E3 2013: NBA Live 14 Hands-On (Xbox One)
Submitted on: 06/12/2013 by
Steve Noah
If you remembered last year,
NBA Live 13 was the game I was most excited about seeing at E3 2012. Well, we all know how well that worked out for basketball gamers, as the title was cancelled before it ever came to market.
This year things are looking up, and the reason for that is called BounceTek. BounceTek is the new physics-based dribbling system implemented into the game, which was showcased in some hands-on action with Kyrie Irving. This dribbling system seems to be borrowed from the old (defunct)
NBA Elite which never made it to market either.
Elite promised a new way of basketball starting with the dribbling system, one must think a lot of that old philosophy still stands with
Live 14.
While it was unfortunate that we didn't see any 5-on-5 action, at least they showed something worthwhile.
In previous
NBA Live iterations the ball position was hard coded in every animation, so when you changed direction the ball sort of glided and floated along with you. Nobody wants the ball to magically float from one hand to the other. In fact, they have added over 1,000 animations to get the basic movements of the player correct, and even more when you add signature dribble animations. Yes, signature dribbles. They will also have signature shots.
There are quite a few layers to the dribbling system, below are just some of the examples:
Flick up - In and out
Flick down - Behind the back
Flick right - Hesitation
Flick left - Crossover
135 degrees (lower left) - Between the legs
You can also chain the dribble moves together. For example, to perform a hesitation crossover you would simply flick the right stick to the right, then to the left. By holding down on the L1 button and flicking the right stick in different directions, you will get a signature dribbling animation. I easily performed the UTEP two-step with Irving by holding the L1 button and flicking the right stick to the right. Remember the crossover he put on Brandon Knight during All-Star Weekend? He actually did that move 25 times before it happened, which was tracked by Synergy. You can perform it by holding the L1 button and flicking the right stick to the lower left.
The cool thing about Synergy is that if a player starts using a certain signature dribble in real life, it can easily be implemented into the game. If Damian Lillard starts using a new dribble in the middle of the season and Synergy picks up on it, you can bet it will be added. They won't just throw in animations either. If it tracks well on Synergy, you can be sure to see it added in the players dribbling arsenal. However, don't expect to use your BounceTek dribbling skills without a penalty. Your stamina will take a hit when using them, so make sure to use it wisely as you won't always be successful when you are low on energy.
While playing around, I noticed the gathers were not always smooth, but the EA folks in the booth were aware of it. The net has physics. I saw quite a few realistic ones, but others looked odd, almost as if it should have been an all net swish and the ball sort of hung in the net a little longer than it should have.
They showed Irving's face in the background, talking. It looked almost exactly like him.
I saw virtually no sliding. The only time I really saw it was when I went up for a dunk or layup. It didn't happen every time, but I did see it. I didn't see any sliding when performing the various dribble moves. NONE.
We were told Steve Nash has a pocket hesitation, he's slower and reacts differently, Derrick Rose has his herky-jerky animations, Brandon Jennings has his bouncy style, Melo has a stutter step and when the Knicks play in Boston, the crowd chants Honey Nut Cheerios. (I'm joking).
Defender reactions will be different as well. Facing off with Steve Blake will be a lot easier than facing Rajon Rondo, for example. If Irving gets a pick-and-roll switch, it's curtains for that defender.
A few more notes on Synergy: Don't get used to the way a player is guarding you. They can and will change their tactics on various possessions. Player accessories will change on a game-by-game basis, so there is no need to worry about that. I can't get into the specifics, but it should make a lot of people happy.
I was told that Synergy will update on an hourly basis during the season, so everything from accessories to ratings will change as the players in the real league change.
There were a few things that I can't talk about right now that were mentioned to me. If it isn't all talk, we could be in for a treat this year as basketball fans.
For now, we have to wait with the rest of you to see how
NBA Live 14 comes along. There are still some cruicial tests to be passed, such as seeing some 5-on-5 action and what else the game is bringing to the table.
Live 14. The only thing they showed was the dribble mechanics. It was impressive, easy to use.
