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Post by MasterSandman II on Aug 24, 2010 16:16:24 GMT -5
Is anyone here interested in joining a league for NHL 2K11? It looks like the game has online leagues so we really don't need to keep track of anything ourselves!
Schulz24 and I are definitely in. He already has the game and I'm planning on getting it next month...maybe we could coincide the start of this league with the beginning of the NHL season? That starts early October.
Just putting the feelers out there to see if there's any interest.
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Post your friend code here!
MasterSandman II: 1506 1109 3079 Blaze316: 2536 8977 2325 MJALLDAY: 4126 0297 3790 Schulz24: 4899 1049 7036
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Post by Schulz24 on Aug 25, 2010 13:23:05 GMT -5
Alright!
This may be the deepest sports game I've EVER played. There is SO much to do. Dig this:
Roster stuff: HUGE headshots. Like, big. Usually theres a little avatar on Madden or some other small thing; these guys pictures are the size of your fist, at least..possibly your foot! Just big. Kinda creepy..but because they're pictures and its like they're staring at you through your TV. As for the Rosters as a whole, theres already an official update from 2K which is more than I can say of EA with Madden. That earned points for me right then. ALSO, I noticed that players/users can also upload their own rosters; one commented "better than 2Ks!!" I don't know enough about the current NHL season to know the difference, but thats awesome. Aside from that, you can do all the usual Roster things that you'd find in sports games. Trades, Free Agency, Edit Lines, etc. There is also an INCREDIBLY deep Create-A-Player mode. Things I remember tweaking: name (it DID search for profanity though..my name checks out), number, birthdate, face, helmet, visor, stick, skates, blades, a billion attributes..AND PLAYOFF BEARD. OH MY GOD. I can turn Playoff Beards on?! Uh, YES. There were only 59 faces to choose from, which kinda isn't a lot. Thats probably the most limited thing I came across. You can find someone who loosely looks like you though. I went with a guy who looks pale and grumpy like me. And a playoff beard.
I then found a play where you can Edit the Draft Class. What? Unbelievable. If you're into hockey THAT much, you can know who is coming out of college, apparently, and put them there. I wasn't able to change birthdates at all, but the names were fixable. I didn't do too much with this..as I still had to play a game!
Gameplay: I went with the WiiMotion+ w/ Nunchuk option to start. I had a lot more success than I did skating around in Gamestop. I could actually move my character this time, but found myself looking for the Turbo button. As stated before (maybe?), the majority of my hockey experience comes from Wayne Gretzsky 3D Hockey and the Hitz series. No Turbo here as far as I can tell, but it apparently all shakes out evenly. I should preface it by letting you know that I set out to right some wrongs that took place this past February..
Game 1: Belarus at Germany (WiiMotion+ w/ Nunchuk) I love the German Olympic Hockey team, and after seeing them lose 4 games out of 4 games this past winter, I wanted to rewrite history a little bit. If theres any team that I could beat, it would be the Belarussian team. They had a 47 in one of their OVR categories. Cripes. Anyway, I scored first, and it seemed right. With this set up, in order to shoot you simply hold B, and then flick the remote left. To do a slapshot, hold B, move to the right, and then slap to the left. I found out most of this stuff AFTER my game, haha, more on that in a minute.. Regardless, I had a goal on the board, and it felt good. I won't say that I didn't have trouble shooting, and often found myself saying "shoot it!!" but thats probably a product of doing the tutorial AFTER the game. That would've been helpful. So, period ends, and theres a pretty good and informative intermission show (audio and stats). I then noticed that there was an option to..RIDE THE ZAMBONI?! HUH?!
Zamboni Mini Game: OH MY GOD. You have 3 minutes to clear the ice. I reminds me of that stamp game in Mario Party where you have to just cover stuff..or, you know, any other game where you have to cover anything up. You hold 1 to go forward, 2 to back up, and tilt the remote to turn. I JUST realized now that I was probably supposed to hold the remote sideways, and thats why I couldn't turn left.. Hmm.. Anyway, my first attempt I covered just about 70% of the ice. I knew then that this would be very addicting. I played it almost every other intermission throughout the night, and I did get better.
I ended up losing game one by the score of 4-1. Like I said, I had some trouble shooting a few times, still getting used to the controls, and defense was tough, too. My checks didn't seem to be landing like they do in Hitz or Gretzsky; and I just realized this morning (sleep is awesome) that the reason my checks MIGHT'VE been not working as well is because I was using a stinky team. Hmm, that could be. I intend on using the Bruins when I play for real, so I'll have Zdeno Chara at my disposal. If HE doesn't knock people out of their skates, I don't know who will.
Tutorial: Really should've done this first. I played a lot better here against a goalie with no defense. I took Auto Aim off in the options; you use the analog stick to aim your shot now, and I did notice a significant difference. I wasn't lighting the net on fire, but I felt as if I shot how I wanted to. There are a lot of neat things I had no idea about; you can juggle your puck, do "stick action," fake shots, dekes, spin moves, and special shots from those scenarios. If you are charging the net and you deke close enough, there is an automatic shot at the end. I found that most of my success on shooting came from a lose puck just sitting there. Skate up and press B! The end of the Tutorial (16/16) said "if you're tired, plug in your Classic Controller for three other modes!!"
Sure, ok!
Tutorial w/ Classic Controller: Wow, a LOT easier (note: I'm not saying that the WiiMotion+ thing is inferior by any means, just saying that it requires a LOT of practice, at least for me. The Classic felt more natural). Shoot with R2 or whatever it is. Zr? The small one next to the R shoulder button. You can guard your puck and fake with the R stick, move/aim with the L stick. All of the dekes and everything are there (L2/Zxl2 whatever..), but actually seemed more natural with the Remote and Nunchuk. Hmm. Anyway, I was scoring a LOT more goals here, and thought that this was the option for me. Rematch? Sure, ok!!
Game 2: Belarus at Germany (Classic Controller) Entered the 3rd Period down 0-2. What?! I'm supposed to be doing a lot better! Speaking of better, I covered 98% of the ice in that Zamboni game. I was using the L Classic stick to turn, and holding 1 on the Remote. Its pretty fun! (And yes, theres a Zamboni race game. I sounds competitive..split screen?? Maybe its just this thing again. Who knows.) Back to the game!; you pass with R with the classic which seems goofy for some reason. I know there are some other control schemes, so maybe there is a better one for me out there yet? I don't know.
I've been giving you a play by play, but I haven't really told you about the presentation. Graphics are pretty good. Nothing makes me say "hmm, thats kinda goofy lookin'.." Player models look good, and they move fluidly. Post-goal celebrations are neat. If you can accurately capture fist pumping and partying with your teammates, you can do anything. The ice is pretty, the lighting effects are awesome (love that sheen from the ice following Zamboni action). Skate trails are left in the ice where you've been. I don't know how long they stay there, or what dictates what goes where. I mean, the entire rink WASN'T covered in skate marks..but I was hung up in the action, so who knows.
Commentary sounds natural, too! The guys don't bore me, or anger me. Those are two things you DON'T want from a sports commentary team. My wife turns down the Madden volume when she plays because Chris Collinsworth makes her cry. Poor girl. These guys provide insight though, and come back with fake reports from your lockerroom. "I spoke with the Germany coach and he didn't really have a lot to say about their 2nd period play. He did say it wasn't over though, and that the team was very hungry for the 3rd period," or something to that extent. I like that kinda crap.
So, 3rd period. I got on the board with 10 minutes left (I think I was playing 20 minute periods?? They went fast..), and tied it up on an awesome Marco Sturm (woo!) wrister with 3 to go. We went to Overtime, and I sealed the deal with a Marcel Goc "abuse the goalie until it goes in" series. It felt kinda cheap, haha, but I've seen it done before. You know, goalie lying prone on his stomach, trying to cover a loose puck that remains loose. Get your stick in there! My guys were excited, I was excited. Night 1 was in the books.
Leagues: I fake started a league to see what kind of options there are. Type: Season / Tournament Teams: 4, 6, 8, ....., 28, 30 Playoff Teams: 4, ...., 16 Games: 10, 20, 30, 40, 82 Playoff Rounds: I can't remember, but you do this and however many games per round; 1 game or "Best of __" Difficulty: Rookie, Pro, All-Pro, Hall of Famer (my games were played on Pro) Fantasy Draft: Yes / No Trade Deadline: Yes / No Private League: Set Password / No
There might've been more, but those are the bullet points. Wow, can you imagine the prospects of a Fantasy Draft? Thats pretty darn cool. I wonder how it works though? Do you need ALL 30 people or whatever online if you set out to do this? Sounds lengthy and annoying. But who knows! Maybe its AWESOME.
I joined a league last night, too. 10 games, 10 teams, Rookie level. I figure I'll test it out before setting sail on a league of my own. I was the 3rd team to join, and had my choice of 28 teams after the Penguins and Capitals were taken. Whatever man, I want Marco Sturm and Zdeno Chara. Feel the STING.
Sports Ticker!!: Wow, its the little things that sometime make the biggest impact. I was able to toggle which sports are active, and which'll never show up. I got a bevy of MLB scores last night, and never have to worry about stupid basketball clogging up my screen! Thanks to my new hockey game, I know that the Orioles lost last night to the White Sox, and that Felix Pie had a homer. Nice!
I'm running out of gas here, and I'll try to answer individual questions as best as I can. If you're on the fence about this game, I'd say "get it." Of course, I bought this game to play with people, so I WANT you to get it. I don't think you'll be disappointed by anything though. The second I come across something I don't like, I'll tell you. I think the Wii Motion+ deal is a more advanced mode and probably shouldn't be slung around from the get go, and I'll definitely keep on it. I mean, heck, I've only played two games..with Germany.
I like the Interface this year (maybe its different than '10? Maybe I can have Louuuuu come over on Friday to take a look for himself); it also takes some getting used to but I dig it. Send in your questions/comments, and lets get an awesome league going!!
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Post by MasterSandman II on Aug 25, 2010 13:31:19 GMT -5
The Fantasy Draft option sounds so cool!
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Post by Schulz24 on Aug 26, 2010 18:35:56 GMT -5
I knowwww...
NOW, we just need the people say "yeah, I'll get it" to GET IT. C'mon, jerks! Someone better get it fast...OR ELSE..... *eye twitches*
(my eye just twitched..FOR REAL)
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Post by MJALLDAY on Aug 31, 2010 1:22:48 GMT -5
i'll be getting it soon, a few trade-ins should get me there. Looking to get this game within a week. So Schulz hold on tight for a few days, i'll be online with ya soon. I also would love to play league for this game,
Now if we can find a couple more people
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Post by MasterSandman II on Aug 31, 2010 11:46:51 GMT -5
Okay...here's who we got:
MJALLDAY Schulz24 MasterSandman II onederdad
Pete36z (possibly)
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Post by Schulz24 on Aug 31, 2010 12:36:19 GMT -5
Will is officially "in?" When is he getting it? Did he get it yet?
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Post by MasterSandman II on Aug 31, 2010 12:38:27 GMT -5
Will is officially "in?" When is he getting it? Did he get it yet? He just said "count me in" when I sent him an e-mail about it.
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Post by Schulz24 on Sept 6, 2010 16:29:54 GMT -5
MJ has purchased the game. Anyone else yet??
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Post by MJALLDAY on Sept 6, 2010 23:33:34 GMT -5
Yep i got the game. Looking forward to league play. Come join the fun everyone!!
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Post by MasterSandman II on Sept 7, 2010 14:29:23 GMT -5
I'll be getting the game in a week!
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Post by Schulz24 on Sept 7, 2010 16:37:06 GMT -5
Yes! That'll be three!!... Aww, c'mon! Where is everyonnnne?!
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Post by Blaze316 on Sept 7, 2010 23:06:45 GMT -5
I should have it by the end of the week.
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Post by MasterSandman II on Sept 8, 2010 17:09:13 GMT -5
I should have it by the end of the week. Sweet!
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Post by Schulz24 on Sept 15, 2010 17:24:05 GMT -5
Yes! And Travis has it today, so we're up to 5 solid?! We need one more for a sweet Original 6 league!! WOOOOO!!!
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