[beastwork]

ok I haven't owned a basketball game since NBA live 2000 on the PS2 but here is my impression of the demo.


Tutorial -
This was my first attempt at analog stick control in a basketball game. I'm not sure I like it. There is a steep learning curve moving from the traditional button mashing to the stick controls. The tutorial explained some moves but not all of them. the controls menu should have been available in practice mode for noobs like me. I'm not a big fan of the stick controls in any sport games. i don't think that it adds any realism but it is the sexy thing to do now, so be it. The game didn't explain how to gather vs euro gather vs pro hop.

graphics -
the short animations look like a flag waving in the wind. Many of the crowd NPCs had close ups on the sideline and you could tell their bodies were made of straight rectangles. they look really bad up close. the player models have this plastic cartoonish look to them. where is the sweat that next gen consoles are supposed to have. on the upside their faces look much better than they do in the NBA2K demo IMO.

movement -
again I'm a noob so i know a lot of this will take some getting used to, but I never got the sense that I was able to create space with all the crossover, in and out dribble, and behind the back animations. they were simply animations that the defenders didn't bit on. maybe i'm doing something wrong.

physics -
i saw a lot of collisions that reminded me of the piggy back tackles in madden. players would bump in mid air and sort hit a force field. I saw a few players morph through the defender on collisions. I like the removal of the locked in two player animations. you need these in some instances like when you post guys up but I remember playing some other NBA Live games where double teams would pull you into this wild scramble to pass the ball. you couldn't dribble out of it. you were just stuck.

animation-

super quick shot block attempts. looks unrealistic. big men look a little like Shrek lumbering down the court. overall it was fine to me.

shooting -
i played a couple games and only made three shots. I guess I need more practice. when i ran a set play for kobe it was rewarding to catch the ball in the post and nail a fade away jumper, just like he does in real life. Like many other folks have said the shooting mechanic needs to be re envisioned. in practice mode you literally could make every single shot you wanted to and never miss. that's not a simulation of real life. i would love to see if the sweet spot of a shooter actually decreases when he is being pressured or double teamed or shooting over a larger opponent. I doubt that it does so in theory a person could make every single shot he put up. I need proof that good defense effects your ability to make the shot with actually blocking the shot. in practice mode it didn't appear that fade aways and off balance shots were affected in this way