Nba Live 2005 and Espn Basketball Media

dskrizzy · Post by **dskrizzy** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 3:55 pm

Some pretty good media out for the folk who actually care for the basketball titles this year.

Espn just released their "fear the fro" vids. For a game that was utter sh*t last year, its looking pretty damn good!!!
http://www.espnvideogames.com/nba2k5/

I know that IGN has a full game of Nba Live up for the "POD/Play of the Day", Spurs vs Rockets. And the All-Star Weekend looks nasty, especially the dunk off. Just check out their sports section and it should be there.

Both games are looking nice. Didnt even have Espn on my radar because last years version was horrible, but man, they stepped it up from the look of the vids. And *gasp*, they have plays this year, lol.

Your thoughts....

one,
d.

[/url]

jLp vAkEr0 · Post by **jLp vAkEr0** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 4:00 pm

My thoughts are....

It's on D!

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 4:08 pm

I watched the NBA Live 2005 POD video at IGN and was surprised at how much of a defensive struggle it was. Looks much improved ove last years game. ESPN disappointed me big time last year. Right now I could go either way. Live's animations are untouched due to the 10 man mo cap. EA's game may get my $$$ this year.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 4:16 pm

Diablo25 wrote:ESPN disappointed me big time last year. Right now I could go either way.

ESPN was a major disappointment for me as well, but it's pretty much a no-brainer at $19.99. It's almost cheaper to buy and sell than rent. I'll probably pick it up first and then wait for Live impressions. Live was my favorite game last year, but there were some serious issues with the game that need fixed.

seanmac31 · Post by **seanmac31** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 4:17 pm

The graphics on ESPN are stunning, but the players do have some of the stiffness that goes along with VC's better player models. Live looks smoother, and the 10 man motion cap makes the overall flow of the game look better. Live is the more appealing title to me, but I can't justify the extra $30. Now if EA does the same thing they're doing with NHL...that would be a different story.

Neither game is likely to have the kind of sophisticated motion offenses of ID 2004, though.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 4:25 pm

seanmac31 wrote:Live is the more appealing title to me, but I can't justify the extra $30. Now if EA does the same thing they're doing with NHL...that would be a different story.

What is EA doing with NHL? I think Live is priced at $39.99.

dskrizzy · Post by **dskrizzy** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 4:26 pm

I agree, ESPN was a huge disappointment. I read the interview last year and they said teams play like they do in real life, funk that, LIE!!!

But the vids that are up are quite promising, a complete turnaround from last year's mess of a game.

My circle of friends and myself really enjoyed Live last year. It had its share of bugs and issues, but in multiplayer, it really wasnt that bad, i.e offensive rebounds. We just went after them "ourselves".

When I first saw the dunk off vids for Live 05, my jaw hit the floor, the stuff you can do (although unrealistic) is nasty!!!!! Figure 8 through the legs from a lob off the shot clock, come on man, sick!!!!

Im always stoked for b-ball games, this year is no different, just hope that there is not such a let down with either of the 2 titles.

Javi,
Oh no doubt bro, its so on, looking forward to getting some games in. And heck maybe we'll set up another league, and hopefully we get people who'll want to finish it.

d.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 10:14 am

The first 4 or 5 vids at http://www.espnvideogames.com/nba2k5/ are looking very nice. The hop step looks very nice.

TrojanMan · Post by **TrojanMan** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 10:35 am

From the vids, it appears that VC has put at least one useful camera angle back into the game. There appears to be a heavy emphasis on the iso-motion stuff, though. I hope that doesn't introduce an insane cheese factor, such that an adroit stick jockey can win consistently with no real understanding of the game.

Anyway, Javi, if you guys have a league, I want in. We had a couple of nice runs with ID last year...

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 12:25 pm

I didn't have a big problem with ESPN last year, it's just that the cameras were unplayable. If they give you some more customization I'll have no problem picking it up. As for Live...I'll be getting it for my PC. I've got last years and I still play it. There is a huge mod community for it and it plays a damn good game right now. Not to mention it looks AWESOME on a high res PC card and monitor.

I'll be buying both...par for the course.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 12:27 pm

I'm looking forward to some NBA league action as well... does anyone know if the dunk contest stuff has Live functionality?

As for ESPN, the players do look better than ever, but I feel like the animations have gotten stiffer every year. Looks like the same situation this year. Still, I'm one of the few that liked last year's game, even if it was impossible to run a pick and roll.

dskrizzy · Post by **dskrizzy** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 1:08 pm

Slum,

What up man, long time... I still remember when we had the "ID League" going and you wanted to play our league game from your work, LMAO! We had some good ID runs, I hope this year's batch of b-ball games are playable and we can get a league in somehow, I really enjoyed the ID league that Javi put together, before it got dismantled due to inactivity.
I dont think the dunk off is "xbox live" enabled, boo' for that, it would have been a blast to throw down with 3 other DSP'ers. Espn had a ball handling vid up earlier yesterday with their 'fear the fro' friday thing but for some reason they took it down. Luckily I dl'ed it, I believe the link is up @ OS, but their forum's are down, I will post it when they come back up. It showed some "playbook" features, they have quick sets that can be accessed by all teams, "quick screen", "quick pick and roll", "quick post". You can go into options and pick from what looked like team specific plays, I remember seeing "wheel option, Point shuffle SF, SF screen and roll" for the Suns, which I assume is plays run for Matrix, finally, actual plays!!!! Lets hope that each team has their own specific plays to choose from, but it looks like it. Always stoked for b-ball games/season, and this year is no different.

From comparing the 2 games from the vids available, Live looks very cartoonish, but like db said, I as well still play it to this day. We still get some great multiplayer games. The graphics dont really bother me in live as they look to have been bumped up from last years version. But EA really needs to step it up, VC's graphics as per usual are stunning. I'll be getting both, so you can count me in to put both games through their paces upon release.

Javi, we'll talk and hopefully the both of us can get another league up and running...

one,
d.

dskrizzy · Post by **dskrizzy** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 3:38 pm

Espn preview from IGN.

http://sports.ign.com/articles/547/547759p1.html

Sounds great!!! Just hope they pulled it off as good as it sounds. It does look like they put some time into it though vs last year's garbage! Hope both titles are playable this year....

d.

jLp vAkEr0 · Post by **jLp vAkEr0** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 3:48 pm

Good read.

Can't wait!

dskrizzy · Post by **dskrizzy** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 4:12 pm

Gameplay vids of ESPN 2k5 @ Gamespot.

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/sports/esp ... 304gp4.asx

Looks alright man!

Im getting hyped.....

Javi, its so on bro!!!!

d.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 4:29 pm

Footage looks great. For $19.99 for NBA and College Hoops they are no brainers for me. March Madness and Live will be rentals through gamerang.

Visual Concepts caught some heat last year for the limited camera angles available in NBA 2K4. This has been addressed this year in a big way, with fully customizable camera options that allow you to tweak the camera angle and zoom level so that you can find the perfect viewpoint for your preferred style of play.

Nice to see they can own up to their mistakes. Of course when did one camera angle = "limited camera angles"?

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 4:42 pm

Nice videos. How come the players look less stiff in those movies than in the other previews I've seen?