NBA Elite 11 Demo Impressions

[planbzimp]

Before I got the demo I read a ton negative comments on the game but until I got it I was surprised that it wasn't as bad as it is. I noticed most posted youtube videos didn't do the game justice as the players on the controllers clearly had no idea how to play, or play basketball at all.

I created my player for become legendary and just completed the game jordan classics game. I was a point guard and was matched up against John Wall. I finished the game with a 7.8 score and a 8.0 team grade score. It was a rewarding feeling for doing the right things on the court such as sharing the ball, making open jump shots, playing defense properly. So far, I'm quite satisfied with how the game plays.

I think NBA Elite can look as arcady as the Live series in the early 2000's but can also play as realistic as Basketball is, depending on how knowledgeable you are with playing basketball.

Some tips with enjoying the game more is to avoid over penetrating and dominating the ball. Instead, pass the ball to the post, or kick out and cut in the lane, V cut out, or curl out to get the ball again if your teammates are stuck.

[Andrew]

Downloading the demo now. Should have my impressions out tomorrow.

[hova-]

I'm pretty glad that I am not the only one who thinks this game is very bad. I thought I might be too much biased since I really like the 2k11 demo, but it seems like all of the problems I noticed for myself in the game are also bothering you guys.

Pros

- The whole atmosphere is very good. The fans are awesomely loud and look quite cool, the music is like in real life (which makes me hoping that 2k11 will have the ingame music editor for the PS3) and you definitely get a good feeling playing as the home team in a game 7 finals appereance

- commentary and ESPN integration is good

- the menu screens and the variety of options as well as the tutorial are quite cool for a demo

Contras

I do not really know where to start, the whole gameplay is really really weak, the graphics aint good either

- the player models look skinny and nowhere like their real life counterparts.

- Qballer said the faces look better than 2k's. I can hardly agree on that. Whilst they are not as bad as last year in live, some guys still look too much like comic figurs

- I don't know at what framerates the animations are, but they look totally robotic and choppy, no flow between going from dribbling into jumpshot etc.

- I had some lag at times when the ball was brought inside or a lot of guys were in the post

- the new controls are innovative, but I don't like them at all. Switched to the old ones after two games.

- I feel like I don't have any weapons on offense. The game is so unrealistically quick that most of the action seems forced to me. Running quick plays is decent, but I barely get exactly what I want on offense, but I don't see it as a real negative aspect because I did not play long enough/master the controls good enough

- rebounding is weak. 2k11 has some unrealistic rebounds, live has almost only unrealistic rebounds.

- the AI seemed strange at times, running to the hoop and back again without taking a shot

- one of the biggest points: Signature stuff? Not really, as mentioned before players feel completely the same, be it the AI or myself controlling them. The only difference between Kobe and Pierce seems that the latter is a bit thicker and slower.

- Oh and I saw KG taking a Jordanesque dunk hanging in the air from the FT line ... not too cool

In my opinion they need to rework their whole graphics and animations. Presentation is very very good, no doubt. But they need to get their gameplay right or 2k might wander off.

[HisGreatness]

lol everything looks way off especially the movement,rebounding,animations,visuals,graphics and gameplay except the presentation cause it is like a 90's videogame thats just like the ahh 1 aspect of the game is improved the presentation only owhh i hate the way they rebound there head are just like 11 feet higher than the rim

[wabenne]

played it last night and didn't like the demo thought I would give it another try this morning and spend more time with the controls and still the same feel.

I feel the Live Brand and feel has totally been lost and destroyed, live10 was definetly better then Elite 11 and I think that is really bad when your competition is excelling. For the first time since Live has been coming out I will not be purchasing it and the demo has confirmed that for me. Im really upset because live has always been my game of choice and I dont want to switch but it will be 2k this year.

Not saying Elite didn't try but sometimes you can attempt to be so different that it makes you to different. I thought Elite was just a name change to show forth the imporvements it seems now that its a name change to show forth a total new direction from previous live games and brand. It does make me wonder why if live10 was a good game going in the right direction would we do a total overhaul as if the game needed it. Sad day for Elite the demo is getting destroyed overall

[Fozzrat]

Has anyone tryed playing with the buttons and does it work well?

[Rugshtyne]

So... NBA Live 12:The Doomsday on PC and everybody will be happy?

Keed.

I don't own any consoles, as I play games on PC, but from reading these comments, watching a lot of videos I made a decision. The decision is that Elite - is going to die. Come on, bring the good ol' Live back, make it for PC and it will be good or... Or we'll have to rename this community to NBA 2K Series Center ;D .. Okay, guys, I saw enough. C ya in 2K.

[wabenne]

yes I did try it made it feel a lil better but I could also tell that it doesn't make sense to play with the buttons in this year game because of the new controls and how the game is meant to be played you can tell you lacking something by playing with the buttons, but just overall its not to good

[brett35]

I was so excited for Elite 11 and I came a little bit dissapointed...

I shouldnt say dissapointed it's a great game, love the graphics. I just think its's too hard. I can never ever get to the rim but i figured it out a little bit. If you do some dribble moves then hold LT, you get right to the rim. and then you do a layup or dunk. It takes a lot of getting use too but i dont really like the way you dribble its tough. I like Live10 dribbling better.

2k11 demo i didnt like at all, im still going to get elite but it will take a lot of time getting use too, because it is hard.

THEY NEED A TURBO BUTTON!

[HyP82]

This game is weird. I probably need to get used to the new gameplay, but do not like it. Animations are odd. They should check the quality of their animation. I didn't notice the real physics system.
And the fun I had playing at NBA Live 10, I didn't have it playing Elite 11.

[ataman5]

Well, i share the negatives and i don't want to go over them again.

But i have to tell you how much potential i see in this game, it's definitely a base for the new era of sports gaming but this really doesn't justify the game as a good basketball game from what i can see.

But i should tell you that this game is a lot better than Live 10 when you master the controls and get a feel for it, still nowhere near that i had expected, if it was built in 2008 i would definitely get it day 1 but coming to late 2010 and 2011, it will be so hard to decide whether i want to spend my money on this or not.

The basics are there, controls are immense and open to great improvements. I hope ea will just try to build on what we have with Elite 11 and i see that if they keep on building we may have a great basketball game at the end of this so called 3 years plan.:y220:

Demo is deep enough n very well detailed.

Edit: After playing some more hours it's getting a lot better esp legend mode and baseline cam is amust for this game to play better. Lack of signatures and animation is really annoying though.

Second Edit: I think i'm buying this game..

[Lamrock]

I appreciate how much there was to offer in the demo. However, the game is turrible. Off to school now, but it looks like I'll be sticking with 2K for at least another year.

Also, is there a turbo button?

[JaoSming]

there is no

[mp3]

Sort of OT but is anyone else having problems signing in to there ps3 account after the new update (3.50)?

[Oznogrd]

Alright so just played...and am i wrong for wanting to either just buy 2k10 for cheap or just keep on playing 2k9?

I get what they were trying to do here, but the controls are very unintuitive to me. It doesnt feel like playing basketball, it feels like im just jerking off joysticks. I dont know how to describe it. This is the most aware "i'm just pressin buttons" i've ever been during a sports video game.

Got a little better when i switched to old school controls but right now...i'd be giving a miss to both games this year.

Ew.

[soho]

only things whats good is presentation and crowd ...
all other things was very bad.. imo.. damn even live 2001 felled better...

rondo did some crazy standing dunk in my game lol.. wow

[[Q]]

hova, i do think the faces are way better than 2k11 but i gotta admit while i was playing they seemed very cartoon-like. they didn't have any lighting effects or sweat or anything like that, so looking at say Ray Allen, his skin color was very noticably oversaturated. it looked like you were playing Live 2005 on PC with lighting effects turned off.

i forgot to mention last night i also tried a game with the buttons. i did do a little better, but since they added/removed buttons from last year it was still pretty tough to play.

Cons
no larry o'brien trophy on the court for finals game (seriously, how do you take out something you had the year before?)

did you watch the finals last year? NBA doesn't put that on the courts anymore.

oh i didn't even notice. i take that back then

[fjccommish]

Summary:

I see where EA is going with Elite. They're willing to sacrifice a little of the look of a real NBA game in favor of good results in the game:

- More direct control for the gamer.
- The feel of size, momentum and weight in players and their interactions. It is especially noticeable in rebounding.
- A better feel when dribbling - dribble in the right situation or the D will take away the ball.
- HIgher rated players doing more of the scoring, especially on the CPU side.

It may be that a lot of this will become more apparent in multiplayer games. If player vs. player games are more fun, people may overlook some of the negatives.

However, without at least plays being run well, too much of the look of NBA athletes style is lost. In a world where people didn't expect real NBA names and looks in the game, and thus weren't comparing "did LeBron make that move like he did in real life" this would be accepted a lot more readily.

Positives:

Controls - This is the highlight of the game. The controls make it fun to play defense, and make every aspect of the game feel under control of the man behind the stick (that's you and me, the gamer.)

"Physics" - Seeing the CPU have to adjust shots when contact is made by the defender is something new. Players have weight and power to them.

Rebounding - Nice to feel like the movements made with the controller affect the rebounding. Lots of balls contended and rebounds tipped off the backboard while players fight for them.

Post work - The CPU Celtics work the ball to Garnett. He kills the D in the post, or even away from the basket mid range.

Steals - Be careful with the dribble or it's going to be tipped away for a possible steal. This makes the game feel real. When sloppy with the dribbling, for example dribbling into traffic, I was punished. But dribbling into the right situation, using the right moves, is a pleasure. It's also nice to be able to go at a big man with a guard, trying for the steal, forcing him to pick up the dribble or pass.

Players in their roles, according to ratings - Kobe punishes when playing against the CPU Lakers, Garnett gets the ball and scores down low when playing against the CPU Celtics.

Negatives:

The Look - Although some good results happen, it doesn't look like NBA athletes playing basketball. This can be overlooked because of good results the player on the controller influences with the right move at the right time. But in light of the other negatives, the overall game is a dud.

AI - Although players play according to their abilities, i.e. Kobe is going to score for the CPU Lakers and a gamer will find the best guys as the best threats, it isn't happening where or how it would happen in the NBA. Many points are scored with players (especially the CPU) hitting shots, even threes, falling away with defenders on top of them. There isn't a lot of work into open shots or good positions to score inside.

Plays - If plays are running (AUTO play call is set) they aren't running well. Spacing is a mess, men off the ball aren't working to get open, it's a lot like the other game's plays from last year - useless.

Exploits

- It's far too easy to score on the pick and roll. Set a pick with anyone, either score on the roll or receive the pass and feed the former ball handler for an easy layup. The CPU doesn't react well.

- Pressure the ball before half court, just press a man up to the ball handler without flicking right stick down to try a steal, to cause a turnover far too often. Either the ball handler tries a half court pass that is always overthrown out of bounds at the far baseline, or the ball handler loses the ball for an easy steal and drive for a dunk. Reminder, that's without trying for a steal, without flicking down on the right stick.

[Axel The Great]

Sort of OT but is anyone else having problems signing in to there ps3 account after the new update (3.50)?

I am. I sign in, go to the Playstation store, then it says the service is not available in my region/country. I live in the US for god's sake!

[JaoSming]

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wow.............this makes no sense............i don't think i'll be spending anymore time to NBA Elite...........it look horrible and already has dumb stuff happening in the game. computer also does weird moves and stuff.

demo or not........i''ll only be getting nba jam. This game and franchise will stop existing soon.

just barely watched that

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[J@3]

I love how he starts outside the three point line up at top and ends up out near the wing.

[JaoSming]

so I had my fiancee's brother play the demo. He is a casual gamer who use to always make himself 5 times at 99 overall when he played basketball games, the last one being 06.

throughout the tutorial he kept calling me in laughing because evidently you can pass the tutorial without doing a damn thing it asks you to do.

after that I played one on one with him....lies. there is no score, no taking it out to the 3pt line, no required passing, whoever gets the made basket/rebound can do whatever they want with it. we did have fun throwing the self alleys off the glass to ourselves though....basically it was just to shoot around with a buddy.

I had him play the Celtics/Lakers game and he quickly got frustrated. I did force the analog controls on him since he hadn't played a basketball game since Live 06 (PS2) and all he did was wiggle wiggle dunk. He got a few free throw dunks in started with the "WTF was that?" after each post shot and rebound. He wants to kick whoever fucked with sprint/pass in the nuts.

He started on and on about what the hell basketball games have become (since he hadn't played in so long) and then asked how I dealt with it since he sees me playing them all the time. Loaded up the 2K11 demo. First play he did was a user controlled Kobe swat on Ray Allen that sent the ball bouncing behind the scorers table into the crowd. He nearly shit himself like I did. He started showing me how he couldn't just drive to the hoop like in Elite (which was on All-Star BTW) and asked me to tell the developers of Elite to watch a minute of real NBA footage, then a minute of 2K11, then a minute of Elite and ask them to tell me what is wrong with their game. thought that was kinda harsh, lol.

So there is some impressions of someone who hasn't played basketball games for ~5 years. I was kind of a dick and when I asked him to play the Elite demo I made it sound like it was the best thing since sliced bread, and that didn't sway him from saying the truth to me.

[Lamrock]

Played a couple more games in it. Game's extremely easy, even on the hardest difficulties. Won by 10-ish points with both teams, even though Live's classic "heroics" from the losing CPU team came into effect. Was priceless missing a free throw perfectly in the sweet spots with Kobe, then seeing Rondo sink a full-court heave at the buzzer.

Haven't tried the Become Legendary mode yet, but I bet it sucks.

[atlwarrior]

Lets start with the positive. I really like the Graphics and dont really see a problem with them. I like the crowd and atmosphere.
I had a day off of work today. Came from my friends house and atleast he took the time to get the demo. I didnt want to waste my time because of the visuals. I hate the new controls. HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE! Why would they destroy something so good? The controls in Nba live 10 were the best ive played in any basketball game. And the players do this seizure like movement when theyre dribbling which annoys the heck out of me. Very weird playing without turbo. I havent tried Become Legendary yet. Maybe I'll get the demo of my own to try that. Alot of people are saying thats better.

Some of you guys are talking about getting this game just to play NBA Jam. Forget that i will not support this in anyway even if I have to miss out on the beloved NBA Jam. Just dont buy it plain and simple. If you get the game just to play NBA Jam then technically youre still supporting Nba Elite. Besides my little brother has a Nintendo WII and he said hes getting NBA Jam so when im in town im getting up on that. But forget buying Elite just to play NBA Jam. Now if it was NBA Street i may have to reconsider.

[Hotwater10]

Got my impression up this morning

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