NBA 2K14 Impressions (PS4/Xbox One)

[solofx7]

Quote: Originally Posted by ProtoPunch

I could nitpick this game all day but I don't care to 'cause this is such a giant leap forward - the effort to capture player likenesses paid off tremendously.

I agree. The attention to detail in the arenas is spectacular. From the backboards being glossy at times and dirty/cloudy at others....

[Fresh Tendrils]

Bumped up the game to All-Pro last night.

Going back to Pro tonight haha. It was nice to see how much I have to improve to move up though.

[solofx7]

Quote: Originally Posted by Fresh Tendrils

Bumped up the game to All-Pro last night. Going back to Pro tonight haha. It was nice to see how much I have to improve to move up though.

I am on all-pro now, and I noticed it varies team to team...

[Drewski]

I've logged close to 15 hours on this game now and feel pretty confident after playing against and with many teams to go into my impressions.

Pros

• First and foremost the gameplay is the best in the series and that's what really stands out as their first crack at next-gen. I haven't had this much fun since 2K11 (not sure why/how that game has always stuck with me). I was awestruck not just by the graphics in my first handful of games, but by how much fun I had simply playing the game. I don't feel like I could say that about the last three games in the series, including current-gen 2K14.

• The foot planting created a noticeable difference in how players move. This has created a bit of a steeper learning curve for on-ball defense, which I'm still adjusting to, but it makes for an overall improved experience.

• The new ecomotion engine is legit. The fluidity in everything happening on the court creates for a better experience overall. Pull-up jumpers feel like a pull-up jumper should. Fade-aways from the low-block are perfect (see me with Paul George I'll cut ya' up down there). It's not just the improved control, but the perceived outcome of what I want to happen when I perform a move matches what actually happens in the game way more often. And it looks beautiful doing it.

• All of these new intricacies with ecomotion have created player likeness never before seen in a sports video game. The amount of detail the team was able to put into each players game, especially the marquee guys, is astounding. Kevin Durant moves like water and will stick you from 18 out while shooting over a smaller defender. Derrick Rose's ability to finish around the rim (not this season though sup Chi-Town fans) is obvious. Kobe's footwork and back down moves feel like they should. When LeBron James is barreling to the rim and jams it down you can see the momentum, feel the impact. There's serious physicality in the way these guys "play" and this is inspired work from 2K.

• The offense is fluid. I can swing the ball and probe for breaks in the defense. I can work inside out, draw doubles when someone like David West is hot in the low-post, and attack the weakness in the defense. I can run a pick and roll as a ball-handler, draw defenders from the dive man, and find an open man on the perimeter. Players cut baseline, to the rim, all over the place as they react to where the ball is. It feels good, the spacing is much improved, and the computer AI is just as improved.
  
  The Detroit Pistons, for example, relentlessly attacked the paint with Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum while Brandon Jennings often worked the perimeter game. If I shut down the paint I could feel Detroit adjust, going back to a perimeter oriented game. This is a huge improvement that adds to the likeness mentioned above.

Cons

• The players who weren't scanned in, or had less attention to detail, stand out like sore thumbs. It really detracts from how good this game looks at it's peak. Playing against the Orlando Magic and seeing Nikolas Vucevic and Glen Davis really shocked me (was one of my first MyGM games). For a game that works so hard to pull you in this shoves you out.

• The menus don't really matter much to me, but I think it would have been a pleasant surprise. So many people played/will play NBA 2K14 as their first Next-Gen game and loading into that menu was really disappointing. It doesn't matter at all to the core gameplay, but first impressions matter and the menu left much to be desired.

• Removing features from previous games is never a good thing. I personally can get past much of it, but it's obvious that those features being included would have made a much better game overall. We have no idea how the breakdown of the work they did or if simply "porting" said features would have worked, so they get the benefit of doubt from me because of how incredible the gameplay is.

• The minimal customization you can make to your MyPlayer is disheartening. I imagine this is caused by the need to motion-capture faces for the vast amount of cutscenes they've included, but it's disappointing to have to settle on some of this. Another area they can hopefully improve on -- there's no reason to think they can't here.

• Virtual Currency needs to be completely re-hauled. The entire system is archaic, though I completely understand what they're trying to accomplish with it. The inclusion of MyGM has created another layer of intricacies and costs, and VC can no longer stand on it's own. I don't care that I had to pay 500 VC to adjust rotations, it's a one-time thing. I do care that I had to pay to unlock a special ability for MyGM (pep talk) for X amount of VC, and in order to have said pep talk with a player it costs another X amount of VC. The currency is spread too thin to enjoy multiple modes to the fullest extent, but the team clearly had no other way to put costs on things aside from X amount of VC. That has to change going forward. I look forward to seeing how they address this as the franchise continues to expand into new areas. It's out of date and out of touch.
  
  I want to enjoy all these features and RPG elements. My currency is spread too thin and I'm often left pinching pennies carefully instead of trying out all of these new inclusions. TL;DR, I can't enjoy the game to it's fullest capabilities because everything costs a great deal of "VC."

• Removing a lot of the "quick play" functions, and the overall unintuitive in-game D-Pad menus hurts a bit. Maybe over time I'll get used to the play call functions, but it's a bit tough to adjust to. It helped a bit once I learned "quick post" was just a swipe on the PS4 controll touchpad, but a little more quick control might go a long way.

I can probably go on and on, and likely left out some other key things, but I wanted to get some thoughts down because this is an incredible game and step forward. Hopefully everyone else is enjoying the great gameplay if nothing else.

[jarod43]

^ Enjoy reading your impressions and even though I don't have the game now, don't have the money for a next gen system yet, personally I wish 2K can do away with VC.

[the_future420]

Excellent impressions, Drewski. You pretty much nailed everything I think about this game. Playing this game, it feels like the controller is an extension of my body and I can always make my guys do the moves that I want them to and it feels right doing it. Haven't enjoyed a 2k game this much ever. The gameplay is absolutely excellent. But once we get off the court, things start lacking big time.

[GisherJohn24]

My friend and I who play daily are shocked how amazing this game is on the court. The AI is smarter, and contrary to what some are saying, that point of emphasis stuff has a HUGE impact on the game if you use them wisely. Best graphics on the Ps4 I've seen and the best basketball game ever made. It's so deep I need a shovel. I love this game. Best launch game in video game history. Sorry Mario.

[JerseySuave4]

Quote: Originally Posted by GisherJohn24

My friend and I who play daily are shocked how amazing this game is on the court. The AI is smarter, and contrary to what some are saying, that point of emphasis stuff has a HUGE impact on the game if you use them wisely. Best graphics on the Ps4 I've seen and the best basketball game ever made. It's so deep I need a shovel. I love this game. Best launch game in video game history. Sorry Mario.

The points of emphasis has a HUGE impact. I was the Heat playing the Bulls and I was focusing on D. Rose but Boozer was killing me. So I switched to playing more physical and my D started forcing tough shots. Later in the game I was getting hurt on the glass, so I switched to focus on my defensive rebounding and I stopped getting hurt so much with 2nd chance points.

They do impact how the guys play. I love this feature.