Anyways, I have been quiet about the game...but have been looking at this thread maybe 20 times a day for the past 2 months.
I am an AFL Live addict, still, playing every week when I can, have had the 2013 lists for quite some time (every player literally exact replica of themselves...no shortcuts). I would even put there YTD stats on a spreadsheet to see their previous games stats...that is how far we are going. People complain about how easy the game is (fact, and Big Ant Studios has confirmed this, but it still throws its challenges...i lose every now and then)
Anyway, ever since we heard Big Ant was not doing it, it is easy to assume the game was not going to reach initial expectations. The lack of info and quality of trailer reflects that, but, sometimes we have to focus on the positives.
We are getting a new AFL game. I hate fake and fun and thrive on realism (in all sport games). We may see a lack of detail in the graphics...but what we got to remember, the complaints were not about the graphics in the first game....but the longevity of the game and small adjustments (the menu music, the commentary, unrealistic crowds, team line up, no career mode, lack of manager mode, too simple).
People always throw out the negatives as feedback and that is the majority and therefore what is seen and heard.
Let's then look at AFL Live 2....
Menu Music - Tick, more than 2 tracks, and known bands (love British India)
Commentary - Tick, only so much of Brian Taylor...good for a change up
Unrealistic Crowds - Tick, toggle between crowd size looks like it will be in
Team Line Up - Tick, not a major difference from what we hear, but better
Career Mode - Tick, massive tick
Manager Mode - Tick, adds to the games career mode...adds difficulty, not on the scoreboard initially, but can be a major plus if you get it right.
Too Simple - Big Tick, probably due to the above, but also, one week your playing with Ablett in the guts, next week you've traded him for Stephen Motlop and Harry Taylor...team structure has changed.
Now we haven't played it, we are all bagging it, but everything we asked for....we have got, so I think we should be pleased. Our incredibly low expectations will make this game great though....that's what I am looking forward to.
It is hard to say this...as I have been constantly frustrated, but, it seems like taking a look from both sides brings a bit more to it's case.
As for the graphics though, and the 'conga line', and the 'umpires standing next to each other', and the players kicking into the man on the mark...well, they will be the things we demand next time, and the 3rd installment may have better of both worlds. There is never really a perfect game...especially an AFL game which has more rules than any other sport.
The other thing to note is the things we aren't exactly impressed by are in-game things. Hopefully someone can confirm this, but the mechanisms of the in-game (such as umpires standing next to each-other, conga line, skating across surface, changing buttons such as the fend off) would be alot easier to fix up with a patch. Big Ant's patch bought an additional spoil button (pressing L2 aswell) and made bumping less common IIRC. The minor things noticed so far wouldn't take much to change I would not have thought. However, the big things like menu, career mode, teams, leagues, would be alot harder to incorporate because it is a major change. Atleast groundwork has been progressed, and the gameplay glitches may be easily fixed.