a lot. Hard to be objective when you're obviously fawning all over one product and then have to turn around and give a hands on of a competing product. Understandable but not professional, in Mr. Ahearn's case.
That being said, I'm pulling for the lil engine that could in Elite 11 but to be honest, I am being fair to the comp. I just wanted to see more coming from this preview of Elite 11. LOVED what I read about Elite 11's physics engine in the blog. I like that techy, geeky stuff. I look forward to more.
I disagree. He did the hands on with one, so he can't do it with the other? That makes no sense. If he was that much in love with 2k, which I doubt, shouldn't that put the onus on Elite to best it correct? I agree that the preview was quite empty. I'm going to assume that he's avoiding saying anything so as to give the game a chance IF it was truly in a raw state. Give him credit for that. But the notion that he can't look at Elite fairly is kinda sketchy.