NBA 2K11 Demo Released: Impressions

[airBerlin]

I just got my ps3 not too long ago. Game felt good, some of the animations were really nice. I don't know if it's just me, but I have a hard time controlling my player's movements. Maybe it'll just come in time. I was also having a rough time hitting threes, only when I was wide open would they go in.

[Patr1ck]

Jab stepping is performed by holding the left trigger and tapping or holding a direction while the player is facing the basket with the ball without a dribble. The yellow bar you are talking about is the one that looks like cellphone bars? It's the hotspot indicator. I can't confirm if it decreases during jab steps. It could just be that the player is jab stepping into an area where the player is less proficient in scoring, and the hot spot indicator decreases.

[andrefaelnar]

Thanks for the videos guys, I've posted them on the main page. I'll be posting some impressions of the demo in the not too distant future.

Thanks Andrew! Really do appreciate it! I posted a full review too.

phpBB [video]

andrew bynum's face is almost like tracy morgan's face though
hehehe lol
just kidding
anyways i'll go straight to the point, the gameplay is really smooth
even though you can only do one 4 minute quarter
i guess it's just a warm up or trying to put your console controllers to the test
or practicing the moves since everyone watched the 2k11 contorls trailer
and by the time the game comes out
they already know what to do to set up some strategies on different teams they might want to pick by the time the game comes out
will this qualify for game of the year?
well lets just find out when people do their reviews, comments and thoughts by the time the official game is released

[airBerlin]

andrew bynum's face is almost like tracy morgan's face though
hehehe lol
just kidding

Actually, I said the same thing to myself.

[volsey]

I love the pace the Celtics offense shows in the demo. Knowing when to push, when to slow down if its not there. Feels like Rondos really in control. Can't wait.

[Andrew]

My impressions, as posted on the main page:

To be honest, I'm not quite as enthused about the demo as a lot of people seem to be. I will say that I would put that down to how stripped down the demo is. Without the extensive playcalling that's been advertised for the full version as well as the ability to change the gamestyle settings, it's a very limited glimpse at the game and for a sim geek like me, the settings they chose for the demo weren't the most appealing.

Isomotion still feels a bit awkward and clumsy to me. I guess it comes down to whatever you're used to, but I just prefer EA's approach to dribbling moves so much better. I also felt like momentum was a bit overdone as I found myself struggling to keep control of my players at times and changing directions felt a bit heavy, more like it did in NBA Live 10 than in NBA 2K10. Directional passing also felt a bit off and stripping down plays in the demo made for a lot of one-on-one play, which left me at a distinct disadvantage not being a master of Isomotion.

I'm certainly not saying that the gameplay is terrible, far from it, but I wouldn't agree with some of the high praise the demo is receiving in terms of smoothness and realism. There are definitely some nice animations, the controls are fairly responsive and there are a lot of nice details with deflections, players diving on the floor and the collisions, but much like the NBA 2K10 demo last year, I'm not sure that the full version is being done justice here. I certainly hope not as the game didn't feel quite as good as I was hoping it would based on recent videos. Again, I have to note that in my case the awkwardness of the controls might simply come down to not being as familiar with Isomotion as I am EA's dribbling controls but I did feel that the momentum was perhaps a little overdone.

The presentation has also been cut down for the demo but you can still see what they're going for and based on the latest Developer Insight, I don't think we'll have too many complaints there. The videos that have been released in the last few weeks have given us a good idea of what to expect from the commentary and so forth, so there's no worries here.

I'm sure I'll be playing a few more games with the demo over the coming weeks and hopefully with a bit more familiarity with the controls, my opinion will improve. As it stands, I think my experiences with the full version will be more positive and I'll benefit greatly from practice and in-game tutorials. Therefore I'm definitely not about to write the game off based on a few quibbles with the demo, though based on some of the feedback I'm seeing I was expecting my experience with the demo to be a little more positive.

Nevertheless, I'm intending to get the game when it comes out and give the simulation gamestyle a try. The stripped down demo didn't wow me as much as I'd hoped, but my opinion certainly may change with a few more games and I'm optimistic that I'll feel far more favourable towards the full version.

[Andrew]

Also, for those who haven't seen it: Demo Roundtable Discussion over on Operation Sports.

[hova-]

Two decent videos by some guys over at OS:

phpBB [video]

Very nice Kobe Highlight vid, since the quality is not the best, it looks like real life at times.

phpBB [video]

Decent video to see what is possible with the new shot stick.

[The X]

Andrew, I completely get where you are coming from with your impressions of the demo. I too found the momentum hard to handle, but maybe I just don't how to use it. Apparently Czar, who's had his hands on a build of game for a while, said you have to "feather" the sticks, not put full pressure to go left or right like we are all accustomed to doing in basketball & other sports game.

I think what 2k11 demo shows me is that the game will be a clear improvement of 2k10, which I have & don't really like much at all considering I probably only got a month's play out of it & threw it aside after the last patch debacle. I am keen however to give Elite its chance by playing the demo (when it is released, whenever that may be), as I did with Live '10 last year.

But yep, fully understand where you are coming from as I'm not a gun on the sticks like this guy:

phpBB [video]

Also, for those who haven't seen it: Demo Roundtable Discussion over on Operation Sports.

If you guys are ever going to do a roundtable on any of the games & I got it, let me know, I'd be up for it.

[Andrew]

Absolutely, we'll see what we can organise as far as the demos are concerned but I'm definitely keen to do something like that for the full versions if nothing else.

The game did feel a bit better when feathering the sticks, so in my future games I'll definitely take it easier and see what kind of difference that makes.

[The X]

If I end up getting the game, which seems likely at this stage, I think I will need to go into practice mode & really just have some time with controls. I'm hopeful that they slightly tone down momentum (whether in final release or with first patch) though.

I wouldn't worry about doing round table for demo, just full version. Would be good to cover the different platforms so readers can get gist of it. I play PS3, & I know the NLSC team has a lot of PC-ers & 360 players. I think worth doing for Live (sorry Elite, bad habit) too, even if I don't get it. Maybe worthwhile for the demo. Is probably worthwhile doing a round table within a few days of release & prior to your very in-depth reviews, which usually come after people have decided whether to purchase or not. Just a thought though & format can be different to what OS did.

[saharor1]

ive have the demo but... how to play 2 players??? i have to dualshock and damn i can play just with lakersss

[Andrew]

I wouldn't worry about doing round table for demo, just full version. Would be good to cover the different platforms so readers can get gist of it. I play PS3, & I know the NLSC team has a lot of PC-ers & 360 players. I think worth doing for Live (sorry Elite, bad habit) too, even if I don't get it. Maybe worthwhile for the demo. Is probably worthwhile doing a round table within a few days of release & prior to your very in-depth reviews, which usually come after people have decided whether to purchase or not. Just a thought though & format can be different to what OS did.

Good idea, appreciate the suggestion. I know I'll definitely be doing some impressions for the Elite demo but the meatiest content should probably be saved for the full version, since there's less no guesswork nor wait-and-see.

ive have the demo but... how to play 2 players??? i have to dualshock and damn i can play just with lakersss

I'm not sure you can. It's a pretty limited demo.

[hova-]

ive have the demo but... how to play 2 players??? i have to dualshock and damn i can play just with lakersss

You can neither switch to the Celtics nor play a Player vs Player in the demo.


For the whole control debate:

I definitely have the same problems with the stick. I cannot really dribble well and I also cannot always master the shot stick. But I guess that is not really a problem because it's only the demo. I need a tutorial and then I'll see how good those new controlling features really are. From what I've seen in those vids though, guys who know how to handle the controls, are able to pull some moves that are so realistic and helpful to beat the defense (which could also be quite fun in player vs player, always considering you play with friends, no online cheesefests).

[Patr1ck]

Video I captured. Ended up taking most shots with Kobe. Still getting the hang of the new isomotion and trying to run plays.

phpBB [video]

[Sportsgamer]

Jab stepping is performed by holding the left trigger and tapping or holding a direction while the player is facing the basket with the ball without a dribble. The yellow bar you are talking about is the one that looks like cellphone bars? It's the hotspot indicator. I can't confirm if it decreases during jab steps. It could just be that the player is jab stepping into an area where the player is less proficient in scoring, and the hot spot indicator decreases.

Im sorry I meant the stamina bar
left trigger isnt sprint right? so it shouldnt decrease but could oyu still check for me please?

[airBerlin]

Video I captured. Ended up taking most shots with Kobe. Still getting the hang of the new isomotion and trying to run plays.

phpBB [video]

1:45 = DIRTY

[qfrmcpt310]

idk if this has been asked or not but i just noticed it an its really has me going because on tuesday when i first played the demo derek fisher had a full beard like he had during last seasons playoffs, but today which is friday, im playing the demo and he just has his goatee. can anyone else confirm this? if this is a feature that is cool because i've wondered about that ever since i believe 2k5 where ben wallace and allen iverson would have the fro but switch back to braids a different game

[Jackal]

Still has a full beard by me.

[qfrmcpt310]

see thats whats im saying mines just has a goatee

[Andrew]

Video I captured. Ended up taking most shots with Kobe. Still getting the hang of the new isomotion and trying to run plays.

phpBB [video]

Good stuff. Seems I'll have to get used to feathering the stick a bit more and making better use of some of the controls as that looked a lot better than my experiences with the demo so far.

Did you attempt a jump step on the breakaway dunk with Kobe or was that triggered automatically for that dunk animation? That looked a little awkward. Also looked like Rondo travelled on his fast break dunk though it was only really apparent on the replay and I may be mistaken.

[Houndy]

I don't use the shot stick, the Button controls is what I use. Never liked shot stick

[Andrew]

I've mostly been using the button in my games with the demo so far but I'm trying to use the stick a little more, especially since Elite will be making use of it for shooting this year as well.

[hova-]

Tried the new control scheme Beluba released and I'm making some steps forward. I'm really keen on doing the LT + Left stick away from the basket with MJ, basically to do this move.

What I like is that they managed to really give each player his correct abilities. In 2k9 and 2k10 I really did not see any difference between somebody like Jermaine O'Neal and Kendrick Perkins ... in 2k11 I think they did a good job capturing what each player really can do and cannot do. Same for the PGs. This demo is on Pro and I can barely get by Rondo when controlling Fisher. That how it should be. I could drive past any defender with every PG in 2k10.

So the more I learn the controls, the more impressed I am.

[Patr1ck]

Did you attempt a jump step on the breakaway dunk with Kobe or was that triggered automatically for that dunk animation? That looked a little awkward. Also looked like Rondo travelled on his fast break dunk though it was only really apparent on the replay and I may be mistaken.

No, which I don't like. I apparently pressed to the left of the basket to initiate the jump step dunk. It seems like I could have branched to a different animation according to the info 2KSports released about the controls. Maybe that's why it looked a bit awkward.