Interview with NBA Live 13 Developer Scott O'Gallagher

[bigeastbumrush]

The closer we get to 10/2 without any gameplay footage whatsoever, the less impact this hype machine is going to have.

I was interested in Live '13 even after the E3 abomination.

But as the weeks have gone by with nothing but interview after interview, it becomes nothing but a bore.

EA just released NCAA 13.
Madden 13 (with huge improvements) is next in August.
FIFA 13 is after that in September.

You're telling me that with no gameplay footage in 2 years, I'm supposed to be swayed by their redundant Sizzle trailers in one month?

And I'm supposed to drop $60 on their product out of what...loyalty?

Please EA. I don't care if you bring in the Dream Team to work on your game. If your animations suck...I don't give a you know what.

[DBMcGee3]

Quote: Originally Posted by Blak_Baki_Hanma

Not to be the bearer of bad news.... but... NBA Live is terrible. It has been terrible for as long as anyone can remember. Can anyone recall when NBA Live was even remotely realistic as a basketball game? Unless you owned a SNES or PSOne, YOU CAN'T. The reality of the situation is really quite simple. No one at EA Sports is a competent basketball game developer... Period. So much so that EA gave the franchise to a HOCKEY GUY.. I repeat, A HOCKEY GUY! I still have the NBA Elite 11 DEMO on my 360... and it STILL makes me laugh uncontrollably! No ability to control your player's speed, graphics from 2 generations ago, no player-skill differentiation, and a shooting mechanic that can only be described as... INDESCRIBABLE. This is a company that is so disingenuous that they were literally SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS about how REVOLUTIONARY NBA Elite 11 was. This is the same as calling every single one of us an idiot... TO OUR FACES. Please, EA NBA LIve Franchise, just go away. I don't think anyone is interested in hitting 30 step-back 3's while falling out of bounds with Chauncey Billups and JR Smith.... and that was on the best iteration of NBA Live... EVER. (Even Mike Wang couldn't save it... but I give him the utmost credit for actually trying). The idea that competition breeds better quality games is true... but not applicable here. Live and 2K don't compete... in the same fashion that MW3 and Avatar Deathmatch don't compete. So... who's really excited to play a game that's 2 years in the making BUT developed on an 8-month cycle with animations and A.I. mined from even OLDER versions of the same failed franchise? Yeah... doesn't sound so appetizing when you hear it described without the hype, does it? For the record... NO DISRESPECT TO SCOTT O'G.... he's just EA's latest designated fall-guy so no one points at the top brass. ps... how 'bout some gameplay vids... so we can see Carlos Boozer taking off from the foul line... AGAIN. SMH.

Agree to disagree I guess. I think Live 10 was better than 2k10 in nearly every way. Better player control, better passing, better contact animations, and most importantly, more realistic stats. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Live 10 is the ONLY basketball game I've ever owned that produced realistic stats when playing 12 min quarters, right out of the box with no slider adjustments. With 2k I spend more time tinkering with sliders than I do playing the game, which gets really old and frustrating.

I'll give 2k credit where it's due, they knocked 2k11 out of the park, and 2k12 was a good, not great, game. I guess for me it's just about wanting something new and refreshing. I saw that brief gameplay demo of 2k13 a month or so ago, and honestly I couldn't tell the difference at all between it and 2k12. Same crappy dribbling, same crappy collision animation, etc. I stopped playing 2k around January this year out of sheer boredom, so the thought of another nearly identical game coming next year just doesn't excite me....at all.

I'll agree that the lack of gameplay footage so far worries me about this year's Live, but it's gonna have to be really bad for me to not at least give it a chance. Hopefully it's at least good enough to, as you said, compete with 2k and force their hand a bit in the innovation category.

[Wilson24]

Its like they dont know whats gonna be in the game cause know they wont have time to finish everything. Rediculous to take that much time off and not use it all.

[Amedu]

Quote: Originally Posted by bigeastbumrush

The closer we get to 10/2 without any gameplay footage whatsoever, the less impact this hype machine is going to have. I was interested in Live '13 even after the E3 abomination. But as the weeks have gone by with nothing but interview after interview, it becomes nothing but a bore. EA just released NCAA 13. Madden 13 (with huge improvements) is next in August. FIFA 13 is after that in September. You're telling me that with no gameplay footage in 2 years, I'm supposed to be swayed by their redundant Sizzle trailers in one month? And I'm supposed to drop $60 on their product out of what...loyalty? Please EA. I don't care if you bring in the Dream Team to work on your game. If your animations suck...I don't give a you know what.

LOL SOO TRUE..EA NEEDS better animations for us to take the game seriously

[NoTiCe_O]

Quote: Originally Posted by Wilson24

Its like they dont know whats gonna be in the game cause know they wont have time to finish everything. Rediculous to take that much time off and not use it all.

There has to be a reason behind EA's silence. For all we know Live could have tons of stuff waiting to show, but just haven't yet. I feel like EA is withholding some valuable info so 2k can't take/steal ideas.

Anyone else notice that when NBA Live said passing was a major focus for them this year that 2k went out at E3 and said they've really reworked the passing game (even though the passing looked exactly the same). Then when the speculation about NBA Live having a physics engine came around, all of a sudden Mike Wang (who rarely tweets) tweets about the breakthrough that they've made in the collision system this year. NBA Live is smart for withholding info, they'll probably release info when its to late for 2k to implement any of their ideas.

2k is like that friend that always tries to outdo you, if you tell him you want a 2012 Accord, he want's the 2012 Accord coupe fully loaded. You tell him your gonna get an iPhone 4s 16gb, he gets the 32gb. You tell him your gonna get some oreos, he gets doublestuffed. Eventually, you just stop telling him stuff.

Live is smart to keep a tight lip

[King_B_Mack]

Quote: Originally Posted by DBMcGee3

Agree to disagree I guess. I think Live 10 was better than 2k10 in nearly every way. Better player control, better passing, better contact animations, and most importantly, more realistic stats. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Live 10 is the ONLY basketball game I've ever owned that produced realistic stats when playing 12 min quarters, right out of the box with no slider adjustments. With 2k I spend more time tinkering with sliders than I do playing the game, which gets really old and frustrating. I'll give 2k credit where it's due, they knocked 2k11 out of the park, and 2k12 was a good, not great, game. I guess for me it's just about wanting something new and refreshing. I saw that brief gameplay demo of 2k13 a month or so ago, and honestly I couldn't tell the difference at all between it and 2k12. Same crappy dribbling, same crappy collision animation, etc. I stopped playing 2k around January this year out of sheer boredom, so the thought of another nearly identical game coming next year just doesn't excite me....at all. I'll agree that the lack of gameplay footage so far worries me about this year's Live, but it's gonna have to be really bad for me to not at least give it a chance. Hopefully it's at least good enough to, as you said, compete with 2k and force their hand a bit in the innovation category.

Really? Really? To each his own I guess. However, I can't stress enough. Live 10 is the most overrated sports game I think to ever hit the market. Everything Live on this generation before and after it has been so god awful, that a game that played pretty much like all of them with the most minimal of improvements that just barely made it a playable game has achieved the status of a good to great game online which is ridiculous. Again, you couldn't even play the passing lane for steals in Live. It literally was physically impossible in the game to pick off a pass in mid air or after it left a player's hands on a bounce. The horrid rebounding, the sliding across the floor that passed as running. The glitch where you could body up a guy near the sidelines that triggered the animation where he tries to tip toe pass and lose the ball EVERY SINGLE TIME you did it.

Again, Live 10 baby steps into the right direction, but by no means a good to great game.

[King_B_Mack]

Quote: Originally Posted by NoTiCe_O

Man, it seems like everyone is assuming the worst around here. For all we know Live could have tons of stuff waiting to show, but just haven't yet. I feel like EA is withholding some valuable info so 2k can't take/steal ideas. Anyone else notice that when NBA Live said passing was a major focus for them this year that 2k went out at E3 and said they've really reworked the passing game (even though the passing looked exactly the same). Then when the speculation about NBA Live having a physics engine came around, all of a sudden Mike Wang (who rarely tweets) tweets about the breakthrough that they've made in the collision system this year. NBA Live is smart for withholding info, they'll probably release info when its to late for 2k to implement any of their ideas. 2k is like that friend that always tries to outdo you, if you tell him you want a 2012 Accord, he want's the 2012 Accord coupe fully loaded. You tell him your gonna get an iPhone 4s 16gb, he gets the 32gb. You tell him your gonna get some oreos, he gets doublestuffed. Eventually, you just stop telling him stuff. Live is smart to keep a tight lip

Of course cause 2K hasn't heard fans bitching at them about passing before. You realize your suggestion of 2K stealing EA's ideas is like cheating off the test of the dumbest kid in the class? It's like the Lakers deciding they want to steal the Milwaukee Bucks' notes on building a franchise powerhouse.

[TheUndogmatic]

Alright EA and 2k, it's great that you guys are working on your games and you both have good things in store, but come on. Stop it with this interview and trailer crap and start putting out the info and gameplay footage.

[22cedric]

Quote: Originally Posted by NoTiCe_O

There has to be a reason behind EA's silence. For all we know Live could have tons of stuff waiting to show, but just haven't yet. I feel like EA is withholding some valuable info so 2k can't take/steal ideas. Anyone else notice that when NBA Live said passing was a major focus for them this year that 2k went out at E3 and said they've really reworked the passing game (even though the passing looked exactly the same). Then when the speculation about NBA Live having a physics engine came around, all of a sudden Mike Wang (who rarely tweets) tweets about the breakthrough that they've made in the collision system this year. NBA Live is smart for withholding info, they'll probably release info when its to late for 2k to implement any of their ideas. 2k is like that friend that always tries to outdo you, if you tell him you want a 2012 Accord, he want's the 2012 Accord coupe fully loaded. You tell him your gonna get an iPhone 4s 16gb, he gets the 32gb. You tell him your gonna get some oreos, he gets doublestuffed. Eventually, you just stop telling him stuff. Live is smart to keep a tight lip

yea you're right anything NBA Live says they can outdo NBA 2K in the NBA 2K team says they will improve in that area.

[NoTiCe_O]

Quote: Originally Posted by King_B_Mack

Of course cause 2K hasn't heard fans bitching at them about passing before. You realize your suggestion of 2K stealing EA's ideas is like cheating off the test of the dumbest kid in the class? It's like the Lakers deciding they want to steal the Milwaukee Bucks' notes on building a franchise powerhouse.

Lol that's harsh. But its not just stealing ideas but improving on them. Its obvious EA is targeting 2k's weakpoints, so 2k is trying to make it seem like the points EA's targeting are no longer weakpoints for them even though "early" gameplay shows different.

I think it's more 2k trying to keep the fans from looking at their weaknesses while EA is trying to expose them.