NBA Elite 11 Q&A (Gamespot)

[Tha_Kid]

GameSpot editors Shaun McInnis and Giancarlo Varanini have posted some answers to some NBA Elite 11 questions provided by their readers.

Gamespot reader: "So how are things on the defensive of the ball? Playing defense in live was way too frustrating which automatically brings up a next question. How responsive are the controls? And does the new physics system actually make the game play better than live?"

Shaun: "I'd say the control changes make things more fun on the defensive side of the ball. You're able to do things like hold either arm out to the side to block passing lanes, poke at the ball to force a steal, and stick your arms straight up to block the basket. It's not quite as skill-based as the offensive controls, but it does make defense feel like a more active experience. My main issue with defense is that teammate AI can be rather inconsistent. A number of times, teammates near the rim refused to go up for the defensive rebound, letting the ball bounce lazily into the hands of the offense for another shot attempt.

Giancarlo: Aside from what Shaun just said about rebounding AI on defense, I feel like the defensive AI on the whole is pretty good and really forces you to sharpen your offensive game. Lazy passes are frequently picked off, and it's not that easy to drive through the paint unless you're controlling some superstar player--but even then, it's a challenge. I'll be interested to see how consistent that is throughout the whole game and not just when you're playing against skilled teams."

[Tha_Kid]

Re: NBA Elite Q&A (Gamespot)

Not much new in this. I thought the most interesting answer was about the difficulty of driving through the lane in 5v5, something that people have surmised might be too easy:

RealHarry asks: We saw them demo the stick control at E3, but that was just controlling one guy. How is the team gameplay? Is there anything to emulate the team nature of the sport? Or is it just solo tricks and simple pass and shoot?

Shaun says: You start the game going through a series of one-on-one tutorials designed to ease you into the experience of controlling your guy with the analog sticks. Once you graduate from there, it's a little jarring going into a full five-on-five game. Trying to drive into a crowded lane--even with a tank like LeBron James--is genuinely challenging even after you master the controls. So that's one element of team controls: you really need to adapt your fancy dribbling to crowds, because you can and will lose control of the ball if you try to do too much. Beyond that, you can still pass the ball with the right trigger, call for screens, and use the directional pad to call plays and adjust formations on the fly.

Disappointing to hear about the defensive teammate AI, DNA updates fix all jersey numbers at the beginning of the season.

Still interested in the demo for this game, even if it will be an alternative instead of an option.

[Jano]

Re: NBA Elite Q&A (Gamespot)

That little bit about driving the lane was interesting nice to see that it won't be easy to get in there. The defensive AI was a worry but we'll see how it turns out once we get to play the demo ourselves.

[neegotiator]

Re: NBA Elite Q&A (Gamespot)

ugh, guys on defense not going for rebounds was one of the things last year that really made me want to throw my controller at the tv. was hoping that would've been fixed

[Jano]

Re: NBA Elite Q&A (Gamespot)

Rebounding was one of the things I remember having hard time getting down when I was playing. The timing you needed for it was not very forgiving when I played it.

I missed 2 or 3 boards because I jumped to early or because the guy would jump straight up instead of just towards the ball. It reminded me a lot of 2K10 last year where you actually have to wait for the board to get close to you before you start jumping for it.

The ball suction made grabbing boards a little easier so I'm sure there's going to be an learning curve to it.

[coolcras7]

Re: NBA Elite Q&A (Gamespot)

That little bit about driving the lane was interesting nice to see that it won't be easy to get in there. The defensive AI was a worry but we'll see how it turns out once we get to play the demo ourselves.

Dude it's a Q&A not a review of course the developers are going to say positive things, in none of the videos was it hard to drive to the hole.

[Jano]

Re: NBA Elite Q&A (Gamespot)

That wasn't the devs in the interview the questions were being answered by Gamespot editors. I can't imagine the devs talking about their game in the way these guys were doing it anyway Lol

[coolcras7]

Re: NBA Elite Q&A (Gamespot)

That wasn't the devs in the interview the questions were being answered by Gamespot editors. I can't imagine the devs talking about their game in the way these guys were doing it anyway Lol

you are right pie on my face.

[Court_vision]

Re: NBA Elite Q&A (Gamespot)

Sounds like the same old story exactly as Will said in his post...."year one of a three year plan".....yet again. That's the queastion, do we keep paying $60 for a game that's two years away (yet again) from being good? I won't be doing that (yet again).

QUOTE: So on the whole, I think the control system makes the game more entertaining, but Elite 11 still feels very much like a first attempt at a transformation that will likely take a couple of iterations to come into its own.

[cdiddy71323]

All you have to do is watch the videos and see how awful this game looks. It's tough to drive to the lane? I've yet to see anyone move off their guy to stop a drive in any of the videos. If you get past your guy it's an easy dunk or layup.

Also, I think it's dumb to keep saying the "three year plan." So they expect us to waste $120 on the first two years (if there even are two years) for a far less than 100% game. It's like paying $60 for a glorified demo. Thanks but no thanks

[bmgoff11]

there were plenty of times when the videos showed help defense open ur eyes

[magicman32]

Re: NBA Elite 11 Q&A (Gamespot)

there were plenty of times when the videos showed help defense open ur eyes

I didn't see a lot of help defense in the videos. I saw a lot of dunks. There were quite a few in the Magic vs heat video (hum vs hum). And quite a bit in the OKC vs Detroit (hum vs cpu). The pick and roll looks to be a easy way to get dunks/PIP. Also in the Magic vs heat video, the heat player was just playing one on one and able to get to the basket and dunk fairly easy. The defender was bouncing off of Wade like a rag doll once he got in the air.

From the videos, I'm questioning the physicality, player tendencies, and the RTP.

[TreyIM2]

I like the read about the controls and defense being a challenge as well as fun but that rebound ish is another hang over from previous iterations, I don't think it was so prevalent in last year's, though...maybe...

[RayDog253]

Re: NBA Elite 11 Q&A (Gamespot)

I hope it isn't harder to call plays this year. With it being on the D-pad.

[RxB]

i hope the controls really are that responsive unlike Live 10 where a lot of times i could not control where my players go due to the suction animations. If it's still fun to play and online runs without a glitch then Elite may still be the game for me. also be able to select my own plays and use it online, Live 10 only allows you to select different plays if you're the home team. If your the away team you're stucked with the default assigned plays and no matter how you change it in the playcalling menu it won't come up, dumb glitch.