I'm playing 10 minute quarters in All Star with default Simulation sliders. And the game ranges from the most awesome sports game I've ever played BY FAR to the usual irritating-frustrating experience when the CPU Cheats kick in.
As usual, sometimes the CPU get into instant momentum by no reason and can destroy you. When this happens, you have some weapons to fight it, usually calling for a timeout, changing your approach to the game, subbing players, etc... But sometimes it doesn't matter what you do, the CPU will get into god mode no matter what and you're done. You will lose the game.
In my GM with the Grizzlies, I had the best 4 matches of virtual basketball I've ever played in a row, not in terms of result, but in terms of experience. I even lost to the Spurs in a fair way and enjoyed it inmensely. Everything made sense.
But in the 5th match, against the Hawks, I was leading by 12 in the third quarter when suddenly the Hawks turned into the Globetrotters. They had 15 consecutive jumpshots in, all of them contested, they had 4 "and one" with circus shots, they grabbed every offensive rebound when they missed after the 15 jumpers (6 of them, including Korver and Lawson winning the rebound to Randolph and Gasol).
So they ended up scoring almost in every attack in the 4th quarter. They had a 70% shooting in the 4th quarter, and the only shots they missed where blocked or fouled, I only had 3 deffensive rebounds in the whole quarter...
But the worse is that at the same time my team turned completely shit and I was unable to score other than dunking. In the 4th quarter I had a 0% outside the paint. 0/15 shots!!! And I was shooting mostly open shots with Lee, Conley, Gasol, Randolph, Carter and Brooks (who I traded for Udrih because I wanted a good perimeter shooter). This is simply unacceptable. Missing shots by no reason. Even 2 perfectly released jumpshots missed! Open shot from 2 meters... missed! And couplped with strange turnovers, my best ball handlers loosing the ball automatically who knows why.
I was having a blast leading the game with great plays and shooting quite well and all of a sudden it gets unplayable. I just don't get how on earth they put this in the game, that's pathetic scripting. They build a gem of a game and then they shit on it.
Historically that has happened in all installments of the series, but it's just that the game is so good and amazing when it flows without this scripting that when it kicks in it feels worse than ever. Luckily, it only happens at this level on very specific games, so most of the times it all flows great.
There's an issue with 3 pointers, for example, where you CAN'T score two consecutive 3 pointers in 2 consecutive attacks. This sucks compared to the rest of the game which is brilliant.
End of the rant, sorry. Other than that, the game is awesome and I would gladly like to hear about good sliders as well
