Jay-Z: NBA 2K13 Presentation/Direction Concerns

[Philstat]

I'm concerned, Jay-Z's influence appears to have migrated throughout the overall presentation of the game, not just the soundtrack. IMO, this is a major step backwards, I can't believe the gold outline on the menus, player cards, score boxes, replays etc., it's destroying my immersion of the game. It's a TREMENDOUS step backwards from what made the previous years installments stand out. I also loved the fact that every year you would have some unique/neat music that you would discover by playing the game. Every year some up and coming bands would have some unique and quality songs (loved 2K10's soundtrack). Now it's all Jay-Z's style, IMO, it has killed this years presentation - gone are the realistic presentation overlays that 2K worked on and improved upon over the last few iterations. I'm thinking this may be my first year that I skip getting this game since its inception, may actually try Madden for a change.

[xSavageAssassinx]

-__- Honestly I see nothing wrong with it. I'm guessing 2K wanted something new but a soundtrack & scoreboard is not going to stop me from enjoying a game & they have truly improved the presentation over the past 2K's.
I just hope you don't past up 2K13 over something this little.

[rockchisler]

Quote: Originally Posted by Philstat

I'm concerned, Jay-Z's influence appears to have migrated throughout the overall presentation of the game, not just the soundtrack. IMO, this is a major step backwards, I can't believe the gold outline on the menus, player cards, score boxes, replays etc., it's destroying my immersion of the game. It's a TREMENDOUS step backwards from what made the previous years installments stand out. I also loved the fact that every year you would have some unique/neat music that you would discover by playing the game. Every year some up and coming bands would have some unique and quality songs (loved 2K10's soundtrack). Now it's all Jay-Z's style, IMO, it has killed this years presentation - gone are the realistic presentation overlays that 2K worked on and improved upon over the last few iterations. I'm thinking this may be my first year that I skip getting this game since its inception, may actually try Madden for a change.

I think you are overreacting some, If the gameplay is awesome I'm pretty sure you can overlook small issues like a presentation change. If all your friends are playing the game are you sure you want to abstain because you are boycotting graphic swipes????

[WTF]

Definitely not feeling the Jay-Z integration on the main menus, etc. Thankfully, I'll be having the PC version to fall back on, where the modders can get rid of it.

[Philstat]

Quote: Originally Posted by rockchisler

I think you are overreacting some, If the gameplay is awesome I'm pretty sure you can overlook small issues like a presentation change. If all your friends are playing the game are you sure you want to abstain because you are boycotting graphic swipes????

I see what you are saying, no doubt, don't want to overreact, though you do spend a lot of time in the game listening to music and seeing hundreds of overlays and menus. I'm not a Jay-Z music fan by any stretch, though I could see having him as say a music director, though to give him complete control over the presentation is going to not sit well with a lot of fans IMO. It takes away from the overall professional and clean (realistic) look and feel the developers had been polishing over the past few years - the broadcast style.

[VDusen04]

Quote: Originally Posted by Philstat

I'm concerned, Jay-Z's influence appears to have migrated throughout the overall presentation of the game, not just the soundtrack. IMO, this is a major step backwards, I can't believe the gold outline on the menus, player cards, score boxes, replays etc., it's destroying my immersion of the game. It's a TREMENDOUS step backwards from what made the previous years installments stand out. I also loved the fact that every year you would have some unique/neat music that you would discover by playing the game. Every year some up and coming bands would have some unique and quality songs (loved 2K10's soundtrack). Now it's all Jay-Z's style, IMO, it has killed this years presentation - gone are the realistic presentation overlays that 2K worked on and improved upon over the last few iterations.

Clearly, we know very little about NBA 2K13 thus far, and even less about its specific presentation elements. Further, it seems consumers still haven't been properly briefed on exactly how deep Jay-Z's influence runs (and in what regards). As such, I relent from drawing any definitive conclusions.

With that said, I feel what you said is almost entirely on-point, if only based upon the limited bits of presentation we've seen early on. I don't know if Jay-Z was involved with the overlays and screen wipes, but whoever was in charge of such matters, I do not favor the direction they opted to take things. As you already said, the chains, shields, and swords is a little strange and completely outside the realm of what one may expect to encounter during an authentic broadcast. Further, the black-and-white in-game replays (with the scoring player being colored in), the Dunk Intensity Meter, and the Nike + Vertical Meter all seem to zap the game of a bit of its real life immersion. It's a strange direction to take after so many years of working toward something professional.

As a smaller aside, I'm also in agreement with you in regards to the soundtrack, but I fully acknowledge that's likely more a matter of taste than a disapproval with authenticity. Just as you said, one of my favorite things about 2K over the years was their ability to fill a soundtrack with an abundance of under-the-radar artists who had solid songs (and some horrible ones mixed in) that provided users with a fresh musical experience year-in and year-out. I'm not particularly thrilled about one artist filling the soundtrack with his own music and that of his friends, with a side-step only for sickeningly overplayed tracks by U2 and Coldplay.

All that said, it'll take something much crazier than this to stop me from picking up a copy of 2K13. Just as I dealt with that horrible menu system in 2K10 and that unchangeable opening Kurtis Blow line in 2K12, I think I can muster the strength to deal with these ridiculous presentation elements in 2K13. Maybe they'll even grow on me.

[jd@os]

All this makes me think why a 2K employee would think (and say) that this was the biggest announcement in the history of 2K Sports.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Vni]

It was a big announcement for 2K, for us not so much.