Demo Impressions, Screenshots & Videos (Now on XBL & PSN)

FYI its up on PS3 now. You can only find it if you search for it though...

X + A alley oop is not my favorite thing. What do you guys think?

My internet is acting slow, what are the buttons for off the glass alley-opp? I can't find it on the http://www.operationsports.com/forums/n ... l-map.html .

I think I'm going blind.

I just noticed on the videos. The jersey colors are too light.

X + A alley oop is not my favorite thing. What do you guys think?

My internet is acting slow, what are the buttons for off the glass alley-opp? I can't find it on the http://www.operationsports.com/forums/n ... l-map.html .

I think I'm going blind.

It's not terrible, you get used to mashing X + A with your thumb. The biggest problem with passing I've found is when the game doesn't listen to you. LT + A doesn't always give a bounce pass, only when the game feels it should work. So multiple times I wanted a bounce pass but instead got a chest pass turnover. The alleys are similar, I think I have a perfect situation, and I just get a little lob pass that kills my advantage (and I mean a lob pass, not a missed AO connection)

Self glass is running at the foul line, LS towards hoop, X+A.

Ok maybe it's just me but I'm not able to tell much diffrence from 2k12 but I never used the shot stick anyway... The way I set up my controller in 2k12 the right stick was for dribble moves... And i know this sounds totally nuts but when I used the ABA ball the game seemed to flow better... I love the bounce pass button but until I can speed up the game speed slider a bit can't really tell how it will flow... Can't wait for all you modders out there to do your magic...

Well, X+A for aley-oop was kinda convenient to me. I was really satisfied with what they have done with aley-oop controls this year, because now you can choose the receiver with LS or manually throw it off the glass to your teammate or self.. So I don't see how this is uncomfortable for you.. Speaking about new controls, they are really hard to master because it's a big change from past years.. I liked Isomotion, which weren't difficult to learn and now it's hard to do what you wanted to do because of unfamiliarity with controls. Things like spin dunk/lay-up gotten much harder to do and shooting with a button is dificult after you do any dribble move because you have to move your finger from RS to X button and it sometimes causes player to stop for a split second, which looks awkward, but that's probably because I'm used to old control scheme and everything should work even better than before after I figure out this. Also, the ball looks much more lose, steals are more realistic, blocks looks and fell fantastic, it's harder to make a pass in painted area. Speed and player collisions have been greatly improved since last year (especially speed). Only thing that looks kinda bad and unimproved is graphics. It looks like 2K12, player face are terrible. If not for a new feel in gameplay, you would think you are old 2k12.. Presentation is a BOSS though.

Absolutely love the new layup mechanism. It adds a whole new dimension to the game that you can finish with a layup. Previously if you didn't go hard and dunk it, a layup would almost surely get blocked. Now the variety and flair of the layups just feel extremely fluid.

The control stick felt a bit delayed as if it took a half a second for the game to register my motion. Maybe its just something to get used to. Overall felt very similar to 2k12 which is fine as long as they clean things up a bit. Also not a huge fan of the presentation. They should be going for something as realistic as possible to what you'd see if you turned on the TV, they're getting away from that with dunk meters, the unrealistic overlays, etc. I liked it better in 2k12 when they modeled it after TNT.

Hooked up my brothers PS3 just for the demo. Initial impressions after maybe 4 or 5 quarters:

Contact and physics in general seem alot better as mentioned. Most notably under the basket, contact layups, and especially on screens. There seem to be more minor animations when contacting a screener resulting in slowing your player down, while not completely taking him out of the picture as in 2K12. Hopefully this results in a more dynamic pick and roll game, as in 2k12 it was very binary (on/off). Again hopefully this results in more consequences for hedging screens and going over/under the screener, which would actually put those defensive strategy options that were added in 2k12 to good use.

This relates to contact, but rebounding at least I found was more fair. Sure there was the odd ball teleporting to player, but it was usually because that player had better position, which was gained because of the better physics. Also points in the paint are going to be harder to come by. Plenty of inside shots missed by LeBron, Ibaka, Perkins, definitely due to the enhanced physics again.

Speed definitely has been tweaked, players seemed to gain momentum as they moved, which could be the reason some have reported more of a 'heavy' feel to the game, not sure about that but in transition players like Westbrook definitely sprint past the Bosh's and Perkins'.

Controls: Eh, I never had problems with 2K's original setup, and it was hard to judge going from an Xbox controller to a half broken PS3 controller (analogue stick stuck slightly making triple threat moves nearly impossible), so I'll hold any bad feelings I had towards the new controls back. Regardless I think it's just something that'll take time to get used to.

I was thinking though, it's funny that one of the new features from 2K12, the escape shots (LT shotstick) or w.e they were called is basically removed due to the new controls, haven't really been able to tell how those missing shots or animations are put into 2k13. I know euro and hopstep were still added with the face buttons, but the dribble pullup ones I haven't really had a chance to play around with yet.

AI: Personally I thought there was quite a difference in AI. I saw Wade through a backdoor alley-oop to LeBron because I tried to help out with Durant a little too much. LeBron attacked the rim relentlessly, and I saw a couple nice kickouts after penetrating that I thought looked really true to his game.

Dunks: Definitely something that could change based on difficulty, but I saw too many missed dunks, which probably shouldn't have been dunk attempts at all. Regardless easy sliders fix. Moving on.

Bounce pass is gorgeous, god how has it taken this long to incorporate this into a game.

This is pure speculation, but I'm hoping late-game AI has been improved, as 2k12's was terrible (knowing when a quick shot and foul is needed by the CPU). The reason I bring this up is I noticed new animations regarding late-game situations. Durant threw up a last second shot and tried to release it quickly, the inbounding pass that rolls up the court (to avoid the clock running) has been redone, so here's hoping more focus was put into the other areas of late game AI. Pretty safe bet if you ask me.

Those are the things that I noticed, and/or care about, presentation is what it is, and has little effect on my enjoyment of the game, controls just take time to get used to, graphics looked terrible (again going from PC to PS3), blurry textures everywhere from crowd, to the player shots during the line-up, but w.e, secondary again. I will say that the jersey's looked a little too shiny, again is that really a deal breaker?

Last edited by volsey on Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:48 am, edited 2 times in total.

what you'd see if you turned on the TV, they're getting away from that with dunk meters, the unrealistic overlays, etc. I liked it better in 2k12 when they modeled it after TNT.

Pretty sure those Dunk Meters are going to be used somewayshapeform this season. They were used in the Dunk Contest. It's some special net made by MIT iirc.

.gonna put it in Q/A thread

Last edited by IronMike on Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

Pros:

- Slick presentation.
- Faces, nice.
- Shooting form is spot on.
- Animations are the best ever in a basketball video game.
- Dunking is pretty nice.
- 3PT shots seem harder.

Cons:

- Defense is weird.
- The pass button (PS3, X) seems rather unresponsive. Tried it on 2 controllers.
- Some crossovers are a ineffective.
- Lack of foul calls.

Overall, great. Not as all around as 2K11, but it is surely close.


IMO:

Great video game thus far, can't say I'm liking the new control scheme but I'm optimistic and I surely will adjust.

I hate the demo because I need to run plays, even quick plays would do me some good!! I don't do all that fancy stuff when I play, I just play!! I can't seem to score on the CPU either lol. I'm gonna boot it up again, I'd rather play vs someone online right now!!

The whole "heavier" feel to it is good, but sometimes I feel I can't control what my player does, it may be due to the fact that I didn't play a lot of 2K12 lol!! The demo is fun though online though, but for me my controls were lagging a lot online, and I got fast internet

I think the hardest part about the new controls is reminding my self that the controls have changed. So far I've been having instances where I stop using the new dribble stick for a bit because I'm so used to doing it the old way.

After some more playing, X+A is growing on me, so that's good.

I wish the game responded on defense just a tab bit faster. Maybe it's because I'm playing online and that's the lag or maybe it's because the game is a bit heavier. Comments? I'm going to try a game offline right now.

I like the dribble stick and I like the shot stick but I don't like both together. I may grow to like the new system after after I get use to it but it's a little awkward right now. I'm automatically fake passing A LOT which is really annoying. I'm not impressed with the graphics at all but maybe that's because I'm accustomed to playing 2k on a high end pc and not PS3. I can't say I got bored with the game like Jao, I had fun playing it over & over. Overall I like the game but I think the old controls are superior.

Played some more. What do you guys think about passing? I've had a few instances where there was an open player and I tried to point the stick in his direction and pass but passed to some other guy. Double tap A to pass I don't like that much. Had a few times where i didn't double tap it fast enough. Alley-oops still have it that you lob it up and a guy out of no where comes up and finishes it. And I'm noticing the online lag more now, the extra second response time really can ruin what I'm trying to. The game still plays very well though.

edit: I keep reverting to the old controls, I have a feeling I might switch the controls back to the old ones if I can't get the hang of things.

Has anyone who played the demo tried 2K12 again? Felt really fast, responsive, and "light".

Can't wait for Tuesday so I can get my own sliders going, and the Beluba cam.

If you have kinect you can change the camera to 2k camera.

If you have kinect you can change the camera to 2k camera.

Thanks for the heads up
it felt much better when I switched.
I accessed by saying "change camera"

If you have kinect you can change the camera to 2k camera.

Thanks for the heads up
it felt much better when I switched.
I accessed by saying "change camera"

Finally a good use for kinect . Would be awesome if it was possible with out it. This would give me a way better feel for the game.

What are your impressions now with 2k camera?

Pretty sure those Dunk Meters are going to be used somewayshapeform this season. They were used in the Dunk Contest. It's some special net made by MIT iirc.

Oh, I hadn't heard that. I take back what I said if that's the case.

Also, has anyone had flopping work in their favor? I have yet to see an offensive foul called. That's a good thing that it can't be abused, I'm just wondering if anyone actually got it to work.

If you have kinect you can change the camera to 2k camera.

Thanks for the heads up
it felt much better when I switched.
I accessed by saying "change camera"

Finally a good use for kinect . Would be awesome if it was possible with out it. This would give me a way better feel for the game.

What are your impressions now with 2k camera?

I found the game much better. I found a better flow. Don't know how to really explain this.
But now I have much more of a grasp of the demo ever since I changed the camera.

I played a couple of games, the feel felt like a combo of 2K9 and 2K11 which is good. The AI seems to have improved but there's no way of knowing what settings were in place. I don't usually get much from demos so I'll be looking forward to the release.

So, all in all, has the demo hyped you even more for NBA 2K13's release, or has it disappointed you? If you were on the fence before, has it persuaded you to buy the game?

Give us your answers in this week's Podcast discussion thread and let your voice be heard in the next Podcast.

Finally a good use for kinect . Would be awesome if it was possible with out it. This would give me a way better feel for the game.

What are your impressions now with 2k camera?

I'm a hardcore sideline camera guy (Beluba cam return confirmed!) but with these new dribbles I need 2K cam right now....at least until I can switch the dribbling to absolute, instead of camera dependent. Dribbling makes much more sense with that camera/control scheme.

Also, has anyone had flopping work in their favor? I have yet to see an offensive foul called. That's a good thing that it can't be abused, I'm just wondering if anyone actually got it to work.

Seems to be just like the flopping in 2K12 (charge, flick right stick) no real impact on the calls.

some CPU vs CPU for my Leftos....oo

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