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NBA 2K11
The NBA 2K franchise has been a scarcity at the last couple E3 conferences, but this year it looked polished enough to take to the hardcourt tomorrow. After a rough launch last year plagued with gameplay slowdowns, Visual Concepts is putting all of its efforts into polishing its seasoned champion and delivering the 60 frames-per-second sporting experience that its fans deserve right out the gate.
The centerpiece of this renovation is a retooled control scheme that does away with the complicated dribbling controls of its predecessors. Recognizing that it shouldn't be so difficult to pull off killer crossovers, Visual Concepts worked to retool the way your player handles the ball. Though they wouldn't go into details, it looked like game demoer was only using the left analog stick to pull off moves that required several button inputs last year.
With new player models and completely retooled player animation systems, the on-court movement already look much smoother than they did in NBA 2K10. Animations blend together better, and players are no longer locked into their animations and rendered helpless until the move runs its course. If you're spinning toward the basket and decide to change your course, you can now break out of the animation and reverse your move or get off that delicately timed shot just outside the reach of your defender.
To complement NBA 2K's new look on the court, 2K Sports poached a guy who used to work in the TNT presentation booth to sharpen up its broadcast-style look. The Lakers vs. Celtics match-up we watched during the demo started with KG and co. coming off the bus while Kevin Harlan welcomed everyone to the Thanksgiving throwdown. The new player introductions used player images, and all of the informational overlays ditch the static look for more dynamic flow effects.
Visual Concepts wouldn't discuss innovations to its game modes, but promised that big things are in store for the Association and My Player modes. We'll hear more as we move toward the October 5 release date.
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