What's happening family? It's your friendly neighborhood Czar coming at you from New York City. EA invited Czar out to the Change the Game event at the Cellar Bar in the Bryant Park Hotel. At this event, the NBA was well represented by the the new cover athlete Kevin Durant, as well as Steph Curry, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.

With an open bar and 9th Wonder on the turntables, the mood could not have been better for a video game enthusiast to get a first look at NBA Elite 11. In a show of raw professionalism and sheer strength of will, Czar avoided the bar until both NBA Jam and NBA Elite 11 could be properly examined.

Now, if the crowd reaction at the event was any indication, then EA may have knocked one out of the park with NBA Jam. Everyone who played Jam enjoyed it. I can easily see Jam as the centerpiece of any gamer's Wii arsenal. The development team stayed very true to the original while offering a few new modes and enhancements that others are sure to enjoy as well. For those who want classic controls, you can also play without the gestures and go completely old school by just using the controller.

Obviously, I was also very eager to finally get my hands on Elite 11. Yaw, an EA community manager, gave me a brief walkthrough on the basics, and executive producer Brent Nielson was kind enough to spend an hour or so going through the game and showing me some of the more advanced moves while answering a few questions.

When I first jumped on the sticks, I was absolutely horrible...

Horrid.

Frightful.

Brent had a good laugh as I launched airball after airball at the rim. However, I let him know that his barbs would be returned in kind as soon as I was more familiar with the controls. The point here is that NBA Elite 11 is a new take on an old story. There will be an adjustment period, especially for seasoned gamers who may be more familiar with other right-stick shooting mechanics.

Knowing my own reservations and those of the Sim Nation, I wasted no time inquiring about the hurdles present to restrict Wisconsin's finest (cheesers) from making a mockery out of what was developed to be a very sim control scheme. Many sim fans worldwide will be relieved to know that this is something the development team is aware of and intent on stopping.

To really understand how shooting works in Elite 11, you have to understand the core pillar of the team's gameplay philosophy this year, and that is, user skill determines the outcomes. While that may create a discord among those hoping the integrity of the game is not sacrificed, others feel this is a long overdue addition to what EA perceives to be a stale genre.

It has been pointed out on numerous occasions that you shoot the ball in Elite 11 by pushing up on the right stick. The skill part of the equation is releasing the stick at the top of the jump while making sure you push the right stick straight up. In the one-on-one practice mode, there is a meter on the right side of the screen that allows you to see the perfect release point, and it also allows you to see if your right stick is straight up or slightly left or right of the intended mark. If you release on time and within your sweet spot for left to right movement, you should end up with a good result. In fact, if you had a perfect release in the one-on-one game I played, the ball went in every time.

As I understand it, ratings determine how big of a sweet spot each player has during the shooting motion. This sweet spot will also be affected by difficulty level and defensive presence. So just like in real life, your wide-open shots should be easier for you to make, but if you are being closely guarded by a good defender with good defensive ratings, his pressure will change your sweet spot (As opposed to having an effect on your percentage). Basically, that means hitting a pressured shot will require more skill on your part. This whole breakdown rewards the great skill of the player shooting the ball, and it is reinforced by the ratings. In addition, a player like Kobe will have a greater sweet spot under pressure than a player like Joakim Noah.

One area that I have not seen much written about is the rebounding. Quite on accident another user and I discovered that by pressing up on the right stick to initiate a rebound you could still influence your player's direction with the left stick. We tested this by trying to jump in the wrong direction with the left stick, and we witnessed the rebounder reach back to attempt to grab the rebound. However, I have no idea if this is the way rebounding will work in the final game. But I can say that is was nice to see, and it fit well within their player control philosophy.

All that being said, I now have to say that the control offered in Elite 11 is not a marketing gimmick of any kind. Elite 11 is a game that will reward those who spend the extra time in practice getting more familiar with the controls. After some time on the sticks, your mind starts to grasp the left-stick body and right-stick hands connection, and that is when the game's controls really begin to shine.

One of the drawbacks to having so much control is that the movement of the game can, at times, look a bit erratic because there is nothing linking the offense to the defense. So while the control is amazing, there can be instances where it does not quite look like basketball we are accustomed to seeing. More than any other title, the skill of the people holding the sticks can have a huge influence on how the action is presented in videos of the game.

There are numerous scenarios that can play out when you give users this much control. One of those scenarios involves two experts on the sticks having some potentially epic battles. However, any mismatch in skill sets could produce some of the most lopsided victories known to the digital basketball world. As such, there is no safety net to assist you. If you can not defend and your opponent executes perfectly, it is basically a Cobra Kai situation: strike first, strike hard, no mercy sir!

There are some gamers who will be elated by this. Others may not be too thrilled. At this point one thing is for certain, it is a very bold and assertive move on the part of EA. I applaud the developers for having the stones to set their own course and still build upon the foundation of Live 10's AI. I can only hope they stay responsive to the community as we find out the perils and rewards that may await us all with this new system.

Here is to hoping their execution matches their intentions. If so, 2011 could be a very good year for Elite 11.