NBA Live 15 and First In-Game Update Available Today, Post Your Impressions

[SageInfinite]

Played the demo a few times last night, and I'll say I do like the game, but it is NOT a good game imo.

The lighting and crowd/arena atmosphere/sound is amazing. Everything else is mediocre to poor. It really is the NBA version of Madden.

I'd pick it up for 25-30 bucks, but not for full price. If they keep building it might be a good game someday, but right now, nah......

[Rockie_Fresh88]

Any major differences in patch vs demo build?

With me picking up AW next week I'm having a tough time justifying the 60$ but I do want this game

[ucfberman]

Quote: Originally Posted by The 24th Letter

How do you get the "popper" on the pick and pop to pop inside of the 3 poor line?

Move the ball handler farther away from the screen. Imagine there's a box around the pick interaction, once you move the ball handler outside the 'box' you'll see the icon switch to 'Pop'

[The 24th Letter]

I feel like Live's spacing is a bit overrated.



It looks great in screen shots, but I personally never feel like I have as much space as what I'm looking at.



I think what contributes to this is jerky movement by your off ball team mates, the wing defenders not collapsing frequently enough, and your on ball defender being glued to you...even when he's beat. I think crisper passing would help as well.

Quote: Originally Posted by ucfberman

Move the ball handler farther away from the screen. Imagine there's a box around the pick interaction, once you move the ball handler outside the 'box' you'll see the icon switch to 'Pop'

Thanks...I actually know how to execute it, but when I P&P with a guy like D. West I want him to pop to the midrange area instead of the 3 point line....

[Rockie_Fresh88]

Colors really need more pop they look bland. I thought it was just YouTube .

[DBMcGee3]

I got in about 3 games with the demo last night, and for the most part enjoyed myself:

Pros:

-Player models look great, significantly more realistic than those in 2k

-The weight and pace of the game feels good to me, it seems like gravity is more a factor and I wasn't seeing lots of sliding.

-I love the dribbling in Live, and always have. It feels faster and more responsive, even though I'm not a fan of the Broadcast camera. It's great that they brought back the sizeup, and I liked the signature dribbles as well, although I only had a small sample size.

Cons:

-The collision animations are still clunky and stiff when driving the lane. Nowhere near the smooth feeling of 2k when you drive to the rim and take some contact. I was expecting good things since the collisions in FIFA are so good, but Live isn't there yet. I saw the same animations repeatedly, which gets old after a few games.

-The passing is a bit stiff too, they need more animations, and although I found the contextual passing to be adequate, it would be nice to have more control over the types of passes made.

-Sometimes I felt like my ball handler wasn't facing up with the basket while performing dribble moves, which looked and felt a bit awkward to me.

-Too many shots going in, period. Kyrie Irving was 13-15 against me, and the bulk of those were fairly well contested shots. A few of them were WTF moments.

-Pick and Rolls weren't too great, or maybe I just don't understand the system yet. Apparently the action of the screen setter is contextual, and I never really felt sure of what he was going to do until the icon would change suddenly. Jury's still out on this one.

-I'm not sold on the player tendencies based on the demo. LeBron was unbelievably passive in all 3 games. Guarding him never felt difficult, or any different than guarding anyone else.

Overall, I really had fun, but until I try the full version with the patch, I can't really commit to this game. I've heard people say the patch is a huge difference, but I'm skeptical about how much they could possibly clean up, in the animations department especially. Anyone have any links to some gameplay post-patch?

Thanks guys

[blackceasar]

First off I'm by no means a 2k fanboy. I AM however of sports games that get me closest to the EXPERIENCE of a real life broadcast of that sport (or what it would be like for me to be IN that sport), if that makes sense. With that said, here's what I think about Live 15 RETAIL 59.99 version...

GRAPHICS - -------
It looks WAY better than last year. Last year's models looked like something I would have done with a bootleg cheap 3D program and a 3D Modeling & Texturing for Dummies book. I will *gasp* even go as far as saying that some of the players faces look better than 2k this year. Yup, I said it. SOME... look BETTER... than 2K this year. I think the areans (at least the floors) look better than 2k this year as well. There is a sharp and crispness to some of Lives graphics that 2k has never really dialed up. Live had not dailed it up for a long time either but back in Live 10, the game had a super detailed crispness to it that 2k10 didnt have.. BUT 2k10 played better.

ANIMATION - ------------
Better than last year but I still think its still not close enough to justifying the full 59.99 price tag. Players seem to not have much weight to them. I think some animations are OK, some are not that great. I feel like EA is still in the practice of cutting corners and being lazy and hoping we don't catch it. I feel like there's like maybe 3 sets of animations and they were randomly applied to players in the game. Big men while moving sower, still play like a PG does in the game.. they just move slower, but animate pretty much the same way. While there IS some contact when you go into the lane, you dont really get that feeling of collision and disruptoin while in the paint. I dont think jump shots look right either. Again, it seems there's a couple of generic animations that 99% of the players got....and that generic animation should have been a lot better. When I sink a 3 I want to feel like I really sank a 3... its hard to explain but Live just doesnt make me feel that way.

SOUND------
Okay, this is one place EA should really look at not only 2k's basketball game but also look at MLB The Show, and even EA's NHL and FIFA franchises. It's better but nowhere near what gamers have been used to with other sports titles, even in last gen's games. My advice to EA sports is this. Dont worry so much about WHO you get to do the commentary. What I mean is, I think we could care less wether its Van Gundy or whoever. Just find some people that will FULLY commit to getting in the studio for as long as it takes to deliver that immersive play by play and dynmaic audio that everyone else in every other sports title seems to be lightyears ahead of Live. IF you cant cant some real celebs to fully commit to that vision then just hire some really good actors. At the end of the day its about the quality of the play by play audio and NOT WHO the play by play is coming from. Sounds on the court seem sparse. Its better but still not that great. You can barely hear the ball hit the backboard when someone throws up a brick, or hear the impact of someone dunking hard on the rim. The NBA over the past 10 years or so now have set up microphones right up on the backboards to give viewers this audio... there's no reason why Live shouldnt have it as well. It takes the immersion out of the game.

PRESENTATION-------
Some of this was covered with the audio. I feel like in some instances they took a step back. WHERE THE HELL IS THE HALFTIME SHOW????? I want some kind of story at the half. Who's doing well, who's not. Who's hot? Who's willing their team to a victory? Who's killing it on the boards? What is up with this vomiting of a single stat and score sheet up on the screen for a few seconds until I press a button (then Im back in the game)??? Where the heck did last year's halftime show go?????? NO EXCUSE.

I actually like SOME of Live's cameras but I think they need to stop being lazy and really look at the little things that have a HUGE impact on immersion. Why doesnt the camera dynmaically give us a little bit of a zoom into the paint when the ball is kicked in there? Why do I feel like when my center or PF has the ball 5 feet from the rim I'm still watching them from waaaaaaay --------> over there.?? You could have at least added a zoom in the paint toggle for your camera selection menu.

I think replays need work as well. While I do REALLY like the fact that i can trigger a replay at my will, i feel like part of it is again laziness on EA's part to really do the programming leg work and logic to internally determine when to fire off a replay on its own. I know the option is in there, but Ive seen it happen maybe once in a game with 12 minute quarters on. Also get off your rear end's and get smarter with your cameras for replays. Some of these cameras you choose for replays make no sense. Kobe shakes Harded and drains a three, but Im watching the replay like im 20 sets up behind the backboard and I dont even see Kobe at all... this needs seriosus work.

In the sense of presentation Live 59.99 retail feels like a demo that just happens to have all the teams unlocked.

CONCLUSION-----------

Is Live 15 better than 14? Sure it is.. then again 14 might be the worst debut of a sports title on a new system.. EVER so it's like breaking up with a 300lb toothless woman with to go out with a 250 lb woman who's got some teeth now (or dentures at least). I'm one of the people that are hard on EA year in and year out and its because I want a better basketball game.. PERIOD.. better than their previous efforts and better than what 2k is doing (which I feel is heading down the path of being the new Madden of old - year in and out complacency because they have been on top for so long). I'm also hard on this title because I expect more for 60.00.. and I'm honest about it... I'm not on here hoping EA Sports offers me a gig. I hoping they give me the Basketball game I think they COULD produce.

My advice - Look at 2k.. and STEAL from them. Look into the 2k Forums and read what people say and understand why they have been stomping a mudhole in you every year since almost Dreamcast days. But ALSO look in the 2k Forums and see what are serious pain points players of 2k have... and there are quite a bit. Steal the good from 2k sports, leave the bad and with a little more effort on your part you will take the crown back. Also look at your other franchises that get audio right, look at MLB the show as well. You guys have more money and resources than 2k Sports and the MLB the Show teams probably have combined. There's nothing stopping you from takin the NBA crown but yourselves...

oooh and one more thing... when your head guy says in interviews that Live 15 is better than 14 but its more of a 2-3 year process to give us the game we really want, then dont ask us to pay full price until you get there. I understand you have investors and suits to cater to but without us, the fans you have no revenue from your title at all.

Youve actually outdone 2k in some areas this year, but don't get a big head. Its not that you guys are now "totally awesome".. you've gotten a little better, and 2k has gotten a little worse. Its like a UFC match and you are now both on the ground, they still have top positoin on you but there's a small window there for you to pull a reversal, put 2k in a rear naked choke and make them tap out.. the question is do you really want it that bad?

Final Score... 6.75/10 (last year was a 3.75/10 for me).

[LingeringRegime]

When is the deal with the lack of halftime and post game shows? I saw them in some gameplay videos but they are absent in the retail version.


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