How EA Sports Can Save Its Basketball Brand, Part 1: Features & Part 2: Gameplay

[Steve_OS]

UTC has posted two separate articles on how EA Sports can save its basketball brand. Part 1 talks about features and part 2 is all about gameplay.

Footwork is of utmost importance when it comes to basketball. It is often the difference in separating good players from great players. Derrick Rose is so successful because of it – how he plants on a dime, uses a quick first step to explode to the basket or use hesitation and quick jabs. Footwork also directly impacts how great a defender is. Great defenders use their superior footwork to stay ahead of great offensive players and poor defenders can be taken advantage of if they’re flat-footed.

If we can learn from FIFA, and use footwork as a main component of the game, we could separate the true superstars from the average players and it would be awesome to also see realistic footwork ratings that worked to differentiate players from each other.

There are plenty of good ideas in the two articles, make sure you add some of yours.

[ERA]

Releasing the game would help a lot.

[Gramps91]

Wow, looks like it's mostly online stuff and to be honest I couldn't care less about any online crap. I'm an offline player (although I do like 2k's VC idea when it works correctly). Also, what do you mean take away the arcade from NBA Street, that was what was great about that series. NBA Street was great the way it was, they do need to bring it back but the take the arcade away from that series would be a huge mistake. It'd be like buying the blacktop mode of 2k with nothing else at all to go along with it.

Personally I want to see a CBB game from somebody.

[Streaky McFloorburn]

Re: How EA Sports Can Save Its Basketball Brand, Part 1: Features & Part 2: Gameplay

Wow, looks like it's mostly online stuff and to be honest I couldn't care less about any online crap. I'm an offline player (although I do like 2k's VC idea when it works correctly). Also, what do you mean take away the arcade from NBA Street, that was what was great about that series. NBA Street was great the way it was, they do need to bring it back but the take the arcade away from that series would be a huge mistake. It'd be like buying the blacktop mode of 2k with nothing else at all to go along with it.

Personally I want to see a CBB game from somebody.

Didn't read part 2? It was all about gameplay.

[Gramps91]

Wow, looks like it's mostly online stuff and to be honest I couldn't care less about any online crap. I'm an offline player (although I do like 2k's VC idea when it works correctly). Also, what do you mean take away the arcade from NBA Street, that was what was great about that series. NBA Street was great the way it was, they do need to bring it back but the take the arcade away from that series would be a huge mistake. It'd be like buying the blacktop mode of 2k with nothing else at all to go along with it.

Personally I want to see a CBB game from somebody.

yea didn't really read part 2 at first but did just now and think that these are some good ideas.

The features portion to me is going to be always dominated by 2k (at least in my mind) until EA can come up with some better offline play.

[KingArthur]

Wow, looks like it's mostly online stuff and to be honest I couldn't care less about any online crap. I'm an offline player (although I do like 2k's VC idea when it works correctly). Also, what do you mean take away the arcade from NBA Street, that was what was great about that series. NBA Street was great the way it was, they do need to bring it back but the take the arcade away from that series would be a huge mistake. It'd be like buying the blacktop mode of 2k with nothing else at all to go along with it.

Personally I want to see a CBB game from somebody.

If EA again bring back to NBA Street series that unrealistically moves and dunks like in Nba Street Homecourt this would be a HUGEST mistake. Leave this arcade style for tablets and kids.
Why it is so needed? Just go to youtube and look to all this AND1 and streetball crazy stuff. Is not that enough? We need authentic streetball game!

[Gramps91]

If EA again bring back to NBA Street series that unrealistically moves and dunks like in Nba Street Homecourt this would be a HUGEST mistake. Leave this arcade style for tablets and kids.
Why it is so needed? Just go to youtube and look to all this AND1 and streetball crazy stuff. Is not that enough? We need authentic streetball game!

But the NBA Street series was amazing the way it was. Classic stuff. I don't know if re-releasing it would bring it back but I think it would help. I just don't see that many people interested in a straight up street ball game when 2k already has a blacktop mode. There were AND1 basketball games (Street Hoops and AND1 Basketball) made by Activision some time ago. I imagine EA could probably do better but I honestly think EA would do better by re-releasing NBA Street games.

Once again, as far as realism 2k has that taken and had for a long time I don't think EA is capable of making a better realistic game than 2k.

However, any b-ball game would garner my attention anyways.

[Storm12]

Re: How EA Sports Can Save Its Basketball Brand, Part 1: Features & Part 2: Gameplay

I hope if they do remake nba street they don't make it like homecourt. That game had too many things going on in it (The weird defense, the super monster dunks worth three points), the first three games in the series were enough. I personally would not get a game that was like homecourt.

[Gramps91]

I hope if they do remake nba street they don't make it like homecourt. That game had too many things going on in it (The weird defense, the super monster dunks worth three points), the first three games in the series were enough. I personally would not get a game that was like homecourt.

I actually never played Homecourt but the first 3 in the series were great. Especially Vol.2

[CoreySA]

Hey guys. I'm the one that wrote these articles. Good points here .I do enjoy the arcade-type Street games but I just think at this point I'd like to see something different and see the history of real street ball explored. It's never been done authentically and it could be a way to interest a different market.

I miss the NCAA titles too, but unfortunately I just don't think they sold enough. I do think they'd be better to release it in March though when the vast majority of sports fans care about NCAA ball.

[youvalss]

Re: How EA Sports Can Save Its Basketball Brand, Part 1: Features & Part 2: Gameplay

Corey, good to see some gameplay article, and good points there!

If you ever go there (again?), please let them know that no addition/feature/tweak worth it if the base doesn't exist. And from what I saw about Elite 11 and Live 13, the base wasn't there, not even close. As if they went 10 years back in time.
the movement alone pretty much destroyed the game before it even got to talking about basketball.

And to me, no Street game, nor sim...nothing would even have a chance if the foundation is absent.

Let's hope they have a SOLID BASE this time around, because that's all that matters, at least to me, at this point.

[Jakeness23]

To be completely honest, when I first saw the pics for NBA Live 12 or w/e it was, like the LeBron pic above, I thought that visually, it looked better than 2K. The jerseys are tight, no black space in between the jersey and skin, and they actually look like fabric. The skin and skin tone looks great, the tats are right on. I love the art for this game. If they fix the gameplay, and get away from the cartoony animations and such, I'll be first in line to get it.

[Jakeness23]

NBA Live 13* not 12... my bad.

[vtcrb]

Re: How EA Sports Can Save Its Basketball Brand, Part 1: Features & Part 2: Gameplay

Hey guys. I'm the one that wrote these articles. Good points here .I do enjoy the arcade-type Street games but I just think at this point I'd like to see something different and see the history of real street ball explored. It's never been done authentically and it could be a way to interest a different market.

I miss the NCAA titles too, but unfortunately I just don't think they sold enough. I do think they'd be better to release it in March though when the vast majority of sports fans care about NCAA ball.

An NCAA game, I believe now would Sell a TON now. I make Draft Classes for NBA 2k series and I have had OVER 40,000 DLs for one of mine this year, and may other Versions OVER 10,000 DLs each and there are a TON more Draft Class Makers who get the Same type of DLs. My point being people want to bring College Players into the NBA. So making a College Game, so they could Import the Draft Classes would make the College Game More Appealing to the Casual College Fan who mainly plays NBA games. They would buy College Game JUST to be able to import Draft Classes. Then you would have the TRUE College Basketball fans who would buy as well. There is still followings for NCAA 10 and CH2K8 games.

Now IF EA wants to save their Basketball Series, make the Splash and MAKE a COMPLETE Series with College and NBA. I used to be a HUGE NBA Live fan, then they began to Slip and 2k emerged. Now 2k has become Complacent and EA has the Opportunity and the Financial Backing to MAKE IT HAPPEN.

[Sportzfan0290]

Re: How EA Sports Can Save Its Basketball Brand, Part 1: Features & Part 2: Gameplay

One thing EA could do to save and maybe even make EA Basketball Elite. Do instead of NBA Elite or NBA Live call it FIBA. If FIFA who is owned and ran by EA can get all leagues licenses, (Most players), world cup editions (with countries whose players aren't even themselves) in the game, then why not EA come out with a FIBA game. Imagine being able to switch from instead of doing the same NBA teams and players to doing a worldwide season in which you could choose teams from either doing a season in the NBA as well as Turkey/Russia/Spain/Greece just to give an example. You could also implement a myplayer career and bring him up from when he's 19 and play in lower divisions in some of European leagues and get him to the ultimate goal of the NBA. I remember mentioning to one of my friends years ago what if they had a basketball champions league he said that would be amazing. I'm just saying EA has the licenses, could get the likeness of the leagues, arenas, and such. So why don't EA just come out with a FIBA game. "We can all dream can't we". One day this will happen I hope. If FIFA can put in every country in the World Cup why can't we have a global basketball video game?