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Steve_OS · 10-17-2003, 08:38 AM

Hopefully you guys know how we do this by now. I won't be answering the "Little Questions" like, ratings, shoes, etc. I'll keep the thread open and answer as many questions as I can. If I don't answer your question, I'll get to it later. I can't answer them all of course. The thread will be opened and closed at different times, depending on the time I have w/ the game and the time I have to post.

--------------------------------------------

OK, I receieved the Final Beta of NBA Inside Drive 2004 yesterday and here are some impressions I have of the game.

The first thing I noticed was smarter AI defense. The AI defense will pick up on switches a lot better this year. They also get back on the fast break better. Seemed last year they spread out and allowed a lane to get into for easy breaks, they fill the lane much better now.

I played against the Mavs, Lakers and Cavs. The Mavs played a run and gun style offense, the Lakers went to Kobe or Shaq and the Cavs passed the ball around a lot finding the open shot. Looks like the teams run like their real life counterparts.

There are hesitation dribbles and better looking crossovers for the better ball handlers. There are some new jumpshot animations, so they all don't look exactly the same. I've seen some jumpers w/ Kobe and James where they sort of lean w/ the momentum they have on a jumpshot. It looks pretty good. They added some forced shot animations, so if you have some pressure on your jumper, it sort of looks like a forced shot and not a normal one.

The post game is nice, the spin move is a little quicker and the backdown dribble is very nice. There is a new fadeaway shot from the backdown position as well, which look real good.

Free throw system is the same. I've noticed more fouls if you are the aggressive type. On steals, you can tap the steal button for a little poke steal, or hold it down for a more aggressive steal, which will get you whistled if you use it too often.

I had some issues w/ offensive rebounding last year, this seems to be fixed.

There is some new "Touch Passing". You pass to a teammate and quickly hit the pass button again and it will perform this "Touch Pass". I've had some nice fast breaks w/ this feature. It reminds me of the "One Timer" in hockey. Very cool.

There is pressure sensative lob passing, if you enable it in your controller settings. Tapping lobs the ball, holding down is a regular pass. It's adjustable. You can use this w/ icon passing as well.

The big men throw down some nasty dunks. I've seen a few new dunks and layup anims as well.

Players will go after loose balls. All you have to do is run towards the ball and it will throw it back inbounds automatically.

A very cool rebounding anim is when you see a player tap the rebound to himself. It doesn't happen all that often, but I've seen it quite a few times. Sometimes they tap it up and the other teams hustles to get it, but it's nice because it gives you the feeling of players battling for the ball.

Player heads and models look better this year. The crowd is a 3d-model, it's kind of funny tho. You'll see the same people doing the same things, I don't know, it just looks funny to me

There are cheerleaders, cameramen etc on the sidelines. Players sweat looks pretty cool. I just happened to notice it a few times.

The 5.1 is nice, but I noticed the audio dropping out in certain situations. If I remember right it was after a "And 1" foul when players are lining up for the free throws. A few other times, I noticed it. It sort of bugged me. There is more commentary this year. Maybe it's me, but Callabro is getting old

Camera views are a little tweaked. The Press Box cam is the best. It REALLY looks great. There is an "On Court" cam that is different. I'll get a clip of it.

imported_Administrator · 10-17-2003, 08:56 AM

Is the turbo speed toned down?

and

Is the lighting in the arenas turned up?

Steve_OS · 10-17-2003, 08:59 AM

Quote:

bdoughty said:
Is the turbo speed toned down?

and

Is the lighting in the arenas turned up?

Thank GOD yes.

and

Yeah, the arenas look better w/ more light this year.

Admiral50 · 10-17-2003, 09:18 AM

Just want to know how different the game looks and feels overall, in terms of new moves and the amount of moves? I didn't mind the game the previous years but always felt there were only limited moves under the rim or in the post especially. I know you listed more dribble moves and a new post jumper, but since seeing the huge amount of moves in Live this year, I guess to me the other games seem plain.

Oh, also the Gamespot preview mentioned an inconsistent frame rate, how do you think it runs?

Thanks, I appreciate your time!

Steve_OS · 10-17-2003, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Admiral50 said:
Just want to know how different the game looks and feels overall, in terms of new moves and the amount of moves? I didn't mind the game the previous years but always felt there were only limited moves under the rim or in the post especially. I know you listed more dribble moves and a new post jumper, but since seeing the huge amount of moves in Live this year, I guess to me the other games seem plain.

Thanks, I appreciate your time!

Luckily, MS sent me a manual w/ this Beta.

Before Dribbling
Jab Step Left, Right, Forward and Triple Threat
You can also fake pass

Dribbling, not moving
Jab step left, right, forward and crossover

Dribbling, moving
Hesitation dribble left, right, crossover, spin left, spin right

After dribbling
fake pass

Post moves
Backdown, backdown push to basket, backdown push hard to basket

Spin
Spin left, right

Hook Shot
Hook shot left, right

Step out
Step out move, step out shot

That is all that is in the manual.

Admiral50 · 10-17-2003, 09:32 AM

Thanks. Is your pc capture card working again?

Steve_OS · 10-17-2003, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Admiral50 said:
Thanks. Is your pc capture card working again?

Yup, expect some stuff hopefully tonite or tomorrow.

Dice · 10-17-2003, 09:42 AM

One thing I liked about last year's game was the AI logic on offense and defense. Out of the 3 games(Live,2K,ID) ID had the best AI. What killed it for me was the animations and player models. I couldn't tell the size difference between bigger players and smaller players. I couldn't tell the size difference between Shaq and Divac. Even though they are both the same height Shaq is much more bigger than Divac.

So my question is is the player's model improved and are animations better this year? Thanks.

10-17-2003, 08:38 AM	#1
Steve_OS Editor-in-Chief OVR: 77 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: OS Eastern Office Posts: 31,783 Blog Entries: 556	Our Beta NBA Inside Drive 2004 Impressions Hopefully you guys know how we do this by now. I won't be answering the "Little Questions" like, ratings, shoes, etc. I'll keep the thread open and answer as many questions as I can. If I don't answer your question, I'll get to it later. I can't answer them all of course. The thread will be opened and closed at different times, depending on the time I have w/ the game and the time I have to post. -------------------------------------------- OK, I receieved the Final Beta of NBA Inside Drive 2004 yesterday and here are some impressions I have of the game. The first thing I noticed was smarter AI defense. The AI defense will pick up on switches a lot better this year. They also get back on the fast break better. Seemed last year they spread out and allowed a lane to get into for easy breaks, they fill the lane much better now. I played against the Mavs, Lakers and Cavs. The Mavs played a run and gun style offense, the Lakers went to Kobe or Shaq and the Cavs passed the ball around a lot finding the open shot. Looks like the teams run like their real life counterparts. There are hesitation dribbles and better looking crossovers for the better ball handlers. There are some new jumpshot animations, so they all don't look exactly the same. I've seen some jumpers w/ Kobe and James where they sort of lean w/ the momentum they have on a jumpshot. It looks pretty good. They added some forced shot animations, so if you have some pressure on your jumper, it sort of looks like a forced shot and not a normal one. The post game is nice, the spin move is a little quicker and the backdown dribble is very nice. There is a new fadeaway shot from the backdown position as well, which look real good. Free throw system is the same. I've noticed more fouls if you are the aggressive type. On steals, you can tap the steal button for a little poke steal, or hold it down for a more aggressive steal, which will get you whistled if you use it too often. I had some issues w/ offensive rebounding last year, this seems to be fixed. There is some new "Touch Passing". You pass to a teammate and quickly hit the pass button again and it will perform this "Touch Pass". I've had some nice fast breaks w/ this feature. It reminds me of the "One Timer" in hockey. Very cool. There is pressure sensative lob passing, if you enable it in your controller settings. Tapping lobs the ball, holding down is a regular pass. It's adjustable. You can use this w/ icon passing as well. The big men throw down some nasty dunks. I've seen a few new dunks and layup anims as well. Players will go after loose balls. All you have to do is run towards the ball and it will throw it back inbounds automatically. A very cool rebounding anim is when you see a player tap the rebound to himself. It doesn't happen all that often, but I've seen it quite a few times. Sometimes they tap it up and the other teams hustles to get it, but it's nice because it gives you the feeling of players battling for the ball. Player heads and models look better this year. The crowd is a 3d-model, it's kind of funny tho. You'll see the same people doing the same things, I don't know, it just looks funny to me There are cheerleaders, cameramen etc on the sidelines. Players sweat looks pretty cool. I just happened to notice it a few times. The 5.1 is nice, but I noticed the audio dropping out in certain situations. If I remember right it was after a "And 1" foul when players are lining up for the free throws. A few other times, I noticed it. It sort of bugged me. There is more commentary this year. Maybe it's me, but Callabro is getting old Camera views are a little tweaked. The Press Box cam is the best. It REALLY looks great. There is an "On Court" cam that is different. I'll get a clip of it.

10-17-2003, 08:56 AM	#2
imported_Administrator All Star OVR: 17 Join Date: Jul 2002	Re: Our Beta NBA Inside Drive 2004 Impressions Is the turbo speed toned down? and Is the lighting in the arenas turned up?

10-17-2003, 08:59 AM	#3
Steve_OS Editor-in-Chief OVR: 77 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: OS Eastern Office Posts: 31,783 Blog Entries: 556	Re: Our Beta NBA Inside Drive 2004 Impressions Quote: *bdoughty said:* Is the turbo speed toned down? and Is the lighting in the arenas turned up? Thank GOD yes. and Yeah, the arenas look better w/ more light this year.

10-17-2003, 09:18 AM	#4
Admiral50 Banned OVR: 17 Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 3,311	Re: Our Beta NBA Inside Drive 2004 Impressions Just want to know how different the game looks and feels overall, in terms of new moves and the amount of moves? I didn't mind the game the previous years but always felt there were only limited moves under the rim or in the post especially. I know you listed more dribble moves and a new post jumper, but since seeing the huge amount of moves in Live this year, I guess to me the other games seem plain. Oh, also the Gamespot preview mentioned an inconsistent frame rate, how do you think it runs? Thanks, I appreciate your time!

10-17-2003, 09:24 AM	#5
Steve_OS Editor-in-Chief OVR: 77 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: OS Eastern Office Posts: 31,783 Blog Entries: 556	Re: Our Beta NBA Inside Drive 2004 Impressions Quote: *Admiral50 said:* Just want to know how different the game looks and feels overall, in terms of new moves and the amount of moves? I didn't mind the game the previous years but always felt there were only limited moves under the rim or in the post especially. I know you listed more dribble moves and a new post jumper, but since seeing the huge amount of moves in Live this year, I guess to me the other games seem plain. Thanks, I appreciate your time! Luckily, MS sent me a manual w/ this Beta. Before Dribbling Jab Step Left, Right, Forward and Triple Threat You can also fake pass Dribbling, not moving Jab step left, right, forward and crossover Dribbling, moving Hesitation dribble left, right, crossover, spin left, spin right After dribbling fake pass Post moves Backdown, backdown push to basket, backdown push hard to basket Spin Spin left, right Hook Shot Hook shot left, right Step out Step out move, step out shot That is all that is in the manual.

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10-17-2003, 09:32 AM	#6
Admiral50 Banned OVR: 17 Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 3,311	Re: Our Beta NBA Inside Drive 2004 Impressions Thanks. Is your pc capture card working again?

10-17-2003, 09:35 AM	#7
Steve_OS Editor-in-Chief OVR: 77 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: OS Eastern Office Posts: 31,783 Blog Entries: 556	Re: Our Beta NBA Inside Drive 2004 Impressions Quote: *Admiral50 said:* Thanks. Is your pc capture card working again? Yup, expect some stuff hopefully tonite or tomorrow.

10-17-2003, 09:42 AM	#8
Dice Sitting by the door OVR: 21 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Chicago, IL. Posts: 6,652	Re: Our Beta NBA Inside Drive 2004 Impressions One thing I liked about last year's game was the AI logic on offense and defense. Out of the 3 games(Live,2K,ID) ID had the best AI. What killed it for me was the animations and player models. I couldn't tell the size difference between bigger players and smaller players. I couldn't tell the size difference between Shaq and Divac. Even though they are both the same height Shaq is much more bigger than Divac. So my question is is the player's model improved and are animations better this year? Thanks.

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