Re: NBA 2K20 Available Now on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Post Impressions Here
List of 10 negatives and 10 positives for 2K20 (My experience)
Positives
1. 2K11 vibe - with the look during gameplay and via presentation. Also the feel of the players in some ways. The players size relative to the court is VERY 2K11.
2. Breathtaking, and very realistic looking moves going to the rim (At times) - Dunks can still be explosive, and some new dunk and layup animations really add to the authenticity
3. Weight of players - Game feels lighter overall this year, and players (Given the right attributes/badges) can explode off first steps and catch and gos. Using Westbrook on 2K20 is a lot more realistic (And fun) than using Westbrook on 2K19.
4. Player differentiation - Like my example of Westbrook above, players like Westbrook play different than guys like Kyrie in this game. Not just signature style wise, but movement wise in general. You have a go to guy? Is he the real go to guy in real life? You should probably go to him in the game, and use him to his real life strengths
5. Blocks, rebounds and steals - All are still fun to do, and I find that a staple of this series on this gen. Players are reactive getting off the ground, even when doing a double jump, jumping into the passing lanes feels right and the animations for the steals look realistic, block animations are not canned and still feel as good as ever. While OFF REB is overpowering, rebounding is still fun, and a skill gap exists with it. Boxing out is important, and so is timing your jump.
6. Dribbling - This was initially a negative, but after patch 1.03 they seemed to tighten it up a bit. Stringing together combos feels pretty solid, bursting off a crossover or behind the back feels pretty good (Outside of the skating), etc. It took balls IMO for them to attempt that for 2K20, and I think they did a solid jump implementing it.
7. Graphics - The best I have seen them over the last few years. Players still pop on close ups, but they absolutely improved the stadium lighting for the current and classic teams, and made noticeable improvements to a lot of faces (Nice work, Razor). The closeups for this game are the best in 2K history in my opinion. Reflections on the courts look better as well.
8. Atmosphere - I am guessing I am not the only one that noticed they went back to last gen-esque atmosphere. The crowd noise, arena sounds, etc. The game overall feels more alive, in turn giving the user the opportunity to get more immersed in the action.
9. WNBA/All decade teams - I have not used them much, but it's a nice touch to bring the all-decade teams back. Just more content for users to get into and keep them playing. Another positive is the WNBA, and I love the fact that they not only implemented it, but they implemented it the right way. They represented the league well, and even gave us a season mode. The WNBA has been around for a long time now, and they were absolutely due to be represented properly in a video game. They did a great job making the gameplay feel different than the NBA part of the game. Using WNBA teams feels like a different experience (as it should), and its really a lot of fun to play.
10.Roster Management - I mean, it's the best in any sports game (ever). The ability to delete players from a roster, player DNA, all the content, etc. Having a well rounded product that appeals to all ages and skill levels is why 2K is going to be so hard to take down.
Negatives
1. Skating/Floating - As I showed in my video, this game is in sore need of foot planting. Ever since the new motion system was installed for 2K18, skating has been at an all time high. It impacts outcomes/results as well, as players skate into positions they were not intending to go, putting them out of proper position. In my opinion, this and #2 on my list are the two biggest issues with 2K's gameplay experience
2. Sucked in - Getting sucked into other players (Whether they are on the side, front or behind you) happens a lot, and again impacts outcomes and results in a big way. This is another item that came with the new motion system in 2K18, and continued into 2K20. Instances occurred for it in past titles, but not nearly to the level of these last 3 titles.
3. Dribbling - Yes, a positive and a negative. The ball transferring hands looks really awkward at times, and feels odd as well. I showed an example of it on my video (LeBron), but if you go up close this is happening quite a bit. Gamebreaking? Absolutely not. Just something they could clean up
4. Blow bys - Better than 2K18, but still an issue. It is incredibly easy to just run by an average defender and get to the hoop and score, in fact at times you can do it over and over and over again and just keep scoring. And it's not just in the halfcourt, either, it happens all the time in transition or when pushing the pace on an inbounds pass. Want an easy score? Just go wide and run by the CPU for an easy dunk or layup. Defender in front of you running down the middle of the floor? Push by him to the hoop. It's not just an "exploit" when it's something that is impacting gameplay on such a wide scale. Also, exploits are issues in themselves, and they need to fix the defense in this regard.
5. Speed and acceleration breaks - This is also something that was introduced in a big and more constant way with the new motion system, and another issues that impacts results and outcomes.
6. Heavy pass animations -This causes an unrealistic delay when trying to run your offense, and even causes steals that shouldn't happen. Passing has delays not only because of the passing animation being heavy, but also the catching animation being heavy.
7. Roster accuracy - Yes the current teams are in decent shape as far as attributes/tendencies/signatures go, but not the classic teams. A ton of copy and paste jobs were done. Antawn Jamison is David West, Deshawn Stevenson is Sefolosha, Doug West is Joe Johnson, Billy Cunningham is Blake Griffin, Kelly Tripuka is Petrovic, Baron Davis is Lillard, etc. I am not talking about all attributes and tendencies, I am talking about some of those and signatures. Nick Van Exel having Marions free throw, Laettner having McHales signatures, Rider having LeBrons signautes, etc. Many of these guys have the exact same dunks/dribbling assigned as well. It's a clear rush job and an afterthought next to the current teams. personally, I would be embarrassed to release a roster with all of those copy and paste jobs, so it's a bit disappointing. The good thing is: We have the tools to fix a lot or most of it.
8. Defense - We talked about blow-bys, but overall the defense is just not smart in the game, period. Whether you are using current teams or classic teams, they just are not. Transition defense is poor, double teams don't make sense (The entire double team system is a bit of a mess), etc. A lot of exploits on defense, so many that it's impossible to avoid. It's never good when you are spending more time avoiding exploits than playing loose and free.
9. Shooting - The feel is just... not right. Go back and shoot on 2K14 through 2K17, you can feel the proper weight and flow on shots. In 2K20, shots look and feel rushed, and we cannot adjust shot timing anymore like we used to (Quick, normal, late).
10. Face up game - The face up game in the high and low post isn't as complete as it should be, or as controllable. Most times when you face up and try to make a move, you drop the ball or get put in a slow motion animation where you look like you are running in mud trying to get to the hoop.
Overall, I enjoy this game more than 2K19... However, player movement in a BASKETBALL GAME is so important, and foot planting and better body detection (less sucking in, oh and clipping is pretty bad) is a must for the next gen version of 2K's IMO. However as I mentioned on another thread, 2K20 has "good bones", but needs to sharpen up in areas of player movement. Yes, some legacy issues are still present (Like body steals), but they are not gamebreaking. I mean, if they were, 2K would have been out of business awhile ago, afterall they are "legacy issues" that have been in the game for YEARS (Which doesn't make them okay, mind you)
Looking forward to seeing what the produce for the next generation of consoles/PC.
List of 10 negatives and 10 positives for 2K20 (My experience)
Positives
1. 2K11 vibe - with the look during gameplay and via presentation. Also the feel of the players in some ways. The players size relative to the court is VERY 2K11.
2. Breathtaking, and very realistic looking moves going to the rim (At times) - Dunks can still be explosive, and some new dunk and layup animations really add to the authenticity
3. Weight of players - Game feels lighter overall this year, and players (Given the right attributes/badges) can explode off first steps and catch and gos. Using Westbrook on 2K20 is a lot more realistic (And fun) than using Westbrook on 2K19.
4. Player differentiation - Like my example of Westbrook above, players like Westbrook play different than guys like Kyrie in this game. Not just signature style wise, but movement wise in general. You have a go to guy? Is he the real go to guy in real life? You should probably go to him in the game, and use him to his real life strengths
5. Blocks, rebounds and steals - All are still fun to do, and I find that a staple of this series on this gen. Players are reactive getting off the ground, even when doing a double jump, jumping into the passing lanes feels right and the animations for the steals look realistic, block animations are not canned and still feel as good as ever. While OFF REB is overpowering, rebounding is still fun, and a skill gap exists with it. Boxing out is important, and so is timing your jump.
6. Dribbling - This was initially a negative, but after patch 1.03 they seemed to tighten it up a bit. Stringing together combos feels pretty solid, bursting off a crossover or behind the back feels pretty good (Outside of the skating), etc. It took balls IMO for them to attempt that for 2K20, and I think they did a solid jump implementing it.
7. Graphics - The best I have seen them over the last few years. Players still pop on close ups, but they absolutely improved the stadium lighting for the current and classic teams, and made noticeable improvements to a lot of faces (Nice work, Razor). The closeups for this game are the best in 2K history in my opinion. Reflections on the courts look better as well.
8. Atmosphere - I am guessing I am not the only one that noticed they went back to last gen-esque atmosphere. The crowd noise, arena sounds, etc. The game overall feels more alive, in turn giving the user the opportunity to get more immersed in the action.
9. WNBA/All decade teams - I have not used them much, but it's a nice touch to bring the all-decade teams back. Just more content for users to get into and keep them playing. Another positive is the WNBA, and I love the fact that they not only implemented it, but they implemented it the right way. They represented the league well, and even gave us a season mode. The WNBA has been around for a long time now, and they were absolutely due to be represented properly in a video game. They did a great job making the gameplay feel different than the NBA part of the game. Using WNBA teams feels like a different experience (as it should), and its really a lot of fun to play.
10.Roster Management - I mean, it's the best in any sports game (ever). The ability to delete players from a roster, player DNA, all the content, etc. Having a well rounded product that appeals to all ages and skill levels is why 2K is going to be so hard to take down.
Negatives
1. Skating/Floating - As I showed in my video, this game is in sore need of foot planting. Ever since the new motion system was installed for 2K18, skating has been at an all time high. It impacts outcomes/results as well, as players skate into positions they were not intending to go, putting them out of proper position. In my opinion, this and #2 on my list are the two biggest issues with 2K's gameplay experience
2. Sucked in - Getting sucked into other players (Whether they are on the side, front or behind you) happens a lot, and again impacts outcomes and results in a big way. This is another item that came with the new motion system in 2K18, and continued into 2K20. Instances occurred for it in past titles, but not nearly to the level of these last 3 titles.
3. Dribbling - Yes, a positive and a negative. The ball transferring hands looks really awkward at times, and feels odd as well. I showed an example of it on my video (LeBron), but if you go up close this is happening quite a bit. Gamebreaking? Absolutely not. Just something they could clean up
4. Blow bys - Better than 2K18, but still an issue. It is incredibly easy to just run by an average defender and get to the hoop and score, in fact at times you can do it over and over and over again and just keep scoring. And it's not just in the halfcourt, either, it happens all the time in transition or when pushing the pace on an inbounds pass. Want an easy score? Just go wide and run by the CPU for an easy dunk or layup. Defender in front of you running down the middle of the floor? Push by him to the hoop. It's not just an "exploit" when it's something that is impacting gameplay on such a wide scale. Also, exploits are issues in themselves, and they need to fix the defense in this regard.
5. Speed and acceleration breaks - This is also something that was introduced in a big and more constant way with the new motion system, and another issues that impacts results and outcomes.
6. Heavy pass animations -This causes an unrealistic delay when trying to run your offense, and even causes steals that shouldn't happen. Passing has delays not only because of the passing animation being heavy, but also the catching animation being heavy.
7. Roster accuracy - Yes the current teams are in decent shape as far as attributes/tendencies/signatures go, but not the classic teams. A ton of copy and paste jobs were done. Antawn Jamison is David West, Deshawn Stevenson is Sefolosha, Doug West is Joe Johnson, Billy Cunningham is Blake Griffin, Kelly Tripuka is Petrovic, Baron Davis is Lillard, etc. I am not talking about all attributes and tendencies, I am talking about some of those and signatures. Nick Van Exel having Marions free throw, Laettner having McHales signatures, Rider having LeBrons signautes, etc. Many of these guys have the exact same dunks/dribbling assigned as well. It's a clear rush job and an afterthought next to the current teams. personally, I would be embarrassed to release a roster with all of those copy and paste jobs, so it's a bit disappointing. The good thing is: We have the tools to fix a lot or most of it.
8. Defense - We talked about blow-bys, but overall the defense is just not smart in the game, period. Whether you are using current teams or classic teams, they just are not. Transition defense is poor, double teams don't make sense (The entire double team system is a bit of a mess), etc. A lot of exploits on defense, so many that it's impossible to avoid. It's never good when you are spending more time avoiding exploits than playing loose and free.
9. Shooting - The feel is just... not right. Go back and shoot on 2K14 through 2K17, you can feel the proper weight and flow on shots. In 2K20, shots look and feel rushed, and we cannot adjust shot timing anymore like we used to (Quick, normal, late).
10. Face up game - The face up game in the high and low post isn't as complete as it should be, or as controllable. Most times when you face up and try to make a move, you drop the ball or get put in a slow motion animation where you look like you are running in mud trying to get to the hoop.
Overall, I enjoy this game more than 2K19... However, player movement in a BASKETBALL GAME is so important, and foot planting and better body detection (less sucking in, oh and clipping is pretty bad) is a must for the next gen version of 2K's IMO. However as I mentioned on another thread, 2K20 has "good bones", but needs to sharpen up in areas of player movement. Yes, some legacy issues are still present (Like body steals), but they are not gamebreaking. I mean, if they were, 2K would have been out of business awhile ago, afterall they are "legacy issues" that have been in the game for YEARS (Which doesn't make them okay, mind you)
Looking forward to seeing what the produce for the next generation of consoles/PC.
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