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

[pdawg17]

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

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...

[pdawg17]

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

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...

[Eski33]

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....

[NINJAK2]

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

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.

[jmood88]

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

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.

[Rebel10]

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

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.

[smoothtee]

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.

[Tha_Kid]

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

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.

[XuanWu]

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.

[bram73]

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.

[Boilerbuzz]

Re: NBA Elite 11 Demo Available For PS3, Later Today For 360, Post Impressions Here

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.

[Jano]

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

Lol I'm in the minority still but I actually like playing this game. Its pretty fun especially on defense where I've got some cool user controlled blocks. They didn't look great but just for the fact that it was all under my control and I timed the whole thing was great.

I'm also loving that we can choose either hand we want to steal with. Its a cool feeling when you can guess how a player is going to move and strip him, then go to the other for a slam.

On offense I'm still trying to figure out the dribble system when tryin to beat my man. The times I've been able to get past my man are when I had separation and tried to use his momentum against him.

I gotta keep workin on it but I think I'll figure it out eventually. The post game is pretty fun to use if you take the time to learn some of the moves. Overall the shooting is working me I'm loving shots close to the basket like layups, but jumpers are killing me I'm missin everything still lol!

I can't seem to knock down a lot of shots. I'm missing all kinds of way airballed a few shots and bricked many. The hard thing about it is in game shots are a lot harder without the shot indicator. Even though I can see how I missed it I'm still not sure if I'm putting enough power on the shot or not.

I'm going to keep playing around with it b/c I think I'll figure it out. Overall my best bets right now is to play lock down D and post up on the other end with Pau.

Now for the negatives for all the nice things I'm feeling with the controls they are looking terrible on screen LOL! The blocked shots look funky as hell and some of my steals have been a lil WTF!! sometimes.

I'm looking past a lot of it because the control is a lot of fun to use, but I can see how this is going to turn off a lot of guys. Overall the game has been a lot of fun to play but it looks downright ugly a lot of times. Contextual animations are going to need a lot of work next year for sure.

So basically I would say the game is a lot of fun for me to play but it loses a lot of points due to animations. Right now I'm going to give the game 7.0 because it is fun for me to play but the genericness of it isn't good at all.

Back to playing the game for me....

[pdawg17]

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

Lol I'm in the minority still but I actually like playing this game. Its pretty fun especially on defense where I've got some cool user controlled blocks. They didn't look great but just for the fact that it was all under my control and I timed the whole thing was great.

I'm also loving that we can choose either hand we want to steal with. Its a cool feeling when you can guess how a player is going to move and strip him, then go to the other for a slam.

On offense I'm still trying to figure out the dribble system when tryin to beat my man. The times I've been able to get past my man are when I had separation and tried to use his momentum against him.

I gotta keep workin on it but I think I'll figure it out eventually. The post game is pretty fun to use if you take the time to learn some of the moves. Overall the shooting is working me I'm loving shots close to the basket like layups, but jumpers are killing me I'm missin everything still lol!

I can't seem to knock down a lot of shots. I'm missing all kinds of way airballed a few shots and bricked many. The hard thing about it is in game shots are a lot harder without the shot indicator. Even though I can see how I missed it I'm still not sure if I'm putting enough power on the shot or not.

I'm going to keep playing around with it b/c I think I'll figure it out. Overall my best bets right now is to play lock down D and post up on the other end with Pau.

Now for the negatives for all the nice things I'm feeling with the controls they are looking terrible on screen LOL! The blocked shots look funky as hell and some of my steals have been a lil WTF!! sometimes.

I'm looking past a lot of it because the control is a lot of fun to use, but I can see how this is going to turn off a lot of guys. Overall the game has been a lot of fun to play but it looks downright ugly a lot of times. Contextual animations are going to need a lot of work next year for sure.

So basically I would say the game is a lot of fun for me to play but it loses a lot of points due to animations. Right now I'm going to give the game 7.0 because it is fun for me to play but the genericness of it isn't good at all.

Back to playing the game for me....

When posting up do you just do different movements with the R stick or do you need to hold another button at the same time? I'm getting pretty good with the controls but posting up is tough for me...

[fatleg3]

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

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.

all my shots that went in have not been swish

[gameova24]

this game is good...i dont see 1 thing wrong with it and before ppl start goin crazy on me.....its only the first year of this game give it time....if u dont like it go play 2k...thats why we have two games