NBA Elite 11 News Post

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

12:52 AM - September 21, 2010 by Pared

The NBA Elite 11 demo is available for PS3 users. If you don't see it, just use the search function in the PSN Store, it weighs in at 923 MB.

The 360 demo should be arriving at around 5:00 - 9:00AM EST. When it is available, we will update this post.

UPDATE: The 360 demo is now up. Queue it up right here.

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Please limit this topic to IMPRESSIONS only.

This does not mean posts such as:

"Cool is it really out?"

"When will it be out for 360?"

"25% finished."

Download the demo, play it, give your thoughts. Simple.

Game: NBA Elite 11Reader Score: 2/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 5 - View All

NBA Elite 11 Videos

Member Comments

# 441 Stumbleweed @ 09/21/10 12:38 PM

Rube -- Live 09 was a blockfest, I believe that's the one you're thinking of. Blocking jumpers like crazy with basically anyone...

# 442 ptcjohn316 @ 09/21/10 12:40 PM

is it really that bad fellas?

# 443 Lubey @ 09/21/10 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptcjohn316


	is it really that bad fellas?

If you take time to learn the controls and don't go in biased, it's not nearly as bad as people are making it out to be. I mean, worst bball game in history? Not even close no.

# 444 pies @ 09/21/10 12:45 PM

only thing I'm really not liking is the default camera angles, esp in Jordan challenge, we should be able to change that, the controls are gonna take a while to get used to but I like how they feel....

this game probably could use some better animatios, but other than that I like it.

# 445 jerseyballer7 @ 09/21/10 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptcjohn316


	is it really that bad fellas?

Frustrating best describes this game.

# 446 rangerrick012 @ 09/21/10 12:49 PM

Overall I give the demo a C-. It was not as bad as I thought when I was reading the impressions last night.

Positives:
-ESPN presentation and commentary seems solid.
-Solid sample size of modes for a demo
-The control - there's positives and negatives about the controls. Positive - it definitely feels intuitive and when you get used to it you can pull off some pretty nice moves.

Negatives:
-GRAPHICS! The graphics are just not acceptable for next gen. The cut scenes were ok, but on court graphics are horrid. That is going to be tough for a lot of people to get past, trust me.
-No signature styles. There were a few times where I pulled off some moves w/ Kobe, but it still doesn't feel like Kobe. Same for CPU guys, even though they seem to have some of the tendencies, it still doesn't feel like you're playing Pierce, Rondo, Allen, etc out there.
-AI Defense. Though it is possible to shake guys, it definitely seems a bit tough. Glue D definitely was in affect.
-NO TURBO BUTTON! This was the biggest adjustment for me, and may be another one of those game breakers for some. Not being able to hit the hole when I did cross someone up and drive the paint, was a definite disappointment. Also there were quite a few times where I hit RT + up on Right Stick anticipating a dunk, but got an alley and turnover instead.
-Movement still seemed stilted at times.
-The shot trajectories are just....bad. Not realistic at all.

Final thoughts: Still not a buy for me, but like I said, not as bad as some are letting on. It's just going to be tough for EA to overcome the Jordan Juggernaut this year. If this had come out 3-4 years ago I could see this being great. But now it still feels like an overall step back, all things being considered.

# 447 blackngoldfan @ 09/21/10 12:55 PM

Pretty much Ditto with most of the negativity surrounding the demo. Precision shooting was a good idea, but WHY HAVE IT IF ALL OF THE SHOTS ARE SWISH OR BRICK????? WHY????? In practice mode, I purposely moved the shot stick "slightly" left or right just to see if I would get an occasional "lucky bounce". No luck there. Moving the shot stick left or right only results in bricks or airballs. If this isn't tweaked, you can put precision shooting on EA's massive "gimmicks" list. I'm sorry.....but it's time to delete Elite.

# 448 Flightwhite24 @ 09/21/10 12:56 PM

OK I'm playing my 3rd game and I am using the Celtics to see if Kobe will well be Kobe. To early to tell as of yet. Then Garnett is on a fast break and I throw it off the glass/alley-oop to myself and slam it home. WTF!!! Has anyone done that before??? I'm not knocking it but I thought it was cool.

Still trying to find a reason to purchase but it is very hard to justify. Would a lot of us feel different if the Graphics were updated??? I think that is my biggest complaint. I am noticing some aspects of sim ball, I think. Could I just be BS'ing myself to justify a purchase?

# 449 ataman5 @ 09/21/10 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLIGHTWHITE


	OK I'm playing my 3rd game and I am using the Celtics to see if Kobe will well be Kobe. To early to tell as of yet. Then Garnett is on a fast break and I throw it off the glass/alley-oop to myself and slam it home. WTF!!! Has anyone done that before??? I'm not knocking it but I thought it was cool. Still trying to find a reason to purchase but it is very hard to justify. Would a lot of us feel different if the Graphics were updated??? I think that is my biggest complaint. I am noticing some aspects of sim ball, I think. Could I just be BS'ing myself to justify a purchase?

No you're not mate. It's really getting better the more i play. But the lack of animation stuff is really annoying.

# 450 pdawg17 @ 09/21/10 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HueyFreeman3000


	I'm sorry guys, the developers need honest opinions if they are going to get better and improve their product. You don't release your product into the public domain and not expect some type of feedback or criticism. It's expected and essential. With that said, NBA Elite 11 is one AWFUL basketball title. For a tentpole company like EA Sports is actually an outright EMBARRASSMENT. How do they spend all their money getting HOCKEY and SOCCER titles to play to almost perfection and then half-* it on the basketball side of things? It's like they didn't even try this year. They just said, "we'll sell copies because of NBA Jam we can be lazy and not really develop something new and innovative but just say we did. Hopefully they'll buy it!" Well NO ONE is gonna like this basketball game.** The graphics are stale and unrealistic. The animations are pathetic and unnatural. Shooting the ball is a nightmare. THEY GOT RID OF TURBO?!?!?!? Whoever thought of this idea at EA should fired. Even for the Madden series. It's the STUPIDEST IDEA EVER. Players to turbo AT WILL in real life. Why would you take that away? lol Smh. It's like they just don't get it over there. The only bright spot in the ENTIRE demo is the dribbling moves are easy to do. And the soundtrack is awesome. Other than that, the game is VIRTUALLY UNPLAYABLE it's so bad. It's damn shame EA. You can do better. 2K rules, again. And that's how it should be. They have the best product. BY FAR.

Can I speak for myself? This is definitely not a finished product but I just had a very FUN game that went to OT...you know what was FUN about it? There was a few times where Rondo (me) broke Fisher's ankles all because of the dribble combos that I chose to do...it was very satisfying...many times when playing the other game if I made a great play I didn't really feel like I did it...

Yes this year's game is lacking but I guess I'm enjoying it because I'm seeing the potential for next year's game...

# 451 pdawg17 @ 09/21/10 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ataman5


	No you're not mate. It's really getting better the more i play. But the lack of animation stuff is really annoying.

I agree completely...I'm liking it more and more now that I have the controls down pretty well...but I just can't get past the poor animations and "spasticness" of the movements...

I will be here all season to give feedback as I will be playing this game some as well as the other one...

# 452 Eski33 @ 09/21/10 01:13 PM

The one thing I found awesome was the free throw mechanic. Finally an opportunity to control free throw distance AND direction so you can intentionally miss free throws if the strategy calls for it. I also banked a FT in off the glass.

Overall, the controls are growing on me. Also the atmosphere and commentary are excellent. The visuals need some work, though. Not what you would expect from a game developed for the 360 / PS3....However, I can live with subjective subpar visuals if the game is fun....

# 453 NINJAK2 @ 09/21/10 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreyIM2


	Real talk, and this is not to be on some silly console war - I say scrap the 360 version for next year and dev only for the PS3 and utilize the Blu-ray disc space to help stretch the engine. At this point, EA is truly losing out this time around although I find some redeeming qualities about the game. If it shows that they actually went in the wrong direction when the sales figures first hit, go hard on the PS3. At that point it would be a what have they got to lose scenario. To me, it looks like they've really tapped out the engine's resources without the extra disc space. Not to mention they could REALLY go hard like how the guys who dev The Show do. The PS3 has some real nice tricks up it's sleeve, as well. EA could make up lost dollars with even greater sales that way when word of mouth of how great a game they put together on the 3....but then again, they'd need a couple years of dev time to go hard on an Elite 13...maybe. Just a thought but I know how many of you will take that the wrong way...

I don't agree with this take at all Trey. It makes zero business sense for EA to ignore 35million plus xbox users and potential dollars to develop just for ps3. They can make a good game for 360 as they did so last year with live 10 and this year with NCAA imo. The console has nothing to do with it.

# 454 jmood88 @ 09/21/10 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lubey


	If you take time to learn the controls and don't go in biased, it's not nearly as bad as people are making it out to be. I mean, worst bball game in history? Not even close no.

People aren't giving negative reviews of the demo because of the controls, in fact, most people have been praising the controls.

# 455 Rebel10 @ 09/21/10 01:17 PM

Thoughts on the Demo (360):

I actually like the demo, I was really into the practice mode... everything really felt great, and there were a few times where I said, "man that's cool." The Pro-Hop/Euro-Leap (wtf Euro-leap?) really feels smooth and realistic, like as if you have control over where the player goes and how he transitions into his shooting animation. The first few times I did it I loved it.

Other things that really felt right:

The post-play and how you revert from backing down to the basket to transitioning into a half-spin, to shot, really felt smooth and it actually too some practice to get the complete move down
Again from post-play, the hookshot and baby hook, or running hook, really felt right. It is a challenge to hit a hook shot at first, which is good, it might take some skill.
Dribbling, moves, etc., all felt right. There is no delay in pressing the button and waiting for the animation, it does truly feel "1:1."
Shooting, overall, seems too easy. Basically, any shot that I stood straight up for and took my time shooting, I sunk. Maybe this is sort of realistic in that NBA players probably hit almost all of their shots in practice... but it felt like, after practicing shooting for 1min, I was able to sink every straight up jump shot without any issue.
Fade aways felt great, they're sort of hard to pull off and sink accurately, and I can just imagine nailing a shot and feeling like you pulled it off.
The defensive practice drill was lame. "Steal the ball." "Block the shot," in the two easiest tutorials on earth.

The 5 on 5 game was a little different reaction from practice mode.

Thoughts on actual 5 on 5 gameplay:

Passing seems innaccurate and difficult, but that might be a good thing, I don't know. It actually just didn't feel responsive, like as if I had very little control over the pass. There was no passing tutorial though, so I wouldn't know how to pass. Are there separate passing buttons othr than RT? If so, I couldn't figure them out.
Graphics are simply not as good as you'd expect from a next gen basketball game. I know that we're supposed to sort of leave the comparisons out of this, but the graphics in NBA 2K11 are really strong, and these -- from every facet of the game -- were comparatively really weak.
Animations were good and I did feel like I had control over the game and my player
Often times had a lot of trouble changing players on defense
Shooting really feels good. I went on a 13 - 0 run, capped off by 2 Ray Allen 3pointers where the defense broke down... and I just knew I was going to sink both of them. When I hit the 2nd three I actually shouted in jubilation almost like how I would watching or playing a game.
At times, per usual, shooting feels too easy. It felt like I couldn't be stopped with Garnett down low, when in real life, Garnett really struggles against Gasol these days.
Lakers ability to make a fast break was terrible, but I was playing on the 2nd difficulty... which could be the issue there. They literally made no pressure on me down the court and took terrible shots.
Players seem to play to their strengths... Kobe isolated on me all day, to mixed success.

I know that this isn't about comparisons, but c'mon now, we've gotta compare. Graphics are much worse than NBA 2K11, animations are choppier than 2K11 (as somebody described, spastic is a good word: there is poor flow from one animation to the next), but without a doubt feel much more organic (it doesn't feel like you're just "watching animations" For 5minutes like NBA 2K series does). The whole game feels "looser," where as NBA 2K11 feels like it's on rails, like most other NBA 2K games. This isn't necessarily a criticism of 2K11 because many people prefer that type of gameplay, but the Elite '11 gameplay feels like a more organic experience. Honestly, if I were to buy one game over the other based on the demos alone, I'd get NBA Elite '11, but that's only because the crop of basketball games from the last 5 - 8 years have bored me to tears and playing practice mode in this game was the first time in a basketball game that something felt really fresh.

I play a fair amount of basketball and this was the first game that I've played in ages that actually made me feel somewhat like I had control over what happened... not just on the offensive side, but especially on defense. Playing defense on basketball games has always felt so contrived because it's so reactionary: you basically have one pro-active manuever, the steal, and everything else is a reaction... which just isn't how good defense is played in basketball. Good defense is played not by reacting to the offensive player, but by predicting what his next move is going to be and then playing based on that... Knowing how a player will cut to the hoop, preparing for an off-ball screen, predicting when your opponent will pump fake and when he will actually go up with the ball for a shot.

NBA Elite isn't close to really doing that, but it's the first honest attempt to do it in a basketball videogame... at least from how the demo feels.

# 456 smoothtee @ 09/21/10 01:17 PM

The game has some good points as far as the control with the players in practice mode but it is different when you play in the game, but overall I was not impressed it wasn't smooth it was hard to to pass with the icons(mabe because of demo) however it was not the button freindly, I liked live 10 controls a little better, the men look very cartoonish and plastic, and it just doesn't have that NBA authentic look, like 2K, this is very dissappointing considering I played live growing up until 2007 they should have come way farther then they have, I like the idea of the control just didn't work for me, I usually get both 2K and Live just to compare but I am not even going to bother this year.

# 457 Tha_Kid @ 09/21/10 01:18 PM

A Couple things:

1) Hit a buzzer beater to send the game into OT. It had specific commentary with a cut to the ref (finally moving, huh?) checking the camera and counting it, followed by JVG disagreeing and Mark Jackson agreeing while saying "I'm disappointed in you, Jeff Van Gundy". Nice touch.

2) Mid-air collisions on shots all adjust to circus shots. This is annoying but tolerable for say, dunk attempts from players athletic enough to try them. The issue is when contact during hook shots causes Shaq/Bynum to go from a hook to some crazy switch hands layup. One size does not fit all here.

3) I don't know about anyone else, but shooting is pretty damn difficult on Superstar. I like it.

4) Live has had a skinny Shaq for quite some time but Elite's takes the cake. I mean come on. And what stat governs backing down, because Bynum pushes Shaq out everytime in Elite.

5) rEAnimator, can you do the double clutch shot in this demo? I tried the method posted to no avail.

# 458 XuanWu @ 09/21/10 01:24 PM

I'm going to limit this to impressions only.

My only impression is that this **** is TERRIBLE. What in the world were they thinking? The players look anorexic. No one plays like their real-life counterparts. The controls are sluggish. I literally completed 5 successful alley-oops in a row in my first 5 offensive possessions. The graphics...don't even get me started. This is NOT basketball.

# 459 bram73 @ 09/21/10 01:24 PM

id understand why they changed so much. i mean live 10 was actually a good game and jus a step behind 2k. Then they went and changed a formula that was pretty good almost completely. **** fail especially when 2k brot their A game dis year.

# 460 Boilerbuzz @ 09/21/10 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayDog253


	You have to enable 720P in your Ps3 settings. This don't do 1080P so you're playing it in 480P right now lol.

That's going to suck for the people that refuse to run anything below 1080p. There are a few people that do.

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