NBA 2K15 Initial Impressions (Roundtable)

[jyoung]

Re: NBA 2K15 Initial Impressions (Roundtable)

Has anyone tried out MyPlayer/MyCareer?

Is it better? Do point guards still get thrown into Center or other weird positions for entire games?

Are you still left out there to play 48 straight minutes?

It may sound silly but this is one of the key things my purchase decision hinges on.

I got about 20 games into My Career before my face scan got lost in the server crash.

I'm playing a point guard on the Bucks, and the only other position I've been subbed-in at thus far is shooting guard.

My minutes have steadily risen in accord with my in-game performance. I started out getting only 5 or 6 minutes a game. Now I'm up to 20 minutes a game.

[Bearsfan1]

Re: NBA 2K15 Initial Impressions (Roundtable)

I like some of the new layups. Made a really cool DRose-like move where he contorted his body underneath the basket and almost finished the circus shot as he got fouled.

I only got to play two quick games, so I haven't gotten that deep into it. The movement this year feels so slow. I don't feel like there is any quickness to players at all.

I also think there really should be a "splitting the defense" off a PnR that all the good PG's do from time to time. It really takes away from the game IMO because PnR's are so important in the NBA game.

I've mentioned this a thousand times already, but the passing needs a major overhaul. Fastbreaks are a nightmare to pass through without either getting tipped,stolen, or throwing to a weird spot on the floor because it's very difficult to lead a guy in the right direction.

[jyoung]

Re: NBA 2K15 Initial Impressions (Roundtable)

I also think there really should be a "splitting the defense" off a PnR that all the good PG's do from time to time. It really takes away from the game IMO because PnR's are so important in the NBA game.

I actually managed to split a trap with Tony Parker during the demo game against the Heat, but it wasn't with a special dribble move, it was just by pressing the left joystick and maybe turbo as well?

I haven't been able to reproduce that feat yet. I hope I can find a way to pull it off with more regularity.

I wish there was a dribble move where you could push the ball out in front of you into space and then go chase it. That is my favorite way of getting through a double team in real life.

I will try using the euro step and hop step tomorrow to see if those moves can get through a double team the way that Manu Ginóbili does it.

[Bobhead]

Re: NBA 2K15 Initial Impressions (Roundtable)

I got about 20 games into My Career before my face scan got lost in the server crash.

I'm playing a point guard on the Bucks, and the only other position I've been subbed-in at thus far is shooting guard.

My minutes have steadily risen in accord with my in-game performance. I started out getting only 5 or 6 minutes a game. Now I'm up to 20 minutes a game.

Thank you for the response! And just to make sure, this is offline MyCareer that you were playing, right? Against the CPU and such?

Because in another thread some guy said offline MyCareer was scrapped... but he didn't seem sure.

[jyoung]

Re: NBA 2K15 Initial Impressions (Roundtable)

Thank you for the response! And just to make sure, this is offline MyCareer that you were playing, right? Against the CPU and such?

Because in another thread some guy said offline MyCareer was scrapped... but he didn't seem sure.

My Career can be played offline against the CPU, but it seems to reset your created player's name and appearance whenever the servers are down.

I also had issues today with purchasing attribute upgrades, because those require a server connection, too.

[Bobhead]

Re: NBA 2K15 Initial Impressions (Roundtable)

My Career can be played offline against the CPU, but it seems to reset your created player's name and appearance whenever the servers are down.

I also had issues today with purchasing attribute upgrades, because those require a server connection, too.

That's fine... If I understand you correctly, the latter part is how it worked in recent years also, where it syncs with the servers whenever you buy or use the VC points. I don't mind that, I just didn't want to be forced to play the games online against other people within the mode, or be required to stay online 24/7.

I wasn't at all considering buying this game. My top 3 complaints were the dysfunctional MyCareer mode stuff I mentioned earlier, the wonky and awkward physics of the interactions between players on the court, and the subpar AI.

It looks like all three of these issues got a lot of attention, which is surprising and impressive, and I have to say, I've gone from "definitely not buying" to "absolutely buying before the end of 2014."

[xman2k]

"Players feel unique to their real life counterparts, and that's really the next level of sports-gaming for me. One of the more frustrating things about sports gaming is that most players end up feeling the same but just looking different.*NBA 2K15*is a significant step forward in that department, and there's something to be said for how big of a factor that is in terms of overall immersion."

This is the thing that separates 2K basketball from all other sports games in my opinion. It's why NBA 2K is largely considered the best sports gaming franchise. Their attention to detail & how they're able to get player mannerisms & signature animations down is a thing of beauty. All sports games should follow suit.

That said there's still tons of room for improvement (footplanting, some player models being too skinny, still some drawn out animations, etc..) but overall the game has a lot to offer & is only getting better.

So true, I feel like sometimes people just don't get it, that's what makes nba 2k so unique to me. Everyone feels like you're actually that person, playing as MJ the first time in 2k11 was amazing

[juslovemusic]

I'm still worried I'll eventually end up laying 40+ minutes a game in my career. I don't think anyone wants to do that. Keeping my fingers crossed that the minutes just don't keep going up and up and up when I finally get in the starting rotation. Servers are still awful so far. My career saves become inaccessible when you can't connect. I spent 3 minutes trying to load it over and over again until it finally did. Same w/ spending VC. So far, Accessing the my career store is completely impossible so far, so no buying sleeves/shoes/etc or equipping the pre order bonus gear either.

[Jakeness23]

Just had a play where I apparently passed the ball down to Noah too early and my teammates forgot what they were doing so Rose just stood in the middle of the lane, clogging it up. Luckily I didn't get a 3 second call which is shocking because he stood there for about 7.

[DBMcGee3]

I hate to hear the comments about shot %s being too high, as wel as the rebounding favoring the CPU. Just once i'd like to enjoy this game without spending the entire season tweaking sliders.

Hopefully he wasn't playing on simulation settings, which really do make a huge difference.

[bucfan47]

Offline one of the best games. Online an insult to what is common in sport games. No Playable Online Leagues. Not playable at all Online due to lag.

It's down right absurd and inexcusable for them to leave out the online association mode completely. I say left out because...well...it was left out. Why release the mode with no CPU controlled teams? It's the only major sports title to completely leave out an online franchise. And there is little doubt to me the sales will be effected. What's more, the entire gaming industry looks the other way to the mode, which speaks to just how many "experts" do not understand how popular the mode is within the industry. I chose to pass and will continue to with no working online mode.

[DBMcGee3]

I finally got in some time with the game (PS4), so i thought I'd chip in my two cents on a few things that stood out thus far.

Pros:

-The game is beautiful. 60 FPS, (mostly) incredible graphics, smooth, seamless animations, fantastic presentation as always (although I miss my halftime show). I love the pregame intros, although I'd really love it if they'd get authentic PA guys for each stadium. Kills me hearing "From Memphis, Derrick Rose". The replays are incredible as always, and the general gameplay is just glorious to watch, especially on my beloved Drive Cam.

-CPU AI is amazing. I played two 48 minute games, and not once did the CPU come down and hold the ball until the shot clock got low. They swing it around, drive when it's there, post up quality bigs, take 3s when you leave them open, and they actually shoot from midrange. Defensively, they guard the PnR very well, they play the passing lanes (but not psychic defense, at least not yet that I've experienced), and they'll rip you if you get too dribble happy.

-The ball handling is still pretty much bliss for me. It's fast and responsive, and it just feels right when you beat a guy off the dribble, like you earned it.

-Player tendencies seem pretty spot on to me so far, although I probably need a lot more time with the game to assess that in full.

-Fouls are perfect in my opinion. I've never felt cheated, and the contact animations are insanely good. I'm getting a very realistic # of FTs per game so far.

-Lots of features. While many of these will probably never see the light of day at my house, it's cool that they have the Park mode, and supposedly the My Career mode is a great way to play (just isn't for me).

Cons:

-Obviously, the servers and face scans are HUGE black eyes for the game. Completely unacceptable, especially considering all the claims they made before release.

-Passing can be a little wonky at times. For one, the freestyle passing seems to be a tad latent. I had 2 different fast breaks where I tried to throw a snazzy pass, and both times it took a moment for it to happen, much slower than a normal pass. Maybe it was a fluke, or had to do with the context my player was in, but it seemed less fluid and cool than last year. Also, I've had several times where the guys will use the wrong hand when trying to feed the post. For example, I'll be on the left wing and try to throw a left handed bounce pass in to my big, and instead my guy tries to pass right handed, which basically throws it right into the defender's knees or feet.

-Speaking of kicked balls, did they remove that violation from the game? I've seen no less than 5 times in 2 games where a ball blatantly hits a guys feet and nothing gets called. That sucks.

-Player models are hit and miss. While some look astonishingly good, others are downright horrible. It seems like pretty much any white guy is subject to this problem, as I noticed in a game w my Bulls that Gasol, Dougie McBuckets, Mirotic and Hinrich all look pretty much nothing like themselves. Joakim Noah inexplicably has a sagging left eye, he looks like Sloth from the Goonies, with a stylish pony bun of course. I shudder to think how bad Nowitzki will look, and the Rubio model is embarrassing from what I've seen.

All in all, I'm much happier with the game than I expected to be. It really is crazy how much different it looks on a nice TV, as opposed to a video feed on my CPU. I knew from last year's game that gameplay would be tight, and it still exceeds my expectations. I'll still be renting Live for a couple of weeks when the time comes, but a week ago I was almost totally sold on Live, and now I'd say 2k is back in the driver's seat. Really, really great game with just a few major flaws holding it back from being an all-timer.

[bswpriorityhonda]

Re: NBA 2K15 Initial Impressions (Roundtable)

Am I just completely missing something, or is there not 2K Share, or any roster share on 2k15 for XBOX ONE? I spent 15 minutes looking through every single menu option and could not find it ANYWHERE

[VDusen04]

Re: NBA 2K15 Initial Impressions (Roundtable)

-Speaking of kicked balls, did they remove that violation from the game? I've seen no less than 5 times in 2 games where a ball blatantly hits a guys feet and nothing gets called. That sucks.

It was cool to see kicked balls called in 2K, but I am not sure if their approach was accurate, for in real life those violations are usually reserved for intentional attempts to deflect the ball with one's foot. I'm not sure if there's a way to do that in 2K, so it'd almost make more sense to have that violation removed.

Section V-Strike the Ball
a. A player shall not kick the ball or strike it with the fist.
b. Kicking the ball or striking it with any part of the leg is a violation when it is an intentional act. The ball accidentally striking the foot, the leg or fist is not a violation.

http://www.nba.com/analysis/rules_10...av=ArticleList

[Bobhead]

Re: NBA 2K15 Initial Impressions (Roundtable)

Yeah I hated getting called for kickball violations because someone else deflected the ball into my feet. So silly. It's only a good thing if they removed those shenanigans.