EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

[ehh]

Re: EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

Is there really any reason to be upset about this announcement? It's a freaking name change people!!! Who cares what they name the game?

Because the announcement is about alot more than just a change of names?

[therizing02]

Re: EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

Because the announcement is about alot more than just a change of names?

Fair enough, but I think I clarified my point.

[loadleft]

Re: EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

Is there really any reason to be upset about this announcement? It's a freaking name change people!!! Who cares what they name the game?

Regarding the physics and the new direction of the game, it's about time. The dev team is in the same house as the FIFA and NHL teams. Two of the most successful sports title at EA.

23's claim of the one dev cycle will be spot on. I'm not suspecting big things this year, but that doesn't mean the game will be unplayable and not fun.

FIFA 08 was the first of a three year plan to get the gameplay right. While they added new game play modes, the core focus was to improve the on the field game play. There were no "back of the box" gimmicky features added over the 3 dev cycle.

In the first year of the dev cycle, the player movement and physics were completely overhauled and changed. FIFA 08 was instantly light years better than anything they had ever put out. They stripped a few key things out like tactics, but the new physics model instantly increased the shelf life, playability, and fun factor of the game.

In the second year, the physical play, contact, and jostling for position were completely ripped out and replaced with a new system that was again light years better than before. They added Custom Team Tactics and online team play.

Finally in FIFA 10, the tackling, foul system were retuned for the better, some upgrades to Manager Mode, and retuning and refining other aspects of game play make FIFA 10 the best yet. It's debateable, but I think the slight changes made to FIFA World Cup make that game even better.

NHL probably has a similar time line. I would suspect the same from the NBA Elite title. Just because it seems that they are starting from scratch doesn't mean next year's game will be unplayable. Let's just sit back and be patient.

If that's what all this means: 2 years of incomplete games and finally a complete one in 3, then the news is worst than I imagined! Let's hope this is not how it plays out either.

[Bolt957]

I wont be buying. Im tired of justifying the good that EA has like the dribbling. They haven't had a good overall basketball game since NBA Live 2004, 2005, and 06 and it was decent. This year, instead of buying both, Ill rent "Elite" through GameFly and buying NBA 2K11 from the store. At least their stepping their game up with MJ on the cover. They just need to get all those glitches out and correct faces and its spectacular.

[ehh]

Re: EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

I need to DL a demo of FIFA and see what this stuff is all about.

[therizing02]

Re: EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

I need to DL a demo of FIFA and see what this stuff is all about.

I would recommend it, but you won't get the whole idea of the point without seeing the improvements that have been made over the course of the last three years. Even Madden is using some of the FIFA technology.......FINALLY.

Again, the mission for 3 years was game play only. A few new play modes here and there, but game play has been the focus. IMO, this is what the NBA series needs. Forget all of the BS back of the box features and silly game play modes and fix EVERYTHING on the floor.

As I stated, just because it's a 3 year dev cycle, and BTW, that was just a guess on my part, doesn't mean the game will be unplayable. Will it have controller throwing ridiculous moments? Probably, but most sports games do.

[Jano]

Re: EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

I'm on the other side of the fence here. Frustrations are in the eye of the beholder? I'm assumign you mean just a game that plays well. Me personally I want something revolutionary. I've been playing sports games for a long time and the AI in these games gets very predictable. I like what EA is saying. Whether they do this is another story. One of the major issues i have with Madden and Live is the way players and the physics and AI of the game coexist. It's like a rubberband effect. You move one way the AI reacts a certain way that isn't realisitic. If you've ever played Madden or Live and really look at what the AI is doing it's like a rubberband. Each player doesn't react individually. One of my biggest frustrations with live 10 was how when you would drive the lane you'd see that same hanging in the air animation over and over. You could basically also let the cpu just drive the lane and into traffic and they wouldnt gauge what you were doing. the AI would just chuck up shot after shot in traffic. It was very repetitive.

The reality is these developers are finally getting with the program. This rubberband physics and AI needs to go and needs to be replaced with more indivualized physics and AI. The hardware is there for it. It's been there for it. Most of the AI and physics in these games is the same AI and physics we've seen since generations past.

Im in agreement with you here and frustration is on that person for sure. Some people found 2K10 fun I didn't and while Live 10 had its good moments for the most part it ended up leaving me frustrated.

The new physics and control being implemented in this years game is what's keeping me optimistic. The main thing I've always wanted in a bball game is for it to be a more organic experience much life real life.

Elite 11 has a chance to achieve that imo so i'm definitely going to keep an eye on this one.

[ibe3zy]

Wow how do you take a legendary name like Live, that everyone knows and has fond memories of...and replace it with something corny like Elite....smfh

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

A one year dev cycle is a one year dev cycle, thats all im saying.

...........basically!

[Onpoint17]

Sounds like a lot of technobabble to me.

[Sens4life]

I need to DL a demo of FIFA and see what this stuff is all about.

Yes, yes you do. Either that or this year's World Cup version, they're pretty much the same.

[Sens4life]

Though it had it's problems, Live 10 wasn't, and isn't bad. I personally enjoyed it more so than I enjoyed 2k10.

I completely agree. Other than asinine moves like the CPU passing to a defender who is out of bounds, and shooting from behind the backboard, I love NBA Live 10. It feels so much better than 2K10. NBA 2K10 has some of the best presentation of any video game I have ever played though.

[BrianFifaFan]

Re: EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

Two words, David Littman. That dude has worked wonders with the NHL franchise. I was really worried about the game going "arcade." There is no one in all of of EA Sports that believes in sim more than Littman. Hopefully they can do the controls without having to totally rip the game apart. I really felt the game had real promise last year. I'm kinda excited agian. We'll see....

[ehh]

Re: EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

Two words, David Littman. That dude has worked wonders with the NHL franchise. I was really worried about the game going "arcade." There is no one in all of of EA Sports that believes in sim more than Littman. Hopefully they can do the controls without having to totally rip the game apart. I really felt the game had real promise last year. I'm kinda excited agian. We'll see....

But he's not a basketball guy! /sarcasm.

[ScoobySnax]

Re: EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

I wont be buying. Im tired of justifying the good that EA has like the dribbling. They haven't had a good overall basketball game since NBA Live 2004, 2005, and 06 and it was decent. This year, instead of buying both, Ill rent "Elite" through GameFly and buying NBA 2K11 from the store. At least their stepping their game up with MJ on the cover. They just need to get all those glitches out and correct faces and its spectacular.

MJ on the cover won't make the game better. They gotta fix those extra clunky controls first. This isn't about the other game though.

I'm liking the new direction of Elite 11. Hopefully, we'll see some kind of trailer at E3 (I doubt we'll see any meaningful gameplay vids). Gameplay starts with the controls. If you get that right, you have a chance to get my $60.