NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

[RealmK]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

Thorne and clement pretty much nailed it first time i thought. If 2k5 was the first time that is.

It wasn't Clement's first time. He had done color for EA's game (98) before. I'm pretty sure thats the first time Thorne had done it though. Then again I don't know if that old ESPN Hockey Night game had them as commentators since I never played it.

[Scottdau]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

It wasn't Clement's first time. He had done color for EA's game (98) before. I'm pretty sure thats the first time Thorne had done it though. Then again I don't know if that old ESPN Hockey Night game had them as commentators since I never played it.

How was he in 98? I love that guy when he did Hockey. He has the best voice. He does good in baseball too, but in Hockey he was the man in my opinion.

[davep]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

Not bad....but it just seems too twitchy to me for some reason. And the announcing was a little underwhelming, I guess I was hoping for a bit more this year.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but EA is going to get my money this year and I have a feeling I'll be very happy with it.

[RealmK]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

How was he in 98? I love that guy when he did Hockey. He has the best voice. He does good in baseball too, but in Hockey he was the man in my opinion.

Bill Clement was the color comentator along side Jim Hughson doing the play by play. He only did it for one year. I thought it was NHL98, It may have been later 99 or 2000 not sure. Gary Thorne is the current play by play guy in EA and MLB2k. I agree though Thorne just has a voice for broadcasting. Hell I even like him better than Jack Edwards which says alot considering my Bruins homerism though I have to say that Edwardsisms Bingo drinking game is pure gold.

[Flyermania]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

It is not the fact that they have not done commentary in real games before.. It is the reading of lines that get you. When they do it for real they don't read a script, they Ad-Lib. So yes it does make a difference. Thorne and Clement have had a lot of experience in reading lines, so they are more comfortable doing it. Randy and Drew have done it twice now. I think they will be better this year, but I don't think it will be much better. Try acting. It is actually a lot harder than it looks. Reading lines and trying to make it looks like you aren't is not easy. And yes I was in big play productions as a kid and a teen in San Francisco. And it is not easy.

But they are reading lines about hockey...a sport that they watch and one that generates their income 82 times a year. I was in theatre through my first two years of college...it's really not that difficult of you have an ounce of talent.

[DaveDQ]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

I'm not crazy about the puck physics, especially when the puck is on the stick. It looks too "stuck" to the stick, especially on breaks to the net. It looks like a cursor instead of a puck.

[BigH2k6]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

But they are reading lines about hockey...a sport that they watch and one that generates their income 82 times a year. I was in theatre through my first two years of college...it's really not that difficult of you have an ounce of talent.

Flyer, I think what the point Scott is trying to make is that these lines are imposed on them and not necessarily lines that they would say in their normal TV broadcasts.

Maybe it is because I don't understand how commentary is added to a videogame, but would it not give better results if the recordings were done with a demo of the game and the commentators describing what is happening in the actual game? I think that this would make the best commentary for the specific game. Maybe what they should do for 2k11 is to get them in early to ad-lib a 2k10 game and then have them come again later in development to record new things that the devs would have added. I think it would sound less canned that way.

And have both of them ad-lib a game together at the same time. I know for the time Bob Cole and Harry Neal did the commentary for 2k6, 7 and 8, they had them come to the studio seperately to record lines. That results in no chemistry between the 2 commentators

[RealmK]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

Flyer, I think what the point Scott is trying to make is that these lines are imposed on them and not necessarily lines that they would say in their normal TV broadcasts.

Maybe it is because I don't understand how commentary is added to a videogame, but would it not give better results if the recordings were done with a demo of the game and the commentators describing what is happening in the actual game? I think that this would make the best commentary for the specific game. Maybe what they should do for 2k11 is to get them in early to ad-lib a 2k10 game and then have them come again later in development to record new things that the devs would have added. I think it would sound less canned that way.

And have both of them ad-lib a game together at the same time. I know for the time Bob Cole and Harry Neal did the commentary for 2k6, 7 and 8, they had them come to the studio seperately to record lines. That results in no chemistry between the 2 commentators

I think a huge difference is EA's script just sounds far more authentic to begin with while 2k's aside from pretty much being 5 years old to begin with has a ton of corny lines that you just wouldnt hear during a real NHL broadcast.

[BigH2k6]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

I think a huge difference is EA's script just sounds far more authentic to begin with while 2k's aside from pretty much being 5 years old to begin with has a ton of corny lines that you just wouldnt hear during a real NHL broadcast.

Agreed. I am just wondering if EA had Thorne and Clement in the studio at the same time??

[RealmK]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

Agreed. I am just wondering if EA had Thorne and Clement in the studio at the same time??

While I don't know for certain I would imagine so. They flow and play off each other so well I can't see that being possible without being there at the same time. Either that or EA has some really talented audio engineers.

[slickdtc]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

The commentary thing baffles me because we know NHL 2k can do better. Everyone points to NHL 2k5 as not only the best commentary in this series, but possibly in any sports video game. Personally, I feel like MLB 09: The Show does the best job, especially with the play by play and seamless lines where they add in that variable (when they have to say a player's name, it doesn't sound robotic even though it's just added in depending on who the player is).

But we also know Visual Concepts can do a great job with commentary. I have to look no further then ESPN NFL 2k5 to show this. Though that commentary can be repetitive, it always sounded great. I don't get why NHL 2k can't get this right.

[baa7]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

But we also know Visual Concepts can do a great job with commentary. I have to look no further then ESPN NFL 2k5 to show this. Though that commentary can be repetitive, it always sounded great. I don't get why NHL 2k can't get this right.

Good points. No doubt 2K made a monetary commitment to Hahn and Remenda before they had any idea how inept they'd be. Which is a head-scratcher given they invested three years in Cole and Neale, so they already knew some TV personalities simply don't have the talent for this sort of thing. You'd think they'd do extensive sound tests before committing to a particular announcing team. And given how much time/money they've invested in these new guys, there's probably no way they're going to dump them now. We're no doubt stuck with them for the next few years, in the same way VC's development team is stuck.

[baa7]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

Either that or EA has some really talented audio engineers.

The pbp programming/engineering in EA's game is much better, for sure. But IMO it has as much to do with both the writing -- which you've pointed out -- as well as the directing. I worked in stage direction and sound design for years, and it takes a take-charge type of person with the talent and know-how to coax the best performance out of people. I listen to Thorne and Clement and I hear the people behind the scenes who put together an intelligent script, and who helped those two maximize their performance. I listen to the 2K announcers and I hear a talentless group of writers, and a sound director who obviously didn't have the balls to say, "That wasn't good; that didn't work; we need to get some excitement and flow to the dialogue."

[RealmK]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

The pbp programming/engineering in EA's game is much better, for sure. But IMO it has as much to do with both the writing -- which you've pointed out -- as well as the directing. I worked in stage direction and sound design for years, and it takes a take-charge type of person with the talent and know-how to coax the best performance out of people. I listen to Thorne and Clement and I hear the people behind the scenes who put together an intelligent script, and who helped those two maximize their performance. I listen to the 2K announcers and I hear a talentless group of writers, and a sound director who obviously didn't have the balls to say, "That wasn't good; that didn't work; we need to get some excitement and flow to the dialogue."

Agreed and its a shame, because VC is capable of better. Their NBA commentary is solid and for the most part fairly realistic. I wish they'd get a script writer with a clue (make the writers actually watch a few hockey games with talented commentators) Or at the very least man up when these guys are recording and get the best performance they can out of them considering they obviously don't do it for free. I know play by play is such a small thing to most people out there, but to me its always been a huge huge aspect of the presentation.

[baa7]

Re: NHL 2K10 Gameplay Videos (IGN)

I know play by play is such a small thing to most people out there, but to me its always been a huge huge aspect of the presentation.

I play golf games without the commentary because I prefer birds chirping anyway. But I don't play baseball, soccer, football or hockey without the commentary. For me, it's part of the gaming experience. I find it hard to get into these team sport games unless the overall atmosphere --the commentary, crowd and on-ice/on-field sounds -- are all solid.