DystopiaX

@bbalpert: if you hit touch pad (or select I assume) you can pull up the map, which fills in what you've seen even if you haven't found a map in the level. Also if you hit down on the d pad it'll flash the objective marker thingy.

General tips: Even though it's not a cover based game explicitly, you have to be smart about positioning and cover. Have a wall to duck behind and make sure enemies aren't coming from multiple directions. While I said to stay behind cover, it does help to be semi mobile - you don't want a ton of enemies grouped up, so I often take out a couple enemies and then run to a different part of the level. The ai seems to have the "last known position" thing going on so taking advantage of the open areas allows you to come at them from a different angle and pick off a couple more without having to get shot at a ton.

Find myself getting stuck on ledges a bit, but I Recall that happening in thep revious game for me as well so maybe it's just me.

As for the game itself, I think I like the improvements to the nemesis in general but everything else is kind of flat. The story is somehow even worse than the first game (take a drink whenever the elf mentions the palantir in the first 3 hours, you'll be dead half an hour in), and the story missions themselves are still flat. They introduce a bunch of collectibles but most of them outside of shelob's memories seem completely forgettable, and the weapon challenge ones are also generic and skippable for progression. The fortress siege stuff can be fun but if you really clean out the nemesis hierarchy before hand you literally just run from point to point unopposed tapping buttons. Similar to the first game, I wish there were a difficulty in between normal and hard. For the nemesis system to really work you have to die a bunch so you can see all the interactions take effect, but I'm horrible at counters (too mashy and impatient) and so for me Hard became too much of a grind, but I barely ever die in normal so taking over each region becomes more tedious than anything else. I'm also about 2 and a half regions in and I can see the same nemesis takeover loop happening again and again so honestly, I don't know if I'll finish it.

As to my final verdict, I guess I would say it depends- if you really loved the first game and the combat it might be worth picking up now. But if you're looking for a major upgrade from the first game I don't think this is really it. Sure there's more nemesis stuff, but it feels like just that- more stuff- instead of a huge improvement. On top of that I think they failed to really address major criticisms from the previous game- dumb story, boring story mission gameplay, meaningless side content- and in a lot of ways those poor aspects got even worse.

did it twice with games, once with advance wars and once with Total War: Warhammer. Dunno what that says about me though

played the demo. Would agree in general that this NBA live seems functional, and they certainly seem to be trying a lot to make it work- WNBA licence, real work into the myplayer/RPG side of the game- but I still don't really like how it plays. It is actually functional this year, so it is improved, but it still has a long way to go imo. As a guard/wingman if you get any sort of drive to the hoop the rate of success for layups is way too high- if it's not outright blocked or you don't get knocked on your ass it's pretty much going to go in. I found the post controls to be stiff/imprecise, and while I don't expect consistency necessarily- not even the best players can make the same shot go in 100% of the time, I couldn't figure out why I was unsuccessful, unlike 2k's post game, which does a lot better at showing you (shot feedback, ball missing horribly if you're doing something your player isn't capable of, like a stepback or fadeaway, if your guy is too weak will not be able to back someone down etc.). The handles feel mushy and imprecise, like there was lag on top of the same stick move not doing the same animation, etc. The one thing I thought they did really well was the on-ball defense system, like you mentioned. I liked picking/committing to a side, in theory. I think the dribble move "guessing game" of if they're going to switch sides or w/e ends up being too simplistic, but it does feel better than 2k's system, where defensive stats don't matter and everyone can bump everyone else.

In terms of the Myplayer/"The One" mode, there was stuff I liked and stuff I didn't. For the love of god, let me skip cutscenes- 2k had to patch that in this year, and I hope the final version of Live lets you. I don't want to sit through a 5 minute long First Take segment, especially if I reset/create another player and go again. I don't like the attribute level up system- picking certain moves to level up is fine, but that means everyone has 5-6 skills that they're really good at, and sub-70 rating at everything else, which kind of sucks. I like the perk/trait system though, specifically the fact that their "signature skill" equivalent is more interesting than just "you become way better at what your archetype is supposed to do". Buffs like getting better at shooting 3s after assists/rebounding/finishing inside, dunks increasing your defensive rating, etc., are all more interesting than 2K's badges, which for the most part seem to just buff certain stats, like 3 point shooting when you're in the corner. I also like the idea of picking and slotting different skills. While it's definitely not realistic- no one is a good passer one game and then loses that skill and becomes better at dunking the next- as someone who basically only plays MyPlayer in 2K I like the idea of making the player attribute side even more like an RPG with more customization. Finally it seems like they're way more generous with loot/gear/level ups than 2k, which has increasingly felt like they've made the grind take longer and longer to get impatient people to buy VC. Cynically seems like a move they have to make so that people will like them more, but if it gets 2K to also lower the ridiculous amount of VC it takes to build up your character I'll be happy.

Overall I think it's a decent play by Live. Despite all my criticisms it plays alright and feels like a more arcadey version of a basketball sim, so they might make fans of people who don't want a game as simmy as 2K. It feels like they've finally created a solid foundation to build upon, and hopefully in the next few years they do a good job of building upon it; competition benefits everyone.

Reviews convinced me to purchase it. Picked it up through steam, can't wait.

@zombiepie: 1. Luck affects hit/evasion and crit chance I believe.

2. Teleport Spheres allow you to warp one character's position in the sphere grid to any position previously activated by an ally, so that you can get them to better/different stats/skills more quickly.

4. Not an expert but I would say logically just use them to get the spells/skills you find most valuable that are nowhere close to your current party member's (assuming you don't want whole sections of that area, in which case see number 2)

5. Copycat copies the last spell used, so it's really good for DPSing cause you can cast 2 powerful spells back to back. Bribe gets you items if you need them.

6. Some of the better magic becomes useful imo but I went in blind and kinda upgraded what I wanted to and was able to beat the game ok, so you probably don't need to. I think the ones that ended up being most useful were the healing magic (ofc) and hastega, because in late-game a lot of enemies speed themselves up/do a ton of damage and you want to be able to act as many times as possible.

7. Yes, I basically did/did minimal fiddling with it.

8. Really a question you'll have to answer yourself imo. I didn't use it too much so I could be missing out on something huge (definitely not an expert in the game by any means). I guess if you feel like it makes the game too easy and it becomes boring you could limit your use, but personally I've never been one to care what people do in single player games.

picked up dishonored 2 after it went for 30 bucks on Humble. Doing first playthrough nonlethal as Emily and I forgot how much I loved the first one, this one might be even better. Really well designed levels and good worldbuilding within them, love a good stealth game. Interested to see how a "no powers" run would go, might try it with Corvo after I finish my first playthrough.

it's a cool move but only pays off if they do something with it; it's a first person game, if it's just an arm/hand color+ voice change it'll be more disappointing than if it was just a generic protagonist.

Yup. I remember a lot of reviews at the time complaining that it was multiplayer only, no campaign, and that the class-based system was weird. Look at where we are now lol. The only thing that this game is missing to make it modern is some kind of leveling/progression/loot system.

they're writing focused (which Jeff talked about freelance being relatively easy and inexpensive to do) and ofc their video numbers are not going to be as good compared to older, more established sites. Also remember that like GB they also host their own videos on vice.com and that will cannibalize views as well.