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View Full Version : ESPN basketball, Thoughts?



DuckDodgers
12-17-2003, 01:55 AM
Hi, im new to these boards.
Anyway i've recently picked up espn basketball (nba 2k4), at heart im a big fan of the Live franchise, but i decided to give nba 2k4 a chance. Before getting espn bball, i did alot of reading up on sites such as gamespot gamefaq ebworld, the big thing was the 24/7 mode which is really awesome, along with how truly BIG it is with you being able to play online against other 24/7 mode guys. One problem i have is that this game is suppoed to be a big time sim game, but how can you be a big time sim game if all you have is 4 plays on offense ? Further on offense, if you were to call an iso (which is just one on one and your guys move to the other side of the court), your doing your thing and your own damn teamate comes back and the guy gaurading him always steals the ball. The game annoys me with the little things.
It also seems like they've held back on players, i understand LeBron James is a rookie but he is indeed a really good player, but he has a 77 overall, but thankfully they make soo you may upgrade your players in the game.
Basically the game is great like the magz and sites have said befor me, but the little things mean lot to an avid basketball fan like my self.
Moral of the story, "Little Things mean alot".

what are you guys thoughts on it ?

truesonicblue
12-27-2003, 12:22 PM
I've just played it at best buy, and it is the best b-ball game I have played, my cousin got it for christmas, but I forgot to ask what he thought of it.

Bakeman
12-27-2003, 04:22 PM
It has more plays... those are the only SETS it has.

If you turn on the play notification, and when a play is picked it says in the corner something like "Post Up 21". And there is other numbers.

But even that is completely worthless.... I DO NOT understand at all how the hell they thought the way they did plays this year was good in anyway.

Also IMO the game is AWFUL at default sliders. WAY to easy to get blocks. I've turned blocks WAY down, and I've also turned up Defensive Stopping Power WAY up.

And the fact that I can dunk over shaq, after jumping from just inside the free throw line with Marko Jaric (I'm a clippers fan) is completely rediculous. That is simply uncalled for. And unforgivable.

And the IsoMotion crap on D....... OMG!!! What a piece of CRAP. Many times I have pulled the L trigger just to have my guy JUMP in the opposite direction of the ball handler. I can't believe they took out the button to stay in a defensive stance...

I do really like what they did with the free throws.... that was a refreshing change.

OH and the auto subs is amazing compared to last years game. I love how they'll sub in a guy for your center that isn't a center and rearrange your line-up. That is really nice. Oh and if you change positions around they don't show that you subed a bunch of people when you really didn't.

I have tons of compliants, and sadly it's still the best b-ball game this year.

I haven't even played ESPN NBA online yet, and I've had it since day one. I know in the football game if MOST people play ranked games and in those games you can't change sliders. I'm not willing to play this pile of crap with 20+ blocks on each side of the ball.

So I just play my friends when they come over.

*crosses fingers* I sure hope they focus more on the gameplay instead of the shorts moving.

Ugunnalose
12-29-2003, 01:41 AM
i didnt like it so i sold it on ebay

Penfold
01-02-2004, 09:18 PM
I got tired of it quickly, so I traded it in at EB Games for NBA Live 2004.

Hugopolo
01-07-2004, 04:08 PM
Originally posted by DuckDodgers
Hi, im new to these boards.
Anyway i've recently picked up espn basketball (nba 2k4), at heart im a big fan of the Live franchise, but i decided to give nba 2k4 a chance. Before getting espn bball, i did alot of reading up on sites such as gamespot gamefaq ebworld, the big thing was the 24/7 mode which is really awesome, along with how truly BIG it is with you being able to play online against other 24/7 mode guys. One problem i have is that this game is suppoed to be a big time sim game, but how can you be a big time sim game if all you have is 4 plays on offense ? Further on offense, if you were to call an iso (which is just one on one and your guys move to the other side of the court), your doing your thing and your own damn teamate comes back and the guy gaurading him always steals the ball. The game annoys me with the little things.
It also seems like they've held back on players, i understand LeBron James is a rookie but he is indeed a really good player, but he has a 77 overall, but thankfully they make soo you may upgrade your players in the game.
Basically the game is great like the magz and sites have said befor me, but the little things mean lot to an avid basketball fan like my self.
Moral of the story, "Little Things mean alot".

what are you guys thoughts on it ?
i know being a cavs fan for years LeBron just sucks in the game but why and they made Eric Williams even worse but in real life he is a defense monster?

timbo7690
01-16-2004, 07:30 PM
I think that ESPN is a good game. Nothing more, nothing less. I think IsoMotion is so stupid and it is very hard at first. I have had the game for a couple of weeks now so I know how to use it, but i also own Live and Freestyle blows it out of the water. But I think ESPN is a better overall game because of the presentation, graphics, and 24/7 mode.



im out

BoundBruiser
01-17-2004, 05:52 PM
I've never been a real fan of basketball games, don't know why though. I'll stick with football.

Vikingfan84
01-19-2004, 08:13 PM
What were you expecting LeBron's rating to be? He's a rookie coming out of high school. He's not going to get a rating over 80. They never make rookies rated higher than 80 that I've seen. This isn't NBA Live where every player is rated in the 80's and 90's. Even my man Baron Davis is only rated an 88. I personally think it should be in the low 90's though.

About the plays. I am yet to figure out how to get more than 4 offensive plays either. But, I don't use the plays all that much. The only play I take advantage of his the pick and roll. Works like a charm. The graphics are a hell of a lot better than Live's. And all the extra stuff makes this game better than Live.

Ito
01-29-2004, 01:01 PM
it doesnt really matter, he improves really quick in franchise mode. Im on my 2nd year, and King James already has an 86 rating. He improves even if he is playing bad, it's like if the game have him programmed to improve automaticly.. :eek:

This game is really good, the best bball game this year IMO, you just have to change the sliders.

I have this game since November, and I still have yet to figure out how to change the plays, I'll see if I can find anything on it in the book.

XboxTJ
02-04-2004, 07:03 PM
I played it and i have to say, sure it is ok but Sega could have made it alot better.

CharlieHustle
02-07-2004, 05:31 PM
Originally posted by Ito
it doesnt really matter, he improves really quick in franchise mode. Im on my 2nd year, and King James already has an 86 rating. He improves even if he is playing bad, it's like if the game have him programmed to improve automaticly.. :eek:

This game is really good, the best bball game this year IMO, you just have to change the sliders.

I have this game since November, and I still have yet to figure out how to change the plays, I'll see if I can find anything on it in the book.

I have to agree with you. I thing that this gane is really good. After adjusting the sliders to my liking, i have no problem with the game. The games has a pace just like the nba with respect to the teams. As far as playcalling, like someone said before, these are sets. If you call the play from the top of the key all the time, then of course it will look like four plays, but call the set from different spots on the floor, and youll see what happens. The offense adjusts to your position on the court and the play is totally different. try it, call it from the left wing or the right wing, youll see. As far as Lebrons rating, it fluctuates duing the season, the lowest i saw it was at 77, and the highest i saw it was at 83. I have no problem with that, nor with any other players. Someone said that the isomotion is crap, whateva, you must have not played this game long enough. Its very good and very well put together. I would recommend not using the right controller to do isomotion, because sometimes it will be off centered and he will just sit there and do a show off dirbble. I love the iso D, its the perfect way to get charges, and its not perfect for every player, if your rating is low, then you will be called for blocking because he is not quick enough to jump to the spot. I still have this games since its release, and i play it the most second to ESPN FOOTBALL.

selowitch
02-07-2004, 06:32 PM
Although I haven't played the release version, I was very unimpressed with the demo of ESPN 2k4. I felt that NBA 2K3 seemed to be a better game.

I play the latter quite often and I really love it, even without XBL. But my impression was they changed things too much, and the quality of the graphics actually deteriorated—at least if you compare the 2K4 demo with the release version of 2K3.