Nba 2k11

[JoePanini]

Well I have the game. And it's really, REALLY different. It's alot better, you can actually feel the contact between players, and you can't just drive into the paint with random players anymore. The new cross-overs and passing are great. And there are loads of new post moves. I haven't played My Player mode, but apparently you have like a persona.

In The Association mode, the first thing you notice is how the "homepage" is much nicer to look at. There are quite nice new features, like the "find a trade" feature. Pretty much you can either put up to three players you want to trade (at the same time) or three players you want to acquire, and you can all sorts of offers. Honestly, I only accepted realistic ones, because I put Reggie, Barbosa (who has three stars in trade value) and Calderon, and I got offers for players like Lee and Ray Allen. But I got tonnes of nice offers for young players, and my current line-up is:

Jack
DeRozan
Kleiza
Johnson
Bargnani

Weems
Reddick
Davis
Bledsoe
Babbitt
Pryzbilla
Wright

I've only played one game against the Knicks, I just got the game and I play 48 minute quarters. And it's alot harder, I had already put difficulty to Hall of Fame, but had to change it immediately. I can no longer run past defenders with DD and just dunk, which makes DD pretty hard to score with (his jumper is meh) but he "realistically" got 14 points.
I beat New York, 107-91. Out rebounding them 53-37, but that's just my skill HAHA. Boxing out is harder now, and the whole feel is different. In game visuals are alot better, with nice stats popping out here and then. It took me awhile to get used to starting the offense and all, but all the new plays are so much fun to discover. The only negative point I would have to put is that the new free throw system is annoying. Instead of being the usual where you hold down the Right stick and let go, now you hold it down, then push upwards...
In the game, Bargs scored 26 (12/21) 11 rebounds 2 assists and 3 blocks in 34 minutes. Ed Davis was great with 9 points 14 (6 offensive) rebounds and a block in 19 minutes. Kleiza had 19 points and 8 rebounds. And Weems had 22 points (11/13) in 16 minutes. The whole team rebounded pretty well, and I got 17 offensive boards (Amir got 6, Przybilla had 4, Kleiza 3, Jack 2 and others all had a couple). I also got 8 steals and 9 blocks.
I'll write a bit more about the game, and about the gameplay and all, but now I'm going to play

[Mack North]

How'd you score the game already? I thought it comes out tomorrow...

My personal preference would be to keep the Raps and the league as is, all rosters regularly updated. The only time I'd change is if I was to have a fantasy draft... If you're gonna change it, change it all!

[Apollo]

I don't have a whole lot of time anymore but typically I have a game of Madden before going to bed if there's time. This year's Madden isn't much different than last year and the Franchise mode hasn't changed in like five years. The lack of attention to the franchise mode is ridiculous. Seriously, franchise mode offered as much, if not more, when it was on PS1... Anyway, I decided I'm getting rid of Madden. Dropped by EB games on the weekend while as I was near by running errands and they didn't have NBA2K11 yet and told me that it won't be released until Tuesday. I'm trading in Madden when I buy it later in the week.

[JoePanini]

How'd you score the game already? I thought it comes out tomorrow...

My personal preference would be to keep the Raps and the league as is, all rosters regularly updated. The only time I'd change is if I was to have a fantasy draft... If you're gonna change it, change it all!

I don't know it was in the store, so I bought it, but the game is great. I somehow managed to get Cleveland's first round pick. Oh, we don't have a trade exception or Miami's pick which is annoying....
I didn't change THAT much. I still have 8 players from the original team, and I managed to get 8MIL in cap space for extensions and all

[JoePanini]

I don't have a whole lot of time anymore but typically I have a game of Madden before going to bed if there's time. This year's Madden isn't much different than last year and the Franchise mode hasn't changed in like five years. The lack of attention to the franchise mode is ridiculous. Seriously, franchise mode offered as much, if not more, when it was on PS1... Anyway, I decided I'm getting rid of Madden. Dropped by EB games on the weekend while as I was near by running errands and they didn't have NBA2K11 yet and told me that it won't be released until Tuesday. I'm trading in Madden when I buy it later in the week.

Yeah, the new "simplified" version is kinda sheet... 2k is definitely worth your money, great improvements, but it takes time to get used to.
Btw, it took me a whole day to figure out how to post up (RT+LT)

[.40 Cal Flakes]

The game sounds dope!

I can't wait to cop it! The last version I have is 2k9 and I heard the change from that to this year is DRAMATIC. It sounds like the players' abilities is a lot more realistic.

Joe, how are the visuals/atmosphere of the arenas? How's MJ play?



2K11...where the Raps win Championships!!

[JoePanini]

The game sounds dope!

I can't wait to cop it! The last version I have is 2k9 and I heard the change from that to this year is DRAMATIC. It sounds like the players' abilities is a lot more realistic.

Joe, how are the visuals/atmosphere of the arenas? How's MJ play?



2K11...where the Raps win Championships!!

The visuals are pretty good. In home games, when you go on runs (I love Weems) they start screaming. And there are loads of cool cut scenes like in the beginning/pre game sometimes you see star players of the other team in the locker and they'll be like "can he make the difference" and stats are used alot better now. Top player comparisons come up, and the new score tracker thing is far better as it's now on the bottom right like on tv.
MJ is actually not fun IMO. It's super easy, when you first turn the game on, the first thing you do is play a game as MJ (that you can skip by quitting, nothing will happen) and I kept sinking mid range jumpers, and everytime I drove I just did a spin move and some sick lay-up/dunk. But it's okay, probably funner to play the MJ career thing.

The new menu's are back to the 2k9 format, in 2k10 it was in a central thing and you picked options that surrounded the middle, but now it's a side menu kinda thing.

I simulated a random season with Raptors, and finished with 21 wins LOL. And the draft was alot better. It's now in the actual draft board room, and you see Stern and the board like in Combine. And you get offered trades whilst the draft is going on. I got offered the 3rd Pick and Dalembert for Jose Calderon and my 2012 first round pick!

Loads of new features and it's a far better game, worth every penny. I'll write a detailed review when I stop playing... never :P

[.40 Cal Flakes]

3rd pick and Dalembert for Ocho and a first rounder...haha if only it were likr that for real!

Thanks for the mini review, game sounds sick. Straight to EBGames after work.

[JoePanini]

So here goes.

My NBA 2K11 Review.

Firstly, I would have to say that the graphics are a lot better, but not what you would expect as we're now nearly into 2011, and games like FIFA have over 4,000 players, yet managed to make most players unique and realistic looking. But the graphics are pretty good, and all the visuals are very enjoyable. I love the game, can't stop playing.

In Game This has changed quite a bit, it's a lot harder and a lot more realistic. You can no longer just sprint passed defenders for an easy lay-in. AI defending is a lot better and more aggressive (finally they actually foul you when you drive). The new dribbling and cross-over system helps you get passed defenders, open a shot for yourself or others, and when properly learned, can be deadly. I'm not quite used to it, but when I started a random season and signed Allen Iverson, I found it incredibly fun, and very nice to look at. I could get passed defenders pretty well, and get good looks. Most of the controls have changed, and there is a new passing control (RB+Right Stick towards direction of pass) which pretty much is awesome. It's pretty hard, but a good practice is to use it even when passing to a player right next to you, cause you tend to lose orientation of where you're passing. This new feature is great, because it allows you to pass at who you want to, quickly (instead of having to press RB then one of the buttons which was time wasting and often wasted great opportunities for open looks and open runs to the lane). It's not as easy, as you can't always drive and pass out, as it can get intercepted pretty easily or you can pass badly because the ball goes where the right stick is flicked towards, so the ball doesn't automatically go to the player, and is only controlled by you. It was pretty fun to do, but I ended up having 6 TOs with Jack in my first game.
New gameplay features include new post moves which are extremely fun too. You can now do so many different moves and fakes, making it a lot more fun and realistic. Now it's not only about getting a hook shot over the defender, but actually fooling him into thinking of what your next move is. You can completely control what you do, pump-fake and up and under, hook shot, pump-fake then fade, nearly anything is possible. You can ever roll passed the defender and dunk right on him which usually stirs the crowd up! There are many new improvements, many new moves, and loads to still find out. So it will be fun to figure them all out!

The Association The first thing you notice, is that the menu has changed completely. Now the NBA homepage is 6 "squares" which all have a story, and when you scroll onto a story, the bigger picture appears in the bigger square which is surrounded by these 6 squares. The first stories are about Miami, Lakers and opening games. And as you go on, games go on and trades.
One of the coolest new features is "find a player" and "find a trade".
Find a player is pretty much a page where you can modify player traits and skills to find a certain player you want. (I.e You want a young (under 25) SG that earns less than 5M/year and has a 3 point shooting rating of 75. And you'll get a whole list of players who match this. You can put in as many skills as you want, thus allowing you to find a player you need.
Find a trade is even cooler. Instead of having to work out complicated trades, now you can just use this feature. You can either pick up to 3 of your players at once to be traded together, and you'll get a bunch of offers. If you put players like Reggie Miller (bad contract) you won't get that many options (maybe 5 trade results) that's why it's best to pair them with an above average player (in my case Jose Calderon) and you find you get a whole series of interesting offers.
Another new feature is a "star" trade value system. Players now have stars depending on their trade value. Most players are one star, but many are higher. Orton (C, Magic who is rated at 59 has three stars, Barbosa rated at 75 has three stars, yet Damion Something who plays SF for Cleveland and is rated at 70 is one star so I'm not sure how this star system works). So with the star system, there is a whole new fair trade mechanism, and it's no longer only about overalls. Also, teams now trade for cap relief as well. I got offered J.J Reddick and Gortat for Babbitt (I traded with Portland for him, he earns about 1M). I declined, cause I would go real near to being under the cap... But I eventually got Reddick to give me range after a trade I forgot.
I have only played three games in my Association, but it feels a lot more real. Thus funner. Also, I simulated a season with the Raps, and the new draft is pretty awesome as a said before. Now you see Stern and the draft board, and you get offered draft day trade, and you can propose as well.

My Player I was incredibly excited to start this, so I created my player, and quickly got through with creation and made a 5'10" All Round PG. You are given 10000 free skill points to put on whatever you want. Oh, I picked MJs jumper :P
So you have to play 3 games in a draft combine thing, to improve your stock and get drafted. I'm currently in the Summer League with Charlotte after I got picked by them with their first round pick (in the three games I averaged 22 pts 19 assists 48 minutes :P) I'm starting my summer league now, and can't wait to get into the NBA. There is a more interactive My Player now, as you build a persona through press conferences. This affects contracts you get (Oh, you can request trades now), how much your team mates pass, how much you play (minutes) and how much people like you. It's fun, but if you mess up your conferences then it could end up less fun. You have 4 choices when they ask you question I picked Honest, or Arrogant. Arrogant got all my "points" up oddly. :/

For now this is all, I hope all of you enjoy the game!!

[Apollo]

Just bought it. I'm going to have a game tonight when I get home. Will let you know what my first impression is.

[Prime]

I just bought it on Steam, but my bandwidth's up for this week, so I won't be playing till like next weekend.

[JoePanini]

Just a lil note, I traded Przybilla, Babbitt and Reddick for Rudy Fernandez, Green and Fesenko. All different trades

Reason: Przybilla was an expiring, and I needed his incredible defense, but he didn't get any more than 5 minutes because at many points I put Amir, Davis, Wright, DD and Weems together. And I had an awesome small ball team (Davis, Wright, Weems, Jack, Bledsoe). Babbitt was just bad, maybe because he was a rookie, but he wasn't going to get a fair chance on my team, and Cleveland needed a SF (Graham started) so I traded Babbitt and Przybilla to Cleveland, then got Fesenko from the Jazz and I gave a 2011 second round pick (thunder) to the Jazz in a little 3 team trade.
Then I traded Reddick because I didn't know how to use his jumper, I thought he would have been my open 3 shot player and sink shots in runs but no. So I traded him for Fernandez who is younger, cheaper and I know how to use him.

Right now, I'm 3-1. I won my first 2 home games against the Knicks and Cleveland (109-61!!!!!) then lost to the Kings in Sacramento, then I beat the Jazz in Utah.

Stats (rounded)

Jack 14 POINTS 5 REBOUNDS 7 ASSISTS 3 STEALS
DeRozan 14 POINTS 6 REBOUNDS 1 ASSIST 2 STEALS 1 BLOCK
Kleiza 19 POINTS 7 REBOUNDS 2 ASSISTS 1 STEAL 1 BLOCK
Johnson 6 POINTS 8 REBOUNDS 1 ASSIST 1 STEAL 1 BLOCK
Bargnani 22 POINTS 11 REBOUNDS 3 ASSISTS 1 STEAL 4 BLOCKS

Ed Davis 12 POINTS 10 REBOUNDS 1 ASSIST 1 STEAL 2 BLOCKS
Bledsoe 1 POINT 1 REBOUND 5 ASSISTS 1 STEAL 0 BLOCKS
Fernandez (first game) 11 POINTS 2 REBOUNDS 2 ASSISTS 1 STEAL 0 BLOCKS
Wright 7 POINTS 4 REBOUNDS 1 ASSIST 2 STEALS 1 BLOCK
Weems 17 POINTS 5 REBOUNDS 2 ASSISTS 1 STEAL 0 BLOCKS
Fesenko (first game) 0 POINTS 2 REBOUNDS 0 ASSISTS 0 STEALS 1 BLOCK
Green 1 POINT 0 REBOUNDS 0 ASSISTS 1 STEAL 0 BLOCKS

Can't remember my 12th player cause he never plays LOL. I'll edit that when I next play then come back here

Btw, NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER trade Weems (whenever you go to the find a trade option, they put Weems in a lot to sweeten deals and all) because he will score like crazy. Even at a 60 overall. His mid range jumper. Everytime my second unit go on, he goes on a run (apart from against Sacramento where he AND Bargs shot awfully). Cross-over, followed by another cross-over then either spin move or hop step and a fade-away almost always goes in. He's my late game finisher. But if he's cold, he's useless. Against Utah, he started 0-6. Finished 2-15

[heinz57]

Anybody still playing?

I'm finding the game ridiculously easy now, in my player mode. 9 times out of 10, in transition as long as i'm a step back from the 3 pt line i can get a clean shot off without a hand in my face. and the second my 3 pt shot stops falling, and its bound to, just step inside the 3 pt line, and the mid-ranges will drop easily.

miami finally granted my trade request and shipped me off the 76ers, who were dead last in the east. but ive scored more than 50 pts in 10 straight games

[JoePanini]

Anybody still playing?

I'm finding the game ridiculously easy now, in my player mode. 9 times out of 10, in transition as long as i'm a step back from the 3 pt line i can get a clean shot off without a hand in my face. and the second my 3 pt shot stops falling, and its bound to, just step inside the 3 pt line, and the mid-ranges will drop easily.

miami finally granted my trade request and shipped me off the 76ers, who were dead last in the east. but ive scored more than 50 pts in 10 straight games

I still play. Do you play with the sliders on the other setting (can't remember what it's called, but it puts your shooting to 45% and makes the computer go to the post more etc...). I win a lot, but I've also lost quite a bit. 2nd season, lost to the Celtics in the playoffs. They are really, really good in this game.

Anyways, my Raptor team is now:

PG Jrue Holiday
SG DeMar DeRozan
SF Linas Kleiza
PF Ed Davis
C Andrea Bargnani

Eric Bledsoe
Rodrigue Beaubois
Thaddeus Young
Al Faruq Aminu
Tyson Chandler
Kyrilo Fesenko
Sonny Weems

It's a really balanced team. I have my three point shooters (Holiday, Beaubois, Young, Kleiza and Bargnani), my post scorers (Bargnani, Chandler, Aminu, Davis, Kleiza), my 'attackers' (DeRozan, Holiday, Kleiza, Bargnani), good passers (Holiday and Bledsoe), good rebounders (Aminu, Davis, Chandler) and my team is super young. I also have Cleveland's first round pick which is great.

In My Player, I am a 6'4 shooting guard, on Memphis. Only played 15 games, averaging 23 points, 4(3 offensive) rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 60% on field goals, 0% on threes, 92% from the line. Only 1.5 turnovers. I'm 62 overall, mostly dunks and mid-range jumpers. What's annoying is when they put me at SF and I play against Lewis or Gallinari... That's why I changed from PG to SG, because even as a PG they shifted me to the 3.

[Apollo]

Only played with it a few times but in The Association mode's trade finder lands you some unbalanced trades.