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**pastapadre** · 01-13-2007, 12:55 PM

Feel free to ask any questions you have about the game. Keep in mind however that there is a good chance I won't be able to answer some things. I only had a couple hours with the game.

I have some videos I took on my digital camera that I'll be posting later today as well as a few more pics, keep an eye out for that thread. I also have up threads already up with pics detailing the Camera Angles and the Sliders.

It wasn't certain whether this was the final build, or one that was a couple weeks old. Regardless it represented what the final product will be.

Main Thoughts
The game feels really solid, thats the best way I can put it. The gameplay is more of a strength than a weakness. The atmosphere and interaction between the different surrounding elements is fantastic.

They did not build the game from the ground up like NBA Live did. Many of the core aspects of gameplay were taken and refined upon from the current gen engine (which wasn't nearly as old as Live's was to begin with). All the visuals are brand new for next gen.

The game has improved significantly from the demo. There were things about the gameplay which bothered me in the demo that have been cleared up. There are no framerate issues for those who felt it was an issue in the demo.

The general consensus in the room was a sense of surprise about how good the game had turned out.

Dynasty
A big part of Dynasty is the School Pride system. This is a good way to differentiate between powerhouse schools with a large following and small schools that don't have much interest. As a small school the crowd in the stadium will be sparse, however a big school will be packed and loud. Its very easy to notice the difference. As your pride level increases, you unlock the ability to add those elements such as a band, student section, injury clinic, and cheerleaders. You'll also notice attendance to the games growing.

Those factors will come into play when actually on the court. The more intense the arena is, the more difficult it will be on the road team. Each player has a composure rating that will be affected by the events that transpire during play.

They've given an improved way to target recruits, and its based on the team and certain goals each one may have. You can target in-state recruits, and one thing that was mentioned was your fan base may appreciate local players more than out-of-state ones. A goal for North Carolina might be to sign a recruit away from Duke.

As you go through you'll come across different types of ESPN coverage based on the circumstances. Mentioned were ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN U.

The best part about dynasty seems to be how you can take a small school and work to build them up into a powerhouse. It looks like they've done a good job of really rewarding you along the way.

ESPN
March Madness uses the NBA Live ESPN style integration. So you'll see the ESPN Radio and ticker for example.

As mentioned in the Dynasty they have different coverages from different networks of theirs.

A new thing that the deal with ESPN allows for is they were able to go and set up mics around the crowd at different venues. They took that recorded audio and use it within the game.

In the future they'll be doing things such as grabbing actual game recorded dialogue from the broadcasters and using that for some of the commentary.

Presentation wise ESPN is not plastered all over the place, so its similar to other EA titles that have their own branded EA presentation.

Misc
-I like the "sims" style + and - that show up above the players heads after an event occurs. Its a good way to give visual representation to how the players are reacting, and you can use it to your advantage.

-The intensity control is quite cool. You can work to build up your meter to get an "Impact Moment" or use it at any time for a smaller gain. It offers a sense of strategy based on how you decide to use it. Is the momentum swinging against you? Maybe you need to try and stop that by using some of it.

-The impact moment is something to really look forward to. When you fill up the meter, at the next dead ball you have a chance to do the impact moment. You then can walk around and choose who to interact with: Fans, Mascot, Band, and the 4th one is slipping my mind. But your team will get a + boost and/or opponent may get a - drop.

-The icon passing was taken out just for the demo. The right bumper pulls up the icons.

-The practice court that loads up checks the time on your 360 and will either be daylight or nighttime depending on what the real time is.

-The difference between the atmosphere of a powerhouse team and an unknown is tremendous. Its much louder, the crowd gets into the game and has more of an effect on the visiting team, and you get the team specific traditions and layout. Its all true to life in that you'll see the band where the band actually belongs, the student section where it really is, ect...

-The mini game which acts as the loading screen is nice to have. Thats one thing that I always appreciated about NBA Live, not having to deal with loading screens. Whether you feel giving an intensity boost to one side based on who wins that mini-game is a good thing is debatable. If you don't like the idea of it, you can just shoot around and not do the mini-game while its loading.

-Playbooks are customized to the individual teams.

-No draft classes to NBA Live.

-The Create-A-Player seemed sorta thin, although I generally don't spend much time in that area so I don't know exactly what its lacking. I have a couple pics if anyone would want me to post them up. One thing I did like was when you put in your player's last name, it lets you either enter it in or pick from a list of all the names that are in the game's audio so you'll hear it said by the announcers.

-I enjoy the lockdown stick as you can force the issue a bit more on defense, makes it a little more fun.

-I was really impressed with the off-ball movement.

-Online is going to be a focus in the future. They realize they're behind in this area and want to become innovators instead of playing catch-up. They realize how important an area this is and admit they've not given it the attention it deserved in the past. Fixing the lag was the first step. The EA Locker is one addition this year but they have much bigger plans for future releases.

Overall
I think fans of college basketball will appreciate this game. There are a lot of things to like about it, and it was very evident the guys who worked on the game were proud of what they have to present this year and especially the direction they're headed. I think thats about the most can you can hope for.

Juswin2481 · 01-13-2007, 12:57 PM

How was it compared to College Hoops 2k7? I downloaded the demo and wasnt impressed. What are your thoughts?

RudiOwns · 01-13-2007, 01:02 PM

Game sounds like its pretty good..Ill probably pick it up...The whole thing about the crowd interaction and intensity stuff sounds really cool.

**pastapadre** · 01-13-2007, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juswin2481

How was it compared to College Hoops 2k7? I downloaded the demo and wasnt impressed. What are your thoughts?

I don't really think its fair to compare games in such a general way. Is there something specific you'd like to hear about? I think each game has its own benefits and possible drawbacks.

**cocobee** · 01-13-2007, 05:28 PM

Pasta, any alternate jerseys--say Duke's black jersey, Michigan's gold jersey etc?

**pastapadre** · 01-13-2007, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoCoBeE

Pasta, any alternate jerseys--say Duke's black jersey, Michigan's gold jersey etc?

I couldn't find any, and sorry but the question didn't come up if they're in somewhere else. I think its quite possible we'll see downloadable content for the game so I guess theres potential for it that way.

Like I mentioned everything you see on the screen is brand new to the 360. I suspect it came down to a time issue because they had so much on their plate.

**cocobee** · 01-13-2007, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pastapadre

I couldn't find any, and sorry but the question didn't come up if they're in somewhere else. I think its quite possible we'll see downloadable content for the game so I guess theres potential for it that way.

Like I mentioned everything you see on the screen is brand new to the 360. I suspect it came down to a time issue because they had so much on their plate.

Thanks Pasta, I hope they let us download jerseys this year. But I hope they don't make us wait till April to download them.

Did they use real venues for the tournaments like pro stadiums etc.

Will we be able to edit existing players in this game? Say change there number or look etc..?

**pastapadre** · 01-13-2007, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoCoBeE

Thanks Pasta, I hope they let us download jerseys this year. But I hope they don't make us wait till April to download them.

Did they use real venues for the tournaments like pro stadiums etc.

Will we be able to edit existing players in this game? Say change there number or look etc..?

Im not sure about that, sorry. I skimmed around as best I could in the short amount of time with the game and I didn't think to look into that.

Well with the EA locker, I know you can at least change the names and everything else should be accurate for the most part. The license allows them to give a visual representation of the real life player but it can not be photo-realistic. I didn't jump into editing at all except for create-a-player for a few minutes.

sg_allstater · 01-13-2007, 07:33 PM

Game looks solid, but it seems they put to much into Graphics. Were the rosters accurate? Also did they have all the teams Hoops 2k7 had? every single d 1 team.

Iceman856 · 01-13-2007, 07:59 PM

ive played 2k7 and i personaly wasnt impressed so i think this will be better.

01-13-2007, 12:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
pastapadre pastapadre.com Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 16,232 vCash: 5219 GamerTag: pastapadre	Community Day Impressions Feel free to ask any questions you have about the game. Keep in mind however that there is a good chance I won't be able to answer some things. I only had a couple hours with the game. I have some videos I took on my digital camera that I'll be posting later today as well as a few more pics, keep an eye out for that thread. I also have up threads already up with pics detailing the Camera Angles and the Sliders. It wasn't certain whether this was the final build, or one that was a couple weeks old. Regardless it represented what the final product will be. Main Thoughts The game feels really solid, thats the best way I can put it. The gameplay is more of a strength than a weakness. The atmosphere and interaction between the different surrounding elements is fantastic. They did not build the game from the ground up like NBA Live did. Many of the core aspects of gameplay were taken and refined upon from the current gen engine (which wasn't nearly as old as Live's was to begin with). All the visuals are brand new for next gen. The game has improved significantly from the demo. There were things about the gameplay which bothered me in the demo that have been cleared up. There are no framerate issues for those who felt it was an issue in the demo. The general consensus in the room was a sense of surprise about how good the game had turned out. Dynasty A big part of Dynasty is the School Pride system. This is a good way to differentiate between powerhouse schools with a large following and small schools that don't have much interest. As a small school the crowd in the stadium will be sparse, however a big school will be packed and loud. Its very easy to notice the difference. As your pride level increases, you unlock the ability to add those elements such as a band, student section, injury clinic, and cheerleaders. You'll also notice attendance to the games growing. Those factors will come into play when actually on the court. The more intense the arena is, the more difficult it will be on the road team. Each player has a composure rating that will be affected by the events that transpire during play. They've given an improved way to target recruits, and its based on the team and certain goals each one may have. You can target in-state recruits, and one thing that was mentioned was your fan base may appreciate local players more than out-of-state ones. A goal for North Carolina might be to sign a recruit away from Duke. As you go through you'll come across different types of ESPN coverage based on the circumstances. Mentioned were ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN U. The best part about dynasty seems to be how you can take a small school and work to build them up into a powerhouse. It looks like they've done a good job of really rewarding you along the way. ESPN March Madness uses the NBA Live ESPN style integration. So you'll see the ESPN Radio and ticker for example. As mentioned in the Dynasty they have different coverages from different networks of theirs. A new thing that the deal with ESPN allows for is they were able to go and set up mics around the crowd at different venues. They took that recorded audio and use it within the game. In the future they'll be doing things such as grabbing actual game recorded dialogue from the broadcasters and using that for some of the commentary. Presentation wise ESPN is not plastered all over the place, so its similar to other EA titles that have their own branded EA presentation. Misc -I like the "sims" style + and - that show up above the players heads after an event occurs. Its a good way to give visual representation to how the players are reacting, and you can use it to your advantage. -The intensity control is quite cool. You can work to build up your meter to get an "Impact Moment" or use it at any time for a smaller gain. It offers a sense of strategy based on how you decide to use it. Is the momentum swinging against you? Maybe you need to try and stop that by using some of it. -The impact moment is something to really look forward to. When you fill up the meter, at the next dead ball you have a chance to do the impact moment. You then can walk around and choose who to interact with: Fans, Mascot, Band, and the 4th one is slipping my mind. But your team will get a + boost and/or opponent may get a - drop. -The icon passing was taken out just for the demo. The right bumper pulls up the icons. -The practice court that loads up checks the time on your 360 and will either be daylight or nighttime depending on what the real time is. -The difference between the atmosphere of a powerhouse team and an unknown is tremendous. Its much louder, the crowd gets into the game and has more of an effect on the visiting team, and you get the team specific traditions and layout. Its all true to life in that you'll see the band where the band actually belongs, the student section where it really is, ect... -The mini game which acts as the loading screen is nice to have. Thats one thing that I always appreciated about NBA Live, not having to deal with loading screens. Whether you feel giving an intensity boost to one side based on who wins that mini-game is a good thing is debatable. If you don't like the idea of it, you can just shoot around and not do the mini-game while its loading. -Playbooks are customized to the individual teams. -No draft classes to NBA Live. -The Create-A-Player seemed sorta thin, although I generally don't spend much time in that area so I don't know exactly what its lacking. I have a couple pics if anyone would want me to post them up. One thing I did like was when you put in your player's last name, it lets you either enter it in or pick from a list of all the names that are in the game's audio so you'll hear it said by the announcers. -I enjoy the lockdown stick as you can force the issue a bit more on defense, makes it a little more fun. -I was really impressed with the off-ball movement. -Online is going to be a focus in the future. They realize they're behind in this area and want to become innovators instead of playing catch-up. They realize how important an area this is and admit they've not given it the attention it deserved in the past. Fixing the lag was the first step. The EA Locker is one addition this year but they have much bigger plans for future releases. Overall I think fans of college basketball will appreciate this game. There are a lot of things to like about it, and it was very evident the guys who worked on the game were proud of what they have to present this year and especially the direction they're headed. I think thats about the most can you can hope for. Last edited by pastapadre : 01-13-2007 at 01:20 PM.

01-13-2007, 12:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
Juswin2481 All-Pro Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Seattle, Wa Posts: 303 vCash: 688	Re: Community Day Impressions How was it compared to College Hoops 2k7? I downloaded the demo and wasnt impressed. What are your thoughts?

01-13-2007, 01:02 PM	#3 (permalink)
RudiOwns Lookin' Boy Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,379 vCash: 295 GamerTag: RudiOwns	Re: Community Day Impressions Game sounds like its pretty good..Ill probably pick it up...The whole thing about the crowd interaction and intensity stuff sounds really cool. __________________

01-13-2007, 05:28 PM	#5 (permalink)
cocobee Formerly known as: CoCoBeE Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: in the coochie... Posts: 1,240 vCash: 2187	Re: Community Day Impressions Pasta, any alternate jerseys--say Duke's black jersey, Michigan's gold jersey etc? __________________

01-13-2007, 07:33 PM	#9 (permalink)
sg_allstater The next fan favorite Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Jacksonville,IL Posts: 1,499 vCash: 7225 GamerTag: mn aaronsharrow	Re: Community Day Impressions Game looks solid, but it seems they put to much into Graphics. Were the rosters accurate? Also did they have all the teams Hoops 2k7 had? every single d 1 team. __________________ Last edited by allstater : 01-13-2007 at 07:36 PM.

01-13-2007, 07:59 PM	#10 (permalink)
Iceman856 Go Raiders! Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 55 vCash: 721	Re: Community Day Impressions ive played 2k7 and i personaly wasnt impressed so i think this will be better.

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