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(More customer reviews)You may consider this a premature review, but I thought I would share my initial feelings about the game anyways.It really doesn't matter the company, whether 2K or EA, but whenever the yearly edition of your favorite sports game is released, it's painfully obvious that the transition between one year to the next is subtle at best.Thankfully 2K doesn't simply add a new feature and highlight it as EA does year in and out with their games.For NBA 2K11, 2K knew it could not let down the legions of Jordan fanboys and fanatics worldwide by pushing out an inferior product and let me tell you, 2K11 has NOT disappointed me thus far.I received this game approximately 4 hours ago, THANK YOU UPS GUY, and after 4 hours of non-stop play, I am VERY satisfied.I'll attempt to break down what I've seen.
Pros:
1) Michael FREAKING Jordan.His presence is already the showstopper part of the game, but 2K does not simply include him in a "Legendary" team and call it quits.No, Sir.As you've already read, they include him on 10 of his legendary Bulls teams whether to relive his classic moments or to use them against current teams.Another cool feature is the ability to unlock all his Jordan brand shoes where upon wearing them, your player will gain specific stat boosts.
2) Inclusion of other legendary teams.They didn't have to, but they so kindly did.
3) Improved AI.Every year 2K and EA claim they have more life-like AI, this year is different.Basically once you pop the game in the disk you're already playing as a Jordan-led team and the difficulty was on Pro.I noticed immediately that the same passes to cutters will not fly.I played 2K10 on Hall of Fame and those passes were money.Well, not anymore. It takes a lot more know-how and timing to get things right and I couldn't be happier.
4) Buttons and moves.By this I mean 2K tweaked the buttons slightly and it's made things easier in my estimation.Circle no longer sets your picks (rather it is the "fake pass" button), as it's now L1.Pushing L1 calls your screener to get into position and releasing it tells him to roll.Rather than allowing the AI to determine when they should roll allows the player to better gauge what the best play will be.You can call a quick screen so that he simply slows the guy guarding you down and allow you to blow by for a layup or dunk, or you can set an adequate pick-and-roll (that would make Stockton and Malone happy) by allowing your screener to have a head full of steam before getting the ball.Performing moves is a lot easier for me this time around, it's hard to get into detail so you'll have to see for yourself.I say moves are a positive this time around because of the newly added animations allow for more variation when trying to break your defender down.
5) Clear difference between Stars and nobodies.When you're using a superior player and an inferior player guards you, performing moves will easily allow you to "brush your shoulder" of the guy.For instance, if you're using Derrick Rose and Robin Lopez switches to guard you, he's basically screwed.Higher ball skill ratings vs. lower speed means when you do a move against him, he'll be left in the dust.Also, star players definitely shine in this game.If you're using MJ or Kobe, being guarded perfectly doesn't mean your shot will clank.Everybody knows these two make/made impossible shots, as ridiculous as it looks/seems, they did it for real and you can do it in the game.Using Kobe in 2K10 was semi-frustrating because it would've been nice if I could've made some of those difficult shots that he makes in reality, now I can see them drop more often that not.Just my preference that I'd like to see some contested shots go down since some guys can pull it off. Again, you need to see for yourself how clear the difference is now.
6) Improved layout & presentation.You could do without this, but it does look nicer. Presentation looks especially cool, what you'd expect if you were watching a game on ESPN or any other live TV station.Massive improvement here that wasn't necessary but is absolutely a pleasure to have.
7) My Player.A lot of the things here will seem familiar to you, but 2K did add nice features here and there and allow for a more variation when developing your player.The combinations of shots, moves, etc. are endless. This feature was already solid in 2K10, but 2K added some nice little features here and there.
8) Graphics.I think the graphics this year around are fairly crisp and to anybody griping about looks, have you ever considered that maybe companies have already maxed out on how great these games can look?1080p is basically the standard and if it doesn't look as good as you think it should be, try getting an LED tv and then get back to me.
Cons:
1) Same announcers, but they did add some new one liners.Either way, playing two games successively means you hear them rant about the same things.I don't think any game developer is willing to pay two new guys to announce their games every year.
2) I have not encountered any bugs thus far, but I suppose with more playing I'll see something? (SEE UPDATE)
Conclusion:
I think when word got out how amazing 2K11 was, EA finally accepted what they already knew.They were pushing out an inferior product year after year.It's never been more obvious this year as EA delayed their interpretation of basketball by 5 (FIVE!) months.If anybody even tried their demo, I don't blame them.Frankly, I'd get this game just for the Jordan factor... but I thank 2K Sports for merely letting his presence be an attention grabber while letting their actual game do the talking.Whether you're a 2K or Live/Elite fanboy, you really owe it to yourself to get this game.2K didn't have to add a lot of the stuff that they did, but they did so anyways because they really wanted to prove to people that they've mastering their craft with dedication and thought.I hope that anybody who reads this review got something out of it because ever since popping the game in, I really felt the need for everyone else out there to see what I saw.If you have any questions or think I'm talking out of my ass, please let me know!And in the future, don't let EA sell you on their Great Balls of Fire (NBA JAM) to buy their games!Quality will always win out against HYPE!
UPDATE 9/10/10
The more and more I play this game, the more I am impressed.The emphasis this year around was actually SIMULATION of basketball.This is why so many casual gamers are upset, because they can't simply pick up the controller and score 50 with any star player as they'd hope.As good as those players are in real life, it's still insanely hard to pull it off on any given night, as it is in the game as well.
Year in and year out, the AI is ALWAYS a big issue. Game reviewers and connoisseurs, like myself and I'm sure many of you, always complain about the simpleton computer.Hall of Fame is NEVER a challenge....... until NOW.I read a review somewhere else on Amazon, complaining about how hard it was to score and how 2K made the game worse.These complaints are RIDICULOUS because the guy clearly didn't know what this game's about.
However, I've seen a few things that annoyed me.
1) Throwing hail mary passes don't work when you're doing them, but the computer can underhand a hail mary pass directly the guy down court.
2) Where are the Kobe shoes?
3) The new dunk contest.I preferred last year's version, though I'm glad that Sprite guy who announces it is gone.
These little things bug me, but the game is otherwise flawless.Game play is authentic and the animations are amazing.
My advice to anybody in the market for a basketball game is that, know what you're purchasing before you buy it.If you want some fantasy game where you can do whatever the hell you like and score a million points, you can purchase a copy of Live 2001-forseeable future or even a pre NBA 2K-11 2K game.This is the finest sports SIMULATION game ever and with that said, you cannot seriously expect to have things be handed to you when playing this.NBA 2K11 is meant for basketball purists who want the most authentic experience playing their favorite sport in virtual reality.Performing moves, running plays, making shots, etc.everything requires attention to detail and an ability to survey the situation at hand... as your favorite baller would in real life.
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NBA 2K11Product Description: When you're the #1 selling NBA videogame two years in a row, the #1 rated NBA videogame 10 years in a row, and havecollaborated with back-to-back NBA champions, Kevin Garnett (2K9) and Kobe Bryant (2K10) - what is NBA 2K11 to do for the next act? Simple: Michael Jordan. The greatest basketball player of all time debuts for the first time in this hardware generation and brings his passion for the game to NBA 2K11 with an all new Jordan Challenge mode, historic Bulls teams, and even a MJ: Creating a Legend mode offering gamers the chance to be a rookie Michael and craft a new career for him. This is on top of improvements to core gameplay elements - including an all-new IsoMotion dribbling controls, deeper My Player mode with new My Career feature, all-new breathtaking visuals, and much more. This year BECOME THE GREATEST with NBA 2K11.
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