NBA Live 10 Demo Impressions

by pastapadre
Posted September 12th, 2009 at 9:10 pm

live10demod

The NBA Live 10 demo came out on Friday for the 360 and now having played enough of it I feel comfortable posting my impressions. The general response appears to be largely positive from browsing various forums and Twitter. While I’m recognizing some great things about the game I’m also finding myself frustrated by some of the flaws which are tampering with my overall experience.

Continue on to read the full impressions as well as watch two new demo play-through HD videos.

I’ve played the demo solely on All-Star difficulty which is the recommended setting by EA for the sim experience. The CPU definitely plays tough on this difficulty but the challenge doesn’t necessarily feel organic. The CPU is shooting very high percentages with 75% being approximately the average I’ve seen. Shot selection is decent but they’re draining many well contested shots and not just from Kobe which I can live with. Derek Fisher and Ron Artest hit contested threes quite a bit, it seems like every game one does that on the opening possession. All the CPU players hit mid-range shots and driving shots even with players in their face and it is rare to see them miss from the low post.

The visuals are incredibly impressive. The game presents a vibrant experience from the players to the jerseys to the arenas. Player models are improved and player faces are well done for the most part. The only visual quirk comes in the “Hangar” where players look light and with Yao and Nash in the background almost translucent as pointed out by someone on Twitter.

The atmosphere is excellent and given that it is the “Finals Atmosphere” is does a pretty good job of representing that. Hopefully the crowds react well in regular season games, and amp up for playoff games (and more so in places like Atlanta and Golden State). When the Lakers score in the demo I find myself affected by the crowd which is a feeling that I can’t say I’ve had from any other sports game. That is cool.

While the player control is excellent there seems to be no adjustment made based on location. What I notice most is that the players don’t adjust their strides when they near the sideline or half court line. So making a step towards the sideline may result in stepping out of bounds because there is no recognition of that boundary. It appears to balance that they made it so out of bounds isn’t called in those situations. So it looks awkward but it is better than if there were OOB calls that were basically out of your control which would happen pretty frequently.

The most improved aspect of the game to me is the rebounding. The sense of positioning is much better and the majority of boards are legitimately grabbed by the right team or player. I have gone through a few instances where mistimed jumps resulted in multiple offensive rebounds by the CPU though I suspect that is just a matter of adjusting to the difference in rebounding strategy from last year.

I have mixed thoughts on the changed passing controls. I do like the multiple options especially the potential of freestyle passing with the stick and how that improves fast breaks. However I’ve also found myself passing to an unintended players. With the numerous different passing options pressing a particular button may mix up the passing style and with so many other things to worry about at a given time I haven’t come to recognize those situations yet.

The most perplexing change to the controls is the removal of the post-up mechanic. I really appreciated the feel of holding the left trigger to back down and then having the array of moves on the right stick. Now I’m uncertain every time I’m in the post whether my player is going to post up or not. Which usually means I end up turning the ball over or taking an awkward shot.

Live has always represented court space well which allowed for realistic spacing and the ability to call plays and use pick and rolls effectively. This continues to be the a great aspect of the game. I was running plays and having Vince Carter come off screens that resulted in open looks. It is relatively simple to run plays and seemingly can be effective and for that I’m finding myself doing it more often than I have with previous iterations. The main problem I seem to have is not fully understanding when the pass will go to the intended teammate with the icon over his head or to someone else.

One thing I’ve noticed is that seemingly there is no way to affect a player or their shot as they’ve gone into an animation towards the basket. If Derek Fisher beats my defender on the perimeter and drives the lane, Dwight Howard and friends are there to watch him slice by, jump for a block attempt that appears can not ever be successful from the side, and watch as he scores the bucket. When I switch over to a player like Howard to try and affect a shot as the CPU player is going to the hoop it seems to all be futile unless I get directly in his path.

I haven’t seen a many of the hustle plays but when I have they’ve made sense for the situation and looked really neat. Having a player dive to bat at the ball is a refreshing thing to see for the Live series.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the CPU getting called for illegal screens. I have yet to see one called on my team so I’m not sure if it’s almost a scripted thing that only happens for the CPU.

Not a big deal cause I will usually be skipping over it but the starting lineup presentation is laughably bad. Can we get real introductions please? On the plus side the signature pre-game rituals are a great touch and it’s good to see them done with a variety of camera angles instead of using the same one every time. I’m already sick of the post-scoring cutaways to the player running back up the court and pointing or hopping back. Feels like those interrupt the flow more than add to the presentation and its just too repetitive.

There seems to be a bug that happens occasionally with the CPU player holding the ball and not starting their offense. You have to engage said player for them to make a move. Hopefully this has been addressed because it’d be hard to believe the dev team didn’t notice it happening along the way.

The overriding feeling I can’t escape is one of sloppiness. Despite all the improvements and flashes of excellence I’ll find several possessions where something madly frustrating occurs. It may be a defensive player seemingly warping for a steal. It may be having simple low risk passes stolen as my player stands there in place but the defender arrives out of no where to knock it away. It may be my player taking four steps and not getting called for a travel. It may be the CPU making tough shot after tough shot while I miss wide open opportunities. It may be my defense not collapsing on a driving player. It may be how I can’t get positioning on offense without the CPU knocking the ball out of my hands. In all there are just way too many turnovers and various oddities to overlook. Sometimes games can be strong enough to overshadow things like those but given how much they’ve bothered me already I can’t say for sure that Live 10 will be one of those games.

So as I sit here I’m conflicted with my feelings on NBA Live 10. The vast improvement is obvious but at the same time when there are a handful of frustrating instances in every short play-through of the demo I don’t know how to decide whether I actually like the game or not. Live 10 is fun and very satisfying when everything works as expected but then again it remains marred by the occasional sloppiness. Hopefully the final version is cleaned up and balanced better than the demo and if it is then Live 10 has great potential to be a hit with hardcore basketball gamers as well as the more casual crowd.

Tags: Videos

Hungryandrew

Same yearly crap released by EA…Live BLOWS!!

OptimusP76

he making the game look bad first it on all pro not superstar and for second hes playing no defense u hold down the rb botton for defense

Anonymous

yea but it doesn't matter. a good game should play well no matter what setting you play it on. NBA 2k is difficult even on its rookie setting. Live's all-star difficulty is like playing 2k on rookie or pro.

And i like the impressions of the game, they are for once un-biased and fair. I like how he talked about the negative things of the game too. Nice article Pasta!

LionsFanLOL

2k is not hard at all i can grab a rebound with d howard run down to tha other end and dunk with little contest live 10 is definitely harder theyre both good but thats not a good argument sorry guy

Mr. Professional

The game should run smoothly on any difficulty. Not playing on the most challenging one shouldn't mean that the gameplay drops so far

Mani

i agree with you guys but i diagree with the comment NBa 2k is hard on the rookie difficulty thats a lie if it hard for you on rookie bro then u have to suck im sorry lol

http://intensedebate.com/people/navyboy09 navyboy09

have you even played the demo yet???
http://intensedebate.com/people/navyboy09 navyboy09

have you even played the demo yet??

Hungryandrew

Same yearly crap released by EA…Live BLOWS!!

OptimusP76

he making the game look bad first it on all pro not superstar and for second hes playing no defense u hold down the rb botton for defense

http://intensedebate.com/people/deepen03 deepen03

yea but it doesn't matter. a good game should play well no matter what setting you play it on. NBA 2k is difficult even on its rookie setting. Live's all-star difficulty is like playing 2k on rookie or pro.

And i like the impressions of the game, they are for once un-biased and fair. I like how he talked about the negative things of the game too. Nice article Pasta!

LionsFanLOL

2k is not hard at all i can grab a rebound with d howard run down to tha other end and dunk with little contest live 10 is definitely harder theyre both good but thats not a good argument sorry guy

Mr. Professional

The game should run smoothly on any difficulty. Not playing on the most challenging one shouldn't mean that the gameplay drops so far

Mani

i agree with you guys but i diagree with the comment NBa 2k is hard on the rookie difficulty thats a lie if it hard for you on rookie bro then u have to suck im sorry lol

http://intensedebate.com/people/navyboy09 navyboy09

have you even played the demo yet???
http://intensedebate.com/people/navyboy09 navyboy09

have you even played the demo yet??

nittanylion1

yeah dude demo looks great but i dont like the pregame introductions.Make it feel like the real nba …LIVE CREW!
Hungryandrew

Oh and FIRST!!
Hungryandrew

Oh and FIRST!!
nittanylion1

yeah dude demo looks great but i dont like the pregame introductions.Make it feel like the real nba …LIVE CREW!
nittanylion1

you have no life sir.

Diesel

agreed lol

nittanylion1

you have no life sir.

Diesel

agreed lol

http://intensedebate.com/people/JasonSGN JasonSGN

Nice write-up. The lack of a post-up button was reason enough to pass on the game this year.

navyboy09

2k has no post up button either so are gonna pass on it too?

http://intensedebate.com/people/JasonSGN JasonSGN

Nice write-up. The lack of a post-up button was reason enough to pass on the game this year.

navyboy09

2k has no post up button either so are gonna pass on it too?

TBB

That's funny, amp up for ATL and GST?? W T F Pasta, those teams have turrible fans

babystat

Im sure you're wrong, I go to every other atlanta hawks games and watch the rest and the atmosphere is ridicoulous in the playoffs and rival games
Chuck

uhhh Golden State has the loudest drowd in the NBA…..
ncaa rules

i think he meant that regular season to post season that there crowds would become much louder because everyone likes the playoffs

TBB

That's funny, amp up for ATL and GST?? W T F Pasta, those teams have turrible fans

babystat

Im sure you're wrong, I go to every other atlanta hawks games and watch the rest and the atmosphere is ridicoulous in the playoffs and rival games
Chuck

uhhh Golden State has the loudest drowd in the NBA…..
ncaa rules

i think he meant that regular season to post season that there crowds would become much louder because everyone likes the playoffs

Mr klue

Looks like a dunkfest yet again.The players still move like amateur players from the suburbs rather than NBa players.from what i see they have just about everybodys body type wrong. Pau Gasol looks as buff as Bynum. Live took a couple steps forward but we all know that 2k will take more than a couple steps.

OptimusP76

its on all pro u idiot
Chuck

play the game first before u comment it is not a dunk fest like nba 2k9
navyboy09

yea play the game on allstar or superstar and there will not be easy dunks. trust me

Mr klue

Looks like a dunkfest yet again.The players still move like amateur players from the suburbs rather than NBa players.from what i see they have just about everybodys body type wrong. Pau Gasol looks as buff as Bynum. Live took a couple steps forward but we all know that 2k will take more than a couple steps.

OptimusP76

its on all pro u idiot
Chuck

play the game first before u comment it is not a dunk fest like nba 2k9
navyboy09

yea play the game on allstar or superstar and there will not be easy dunks. trust me

http://intensedebate.com/people/darkheath darkheath

I just feel like I can't fully judge the game because I can't play with the camera I like. Controlling in "broadcast view" blows.

In the meantime.. I'm playing NBA 2k8 tonight. heh…
http://intensedebate.com/people/darkheath darkheath

I just feel like I can't fully judge the game because I can't play with the camera I like. Controlling in "broadcast view" blows.

In the meantime.. I'm playing NBA 2k8 tonight. heh…
treyyy

This looks horrible, the players still look cartoonish and the fact that the net physics havent been upgraded is rediculous. I havent played it yet (ps3) but i'll decide from the demo if i'll rent it so far the 2k combine has me locked in. This was horrible the the gameplay is still choppy and disfunctional smh atleast its better then live 07

http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

I actually would mark the net animations as a positive. There is good variety, swishes look great.

treyyy

from the vid i havent seen 2 many net varations. Jus a swish and nothn else really.

http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

you must be blind then.

TreyIM2

Whatever you say, treyyy, is not even believable. All you do is spew hate. I've peeped u around the net. U give the name Trey a bad one. U even speaking on the net physics not being "upgraded" is proof enough that you hate because EVERYONE can see that they have been. Haaaayyyy-terrrr, get lost.

treyyy

lmao seriously? haha fuck outtta here u beloved fans are so soft. Get over it ur games trash. idc either way and for u 2 say u followed me over the net? how when im only on this website and barely ever comment? hmm….u must b following someone else. N that case my good sir get a life

treyyy

This looks horrible, the players still look cartoonish and the fact that the net physics havent been upgraded is rediculous. I havent played it yet (ps3) but i'll decide from the demo if i'll rent it so far the 2k combine has me locked in. This was horrible the the gameplay is still choppy and disfunctional smh atleast its better then live 07

http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

I actually would mark the net animations as a positive. There is good variety, swishes look great.

treyyy

from the vid i havent seen 2 many net varations. Jus a swish and nothn else really.

http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

you must be blind then.

TreyIM2

Whatever you say, treyyy, is not even believable. All you do is spew hate. I've peeped u around the net. U give the name Trey a bad one. U even speaking on the net physics not being "upgraded" is proof enough that you hate because EVERYONE can see that they have been. Haaaayyyy-terrrr, get lost.

treyyy

lmao seriously? haha fuck outtta here u beloved fans are so soft. Get over it ur games trash. idc either way and for u 2 say u followed me over the net? how when im only on this website and barely ever comment? hmm….u must b following someone else. N that case my good sir get a life

Chrisjames313

Nba Live 10 Is A major improvement but im not sold on it and sometimes it feels as if i dont have control of the players also is it me or the player modules in the hangar looks like the player modules in nba street homecourt (which had good visuals)
Chrisjames313

Nba Live 10 Is A major improvement but im not sold on it and sometimes it feels as if i dont have control of the players also is it me or the player modules in the hangar looks like the player modules in nba street homecourt (which had good visuals)
theron

the players look good but thats about it..
any idea when the 2k demo comes out

http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

go to the 2K boards and ask. LOL!

theron

the players look good but thats about it..
any idea when the 2k demo comes out

http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

go to the 2K boards and ask. LOL!

stephensonmc

Pasta, you're missing shots b/c we REALLY take shot timing into great effect this year. You'll only start shooting well once you nail their shot timing.

buckeye2pryor

i still dont feel i have full control of the player especially on the defensive end..and whats with the shitty intros?
http://twitter.com/adawg786 @adawg786

shot timing isn't in any effect this year…
http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

It's funny to hear these complaints, this is the closest I've seen to sim basketball. The game is challenging on both ends of the court, you actually have to think about what you are going to do. Now that the game is layered and more sim the so called sim heads are complaining. I'm not getting those insanely high shooting percentages Pasta is talking about, and I don't get the sloppiness people are complaining about it all feels tight to me.

I think people are frustrated with the D because you have to stay in front of your man and being able to do so depends of your defender (like it should). I like how depending on your man you really have to consider calling for some help D, thats realistic enough for me. I think everyone will experience something different based on how you choose to play the game. You have to throw away the old mentality of how this game was played to be successful.

I agree with Pasta that there needs to be a post up button of some sort, I'm not digging that feature being removed and honestly it's an annoying thing that EA tends to do to often. I'd also like to see the return of being able to shield or protect the ball (I'm lost on why that was removed as well).

I think at the end of the day when the full game is out and 365 kicks in this game will have a way longer replay value than 2K.

PLEASE put in an in game save feature next year. These aren't your kids games anymore and with adults being the main demographic and 12 minute quarters giving you the most authentic results, i need to be able to save at any point in game to attend to my life without having to start my game all over.

navyboy09

i agree.

stephensonmc

Pasta, you're missing shots b/c we REALLY take shot timing into great effect this year. You'll only start shooting well once you nail their shot timing.

buckeye2pryor

i still dont feel i have full control of the player especially on the defensive end..and whats with the shitty intros?
http://twitter.com/adawg786 @adawg786

shot timing isn't in any effect this year…
http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

It's funny to hear these complaints, this is the closest I've seen to sim basketball. The game is challenging on both ends of the court, you actually have to think about what you are going to do. Now that the game is layered and more sim the so called sim heads are complaining. I'm not getting those insanely high shooting percentages Pasta is talking about, and I don't get the sloppiness people are complaining about it all feels tight to me.

I think people are frustrated with the D because you have to stay in front of your man and being able to do so depends of your defender (like it should). I like how depending on your man you really have to consider calling for some help D, thats realistic enough for me. I think everyone will experience something different based on how you choose to play the game. You have to throw away the old mentality of how this game was played to be successful.

I agree with Pasta that there needs to be a post up button of some sort, I'm not digging that feature being removed and honestly it's an annoying thing that EA tends to do to often. I'd also like to see the return of being able to shield or protect the ball (I'm lost on why that was removed as well).

I think at the end of the day when the full game is out and 365 kicks in this game will have a way longer replay value than 2K.

PLEASE put in an in game save feature next year. These aren't your kids games anymore and with adults being the main demographic and 12 minute quarters giving you the most authentic results, i need to be able to save at any point in game to attend to my life without having to start my game all over.

navyboy09

i agree.

Ben

LOL at the 2nd vid at the beginning, "A star matchup between Derek Fisher and Rashard Lewis." HAHAHAHAHA, I guess Kobe and Superman aren't good enough!!!!!
Ben

LOL at the 2nd vid at the beginning, "A star matchup between Derek Fisher and Rashard Lewis." HAHAHAHAHA, I guess Kobe and Superman aren't good enough!!!!!
http://twitter.com/Pharrell1 @Pharrell1

great review. Live is back.
http://twitter.com/Pharrell1 @Pharrell1

great review. Live is back.
alan

this game really suprised me i thought it was going to be exactly like last year with some new features but the handle of the game was really put together well. were gonna have to see how the full game is
alan

this game really suprised me i thought it was going to be exactly like last year with some new features but the handle of the game was really put together well. were gonna have to see how the full game is
http://intensedebate.com/people/tcnumba10 tcnumba10

NBA LIVE fans are happy since it looks like a big improvement from LIVE 09, but that is not saying much if you are comparing LIVE with 2K. Although LIVE has many some steps in the right direction, they are still several steps behind the competition. As Erick Boenisch (feature developer of 2K10) mentioned that even though LIVE got Mike Wang, Mike was only one of the 80 members of the whole team.

"Boenisch: We have a team of 80 people, and Mike was just one of those people. The development team here, there is a number of us who are huge fans, and Mike was just one of us. He didn’t engineer the game, he didn’t put content into the game—he was just a producer"

Also another tidbit from the same article I would like to share to you Live Fans who were proclaiming that LIVE will be better automatically because EA got Mike Wang:

"But when all was said and done he (Mike Wang) needed to do something for his family, he wanted to try something different. For us, he was part of our team, he wasn’t our team. The NBA 2K franchise continues just like it did before he got here…From a standpoint of what’s being implemented up there [in EA Canada], I think he’s taken a lot of concepts that we had already developed here, whether in unison with them or before he was there, and try to bring that flavor that they have been lacking so long." – Rob Jones ( 2K's Lead Gameplay Producer)

The link to the article: http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200909/N09…

This basically states that the concepts that were developed by Mike Wang for LIVE 10 were already implemented in previous versions of the 2K Basketball series and that Mike wanted to add that flavor that 2K had for the longest time into the LIVE titles since these were concepts/features which makes the game realistic and have been dismissed by LIVE since the start.

So yes, it's great that finally LIVE has a capable basketball mind (Mike Wang) on their team, but to the team over at 2K, he was just only one of the guys who was part of the 80 members of the team. There's no doubt that LIVE is looking good compared to their previous versions but compared to 2K… that's a different story.

Daseffects

To post up you push the left stick lightly into player. Its really easy and very responsive.
ronimous

Damn MIKE WANG is the KObe bryant of the Lakers and Michael Jordan of the BULLS! Wake up dude! 2k10 is the same as 2k9 with PSP graphics!!!
navyboy09

What you have to understand is that mike wang wasn't just a member of the team for 2k. He was the LEAD GAMEPLAY DESIGNER and that means he played a BIG role on how the gameplay was. So for you to put that up to make it seem like they aren't hurt to lose mike is ridiculous. When dude said that 2k already had the things that live has gotten this year was silly to say b/c if two games are trying to be sim of course they are gonna have the same features to be the most realistic game out there. You didn't hear him mention how they went out and got 82games to mimic dynamic dna when the 82games doesn't even update everyday and make the players shoot and play like themselves like the dynamic dna does.

http://intensedebate.com/people/tcnumba10 tcnumba10

NBA LIVE fans are happy since it looks like a big improvement from LIVE 09, but that is not saying much if you are comparing LIVE with 2K. Although LIVE has many some steps in the right direction, they are still several steps behind the competition. As Erick Boenisch (feature developer of 2K10) mentioned that even though LIVE got Mike Wang, Mike was only one of the 80 members of the whole team.

"Boenisch: We have a team of 80 people, and Mike was just one of those people. The development team here, there is a number of us who are huge fans, and Mike was just one of us. He didn’t engineer the game, he didn’t put content into the game—he was just a producer"

Also another tidbit from the same article I would like to share to you Live Fans who were proclaiming that LIVE will be better automatically because EA got Mike Wang:

"But when all was said and done he (Mike Wang) needed to do something for his family, he wanted to try something different. For us, he was part of our team, he wasn’t our team. The NBA 2K franchise continues just like it did before he got here…From a standpoint of what’s being implemented up there [in EA Canada], I think he’s taken a lot of concepts that we had already developed here, whether in unison with them or before he was there, and try to bring that flavor that they have been lacking so long." – Rob Jones ( 2K's Lead Gameplay Producer)

The link to the article: http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200909/N09…

This basically states that the concepts that were developed by Mike Wang for LIVE 10 were already implemented in previous versions of the 2K Basketball series and that Mike wanted to add that flavor that 2K had for the longest time into the LIVE titles since these were concepts/features which makes the game realistic and have been dismissed by LIVE since the start.

So yes, it's great that finally LIVE has a capable basketball mind (Mike Wang) on their team, but to the team over at 2K, he was just only one of the guys who was part of the 80 members of the team. There's no doubt that LIVE is looking good compared to their previous versions but compared to 2K… that's a different story.

Daseffects

To post up you push the left stick lightly into player. Its really easy and very responsive.
ronimous

Damn MIKE WANG is the KObe bryant of the Lakers and Michael Jordan of the BULLS! Wake up dude! 2k10 is the same as 2k9 with PSP graphics!!!
navyboy09

What you have to understand is that mike wang wasn't just a member of the team for 2k. He was the LEAD GAMEPLAY DESIGNER and that means he played a BIG role on how the gameplay was. So for you to put that up to make it seem like they aren't hurt to lose mike is ridiculous. When dude said that 2k already had the things that live has gotten this year was silly to say b/c if two games are trying to be sim of course they are gonna have the same features to be the most realistic game out there. You didn't hear him mention how they went out and got 82games to mimic dynamic dna when the 82games doesn't even update everyday and make the players shoot and play like themselves like the dynamic dna does.

BBallGuru

Nice write-up, but after watching your videos, some of the things you are doing are creating the experiences that are bothering you.

You mention shooting percentages being high for the CPU from the perimeter, but then proceed to sit back in a zone defense. Zone defenses are supposed to discourage penetration from the lane, and encourage the offense to live-or-die with the long ball. From my impressions playing the game, it will be very tough to be successful laying back in a zone, because if a decent perimeter player is open, it will more than likely go down.

Also, you sprint up to, and then beside the ball handler, when he's a good couple feet off the line, allowing the ball handler to go by and force your zone defense to scramble. Just stand there with the defensive lock on, toss your hands up with the right stick. There's no point in getting up on somebody when they're standing somewhere where they're not a threat. Stay disciplined.

http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

Exactly. That's what I'm appreciating about this demo. Basic basketball principles.
http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

best response to the write up yet, I couldn't agree more. Like I've been telling people you CANNOT play this game the way you've played Live 09 or 2K it's just that different. I think people are judging to early.

BBallGuru

Nice write-up, but after watching your videos, some of the things you are doing are creating the experiences that are bothering you.

You mention shooting percentages being high for the CPU from the perimeter, but then proceed to sit back in a zone defense. Zone defenses are supposed to discourage penetration from the lane, and encourage the offense to live-or-die with the long ball. From my impressions playing the game, it will be very tough to be successful laying back in a zone, because if a decent perimeter player is open, it will more than likely go down.

Also, you sprint up to, and then beside the ball handler, when he's a good couple feet off the line, allowing the ball handler to go by and force your zone defense to scramble. Just stand there with the defensive lock on, toss your hands up with the right stick. There's no point in getting up on somebody when they're standing somewhere where they're not a threat. Stay disciplined.

http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

Exactly. That's what I'm appreciating about this demo. Basic basketball principles.
http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

best response to the write up yet, I couldn't agree more. Like I've been telling people you CANNOT play this game the way you've played Live 09 or 2K it's just that different. I think people are judging to early.

Madden

Why do all the players look like they're covered in Crisco and baby oil? Looks like a sloppy mess. Al so I dont feel like I have control of my players on layups, like theyre magnetically attracted to the rim as soon as theyre airborn. Im going to pass on this game. Way too arcade like for my taste…..thumbs down.

hehe

Also whats up with the "West Side Story" intros? Looks like a gang fight is about to happen. Is Michael Jackson gonna come out singing Beat It. The intros are really bad:
[youtube Uqxo1SKB0z8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8 youtube]
TreyIM2

"Why do all the players look like they're covered in Crisco and baby oil? " – RFLMAO!! I hate that acronym but it applies, here. I've heard the player models look real shiny a few times but then again, I've read of people disputing that. I have yet to get on this demo since Sony decided to make us PS3 owners have our anxiety go up a lil bit more for this demo.

I will say this, though – You may be used to 2K9's lack of real skin texture and ashy quality. Live 08 and 09 has had better skin textures than 2K so maybe that adds to the shiny look, this year, but even in Live 09 they looked shinier. The Draft Combine textures look good, though. I've even zoomed in on replays to check the textures. Nice work, 2K.

I will see what this shiny stuff is about on Thurs when I finally get my hands on the demo.

Madden

Why do all the players look like they're covered in Crisco and baby oil? Looks like a sloppy mess. Al so I dont feel like I have control of my players on layups, like theyre magnetically attracted to the rim as soon as theyre airborn. Im going to pass on this game. Way too arcade like for my taste…..thumbs down.

hehe

Also whats up with the "West Side Story" intros? Looks like a gang fight is about to happen. Is Michael Jackson gonna come out singing Beat It. The intros are really bad:
[youtube Uqxo1SKB0z8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8 youtube]
TreyIM2

"Why do all the players look like they're covered in Crisco and baby oil? " – RFLMAO!! I hate that acronym but it applies, here. I've heard the player models look real shiny a few times but then again, I've read of people disputing that. I have yet to get on this demo since Sony decided to make us PS3 owners have our anxiety go up a lil bit more for this demo.

I will say this, though – You may be used to 2K9's lack of real skin texture and ashy quality. Live 08 and 09 has had better skin textures than 2K so maybe that adds to the shiny look, this year, but even in Live 09 they looked shinier. The Draft Combine textures look good, though. I've even zoomed in on replays to check the textures. Nice work, 2K.

I will see what this shiny stuff is about on Thurs when I finally get my hands on the demo.

OptimusP76

Look people u are dumb as hell first of all he has the settings on all pro not superstar thats one 2 he didnt do his defense and offense sets on the fly 3 the computer doesnt play hard on all pro on superstar yes 4 u cant judge a game by looking u have to play it yourself and turn the sound up get the feel of the game and atmosphere and if u dont like the persentation u crazy its slick and to its a demo people a demo whats does demo mean trying bita and peices people stop being stupid dam prime out
OptimusP76

Look people u are dumb as hell first of all he has the settings on all pro not superstar thats one 2 he didnt do his defense and offense sets on the fly 3 the computer doesnt play hard on all pro on superstar yes 4 u cant judge a game by looking u have to play it yourself and turn the sound up get the feel of the game and atmosphere and if u dont like the persentation u crazy its slick and to its a demo people a demo whats does demo mean trying bita and peices people stop being stupid dam prime out
Hawkeye4077

Wow Pasta, I’m impressed. Seems like for once you crossed over to the “sim” dark side in your review. If only you were this critical of Madden or NCAA BEFORE it came out and everyone else said it sucked. Even I, an admittedly harsh critic, didn’t find so many flaws with the demo, not to say they’re not there, just that there subtle enough to be missed. But not by the keen eye of Padre, oh no, not this review.
Hawkeye4077

Wow Pasta, I’m impressed. Seems like for once you crossed over to the “sim” dark side in your review. If only you were this critical of Madden or NCAA BEFORE it came out and everyone else said it sucked. Even I, an admittedly harsh critic, didn’t find so many flaws with the demo, not to say they’re not there, just that there subtle enough to be missed. But not by the keen eye of Padre, oh no, not this review.
#1fan

Yeah, your defense was terrible, and don't play on PRO play and ALL-STAR or SUPERSTAR. Less dunks and more contact in the paint.
#1fan

Yeah, your defense was terrible, and don't play on PRO play and ALL-STAR or SUPERSTAR. Less dunks and more contact in the paint.
#1fan

Slide your feet more and play the Angles…
#1fan

Slide your feet more and play the Angles…
#1fan

1 more thing, you can knock our opponent of they're course but it takes practice. This helps with slashers trying to get to the rim and what not. Or when trying to slow down the fast break.
#1fan

1 more thing, you can knock our opponent of they're course but it takes practice. This helps with slashers trying to get to the rim and what not. Or when trying to slow down the fast break.
cropduster

the cpu has never shot 75% on me you must really suck at basketball, you can't just run up on a person and try to crowd them you have to make them do things they don't want to do i.e play the ball handler to a certain side of the court so he will think he has a lane then block his shot or lay up, it's all about angles and who your guarding, it's much easier to guard and crowd pietrus than it is to guard kobe or vc. so with guys that are going to get their points make them work for it. like da czar said "don't play videogames , play basketball" and you will see the game open up.
cropduster

the cpu has never shot 75% on me you must really suck at basketball, you can't just run up on a person and try to crowd them you have to make them do things they don't want to do i.e play the ball handler to a certain side of the court so he will think he has a lane then block his shot or lay up, it's all about angles and who your guarding, it's much easier to guard and crowd pietrus than it is to guard kobe or vc. so with guys that are going to get their points make them work for it. like da czar said "don't play videogames , play basketball" and you will see the game open up.
cropduster

and it's gotta be something your doing wrong if fisher is hitting alot of threes because that just doesn't hjappen to me , he's one of the easiest guys to guard. try this when contesting a shot…… instead of just jumpining straight up run forward b4 you jump and you will block the shot because just like anyone who has a jumpshot thats half decent when you give them space the will shoot it. yes this is something i learned playing alot of games. but if you just run up then jump you will be much closer and you will either block the shot or they will miss. i have been playing it on superstar, if you guys don't believe me i can post a vid of a game on youtube to show you what i mean but the quality won't be good since i only have a xbox cam.
cropduster

and it's gotta be something your doing wrong if fisher is hitting alot of threes because that just doesn't hjappen to me , he's one of the easiest guys to guard. try this when contesting a shot…… instead of just jumpining straight up run forward b4 you jump and you will block the shot because just like anyone who has a jumpshot thats half decent when you give them space the will shoot it. yes this is something i learned playing alot of games. but if you just run up then jump you will be much closer and you will either block the shot or they will miss. i have been playing it on superstar, if you guys don't believe me i can post a vid of a game on youtube to show you what i mean but the quality won't be good since i only have a xbox cam.