Basketball Games Having Rough First Day
by 
It isn’t release day of a sports title lately without major issues becoming the topic of discussion. The NBA games have continued the trend as they struggle to get advertised features operating properly.
With NBA Live 09 the online servers appear to be down causing the much touted NBA Live 365 feature to be inoperable and making online games unable to be played. At the same time people who have already entered in their code for 365 are being prompted to do so again giving a message that the code is already in use. No one should have to spend time on the phone with customer support dealing with a game issue such as an inoperable code so hopefully this is fixed shortly. Once the server recovers everyone who has entered the code previously should be okay as it is linked to your gamertag/PSN name. All I have heard is that they are aware of the problems and working on what was described as being an EA wide server outage.
Update (9PT): It now looks like the Live problems have been resolved. My 365 downloaded without issue just now and there was no prompting for the code.
NBA 2K9 is having problems of its own with online play. Disconnects, lag, and instances of the games freezing are persistent. Also there seems to be a great deal of outrage over the removal of the 2K Camera view as well as the decision to not offer lobby rooms (the same setup as NHL 2K9 had). The 2K Community website which hosts the uploaded screenshots and videos has also crashed and is unavailable.
Update (7PT): The 2K community site has returned.
October 7, 2008 at 7:33 pm
i’ve always been a Live guy,but 07 was terrible and 08 was bad.I got Live today and I must admit it is vastly improved,and the academy is a great addition.
But I also like 2k and i think 2k looks better than live.I just hate the limits of the isomotion dribbling.I probably will get 2k9 Fri. but i will dive into Live a little more before I make a decision on which is best this year.
October 7, 2008 at 7:34 pm
i hate the shot stick…but i do like the way that the CPU defenders play this year…now i don’t feel like i have to constantly cover for my defender who just lets man walk past him in the post….both games have a TON of shots being blocked though…
October 7, 2008 at 7:42 pm
This forum should be called “I hate EA sports b/c they have a ton of money and are apart of pop-culture so now its time for me to not like them, just because.” .
October 7, 2008 at 7:54 pm
haha BamBam well I actually want to keep the game but yea that would be good, i will most likely lose like 30 dollars on this game just becuase i played it one time…. wow
October 7, 2008 at 8:01 pm
[quote comment="40911"]This forum should be called “I hate EA sports b/c they have a ton of money and are apart of pop-culture so now its time for me to not like them, just because.” .[/quote]
Yeah, has nothing to do with EA putting out sub-par games. Just their money and pop culture. Yeah.
October 7, 2008 at 8:07 pm
is live really bad??? ive been buried in work all week …..what is live like im gonna pick up both on the weekend is both of them worth buying???
October 7, 2008 at 8:09 pm
i’m bringing live back tommorow ill just tell them it’s defective and show them my reciept get a new wraped up live go 2 another gamestop and tell them i got the wrong basket ball game for my nephew and ask to exchange 4 2k they cant say no because the game will still be the sulafien wrap and its brand new i did it b4 and i’ll do it again
October 7, 2008 at 8:10 pm
im really lookin forward to socom confrontation
October 7, 2008 at 8:12 pm
actually…just madden and nba live have been sup-par recently…the nhl, ncaa, fight night, FIFA, and the former MVP baseball series are (were for MVP) all phenomenal games…though madden was actually good this year…and has potential to be great if franchise mode is re-invented next year…nba live has maybe another one or two years of considerable improvements and tweaking to catch NBA2K…considering all of the other best-selling games that EA puts out (which would include RockBand)…EA isn’t really as bad as everyone is making them out to be…that’s not being a groupie…its the honest truth…though facebreaker did blow chunks…but its not really a sports game as much as it is an arcade fighter…but at least it wasn’t as terrible as PrizeFighter…
October 7, 2008 at 8:13 pm
everythings rolling good
October 7, 2008 at 8:33 pm
boosie lol nice idea
October 7, 2008 at 8:33 pm
but do they just say ok when u say its defective
October 7, 2008 at 8:44 pm
i did it with haze that game really sucked i bought it back i thought he would check it but he didn’t he gave a new wraped haze took it to another gamestop and got my money back it should work remember gamestop employees aren’t that bright anyways
October 7, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Thats the same with College Basketball games. Everybody thinks that EA won’t step up and make a good college basketball game ( Which I know they will) everybody think just because it ant 2K it ant good. EA is going to try to impress all the college basketball fans. which I think they will. Now that they are running off the LIVE engine Ncaa is going to be GREAT!
fuck the 2k haters, to me it sounds like they are crying because EA is catching up!
October 7, 2008 at 8:47 pm
even though nba live is a pretty good game id give 8.0 ima still do it
October 7, 2008 at 8:48 pm
haha thanks i will do that
October 7, 2008 at 8:51 pm
i live in boston so if you live in the mattapan dorchester area dont do it cause youl’ll mess my ish up
October 7, 2008 at 9:00 pm
i dont lol
October 7, 2008 at 9:09 pm
ight cool hope it works 4 you
October 7, 2008 at 9:11 pm
hit the site back up if it works
October 7, 2008 at 9:17 pm
From my perspective 2k is a deep game, the way the players interact and body contact is amazing, I like the shot stick, and the new crossovers are pretty sweet. My fav thing is going against superstars (Kobe, Gil Arenas, Bron, Wade, etc) because they act like themselves. Kobe attacks ALL GAME LONG, i play on hall of fame, so going against him he tryn 2 hit my teams up for 50 or 60, i think thats amazing the way they made him attack teams it looks jus like kobe in big games. Steps up at all times
October 7, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I havent played live outside the demo i will rent it this weekend 2 see wasup on it
October 7, 2008 at 9:37 pm
[quote comment="40884"][quote comment="40882"]Pasta have you played 2k yet? I thought from the demos that 2k was better but i thought to go with live since i thought it was a “sure” thing i seem to have made a big mistake wasting 60 dollars this afternoon. what do you think?[/quote]
Whats your problems with Live? I mean other than the 365 not working at the moment?
I’ve been playing 2K some this afternoon, its too early for me to give any extensive thoughts on it, but it definitely is a good game. Both of them have their ups and downs but ultimately I think both are pretty fun.[/quote]
YOU SEE I TOLD YOU GUYS PASTA WAS A LIVE FANBOT!!!! DUDE JUST ADMIT IT MAN YOU ARE NOT IMPRESSED WITH THE NBA LIVE AND DO THESE PEOPLE A FAVOR BY TELLING THE TRUTH! SINCE NO ONE WANTS TO BE REAL ABOUT THE WHOLE 2K9 SHIT I WILL! SO PAY ATTENTION! “THIS SHIT IS MUTHAFUKIN DOPE FLATOUT THE BEST GAME EVER MADE! AND MAKE IIT SOOOOOO BAD THIS IS MY FORST TIME BUYING OR PLAYING ANY 2K GAME! SO MY OPINION MEANS ALOT! SCREW NBA LIVE AND MADDEN! FOR ME ITS 2K9 AND NCAA FOOTBALL! LET’S GO BULLS! OH YEA THE MIAMI HEAT ARE HELL OF TIGHT THIS YEAR WITH BEASLY WADE CHALMERS AND DA MATRIX!!!!
October 7, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Pasta,any word on the issue of no OKC Thunder on 2k9 PS2? Will there be some sort of update with the team? It would be nice to not have to play with the Sonics.
October 7, 2008 at 9:48 pm
[quote comment="40940"]Pasta,any word on the issue of no OKC Thunder on 2k9 PS2? Will there be some sort of update with the team? It would be nice to not have to play with the Sonics.[/quote]
I’ll see if I can find out but I doubt anything will be done for the PS2 for either game. I think Live has OKC just with the summer league jerseys and generic logo but 2K9 stuck with them as the Sonics…
October 7, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I dont know why 2K went and made this game so offensive minded.I never liked to play against the cpu cause online is much more appealing to me, but because my game freezes everytime I try to search for a match,I have to put up with the cpu making almost every shot and make finger rolls and dunks in traffic
October 7, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I don’t mean to rub it in but I can’t resist myself..For months all you EA fanboys that were sayin Live is closing the gap with 2k yada yada…Well if a 6.5 compared to an 8.5 rating doesn’t put the proof in the pudding then I don’t know what will. I know I know, ratings don’t mean everything and neither game is perfect but 2K is damn close! So can you Live fanboys please cut it out now? Quit trying to defend Live & relive it’s glory days because those days are long gone. The only issues I’ve had with 2k is an occasional framerate drop when playing on different camera angles. 2K has so many details down to a tee it’s mind blowing! IE..Lebron biting his nails, signature dribbling, movements, facial expressions, collisions, signature PA announcers, etc.. All I can say is wow! I can’t stop playing this game! It makes me wonder how 2K is gonna top themselves next year.
October 7, 2008 at 11:52 pm
i just got nba live…no complaints….i havent played 2k9 yet….is it that great??…that i should return nba live 09 and get 2k9? i remember playing i think 2k6 or 2k7 and it felt it felt like i was playing a arcade game instead of a realistic game?? i am not worried about graphics i am worried about the gameplay ….roster updates…player ratings…teams scoring to easy(defense)…i am a die hard nba fan and i want the better game for xbox 360…
October 8, 2008 at 12:24 am
Yea picked up my copy last night and played alot today. Seems like its an improvement over 08 but barely. The animations are bad and like many others are mentioning its very hard to control rebounding, also players are just chugging along on the court like robots. Bunch of delayed animations and Im really not seeing any signature styles except for a few shots and moves done by a few players. Still very very arcady I had Brent Barry was doing tomahawks and reverse dunks for rockets…smh and online play is worse. Granted OTP is fun but when you can get rebounds and every single shot in the paint goes in (fall aways, leaners and contested shots…Tony battie can make every single shot Yao can) the fun dissapears. Oh yea dont play ranked games you get the same cheesers from last year and you cant stop it. Like someone said before the DNA wont fix these things, maybe we will see some gameplay patches maybe not. The only thing that might keep me coming back is OTP but thats it. Damn EA…. will be picking up 2k but I herd it has some issues also oh well might just have to go get NBA 09 The Inside lmao
October 8, 2008 at 12:38 am
[quote comment="40944"]I don’t mean to rub it in but I can’t resist myself..For months all you EA fanboys that were sayin Live is closing the gap with 2k yada yada…Well if a 6.5 compared to an 8.5 rating doesn’t put the proof in the pudding then I don’t know what will. I know I know, ratings don’t mean everything and neither game is perfect but 2K is damn close! So can you Live fanboys please cut it out now? Quit trying to defend Live & relive it’s glory days because those days are long gone. The only issues I’ve had with 2k is an occasional framerate drop when playing on different camera angles. 2K has so many details down to a tee it’s mind blowing! IE..Lebron biting his nails, signature dribbling, movements, facial expressions, collisions, signature PA announcers, etc.. All I can say is wow! I can’t stop playing this game! It makes me wonder how 2K is gonna top themselves next year.[/quote]
one website had a 6.5 (and if you read the article, it was incredible slanted)…all other sites i haves seen have an 8.0 or 8.5 for NBA Live…get off your high horse…everyone know 2K is better overall…but clearly Live appeals to a certain audience in its own right…and at least the game isn’t exactly garbage again this year..
October 8, 2008 at 2:06 am
The game does appear to two different crowds.
Fan boys of EA and those who want to play the best basketball out.
October 8, 2008 at 4:28 am
Once again EA Sports has sh** the bed.
October 8, 2008 at 4:34 am
Josh, I’ll aslo make the point that IGN rated Sony’s NBA 08 reasonably higher than NBA Live 08, so I’ve been taking IGN’s ratings as a hit or miss. I thought their 2K review was excellent; however, their Live rating was was really unjust. Other gaming sites have been giving Live 8.0 – 8.5.
IGN NBA Live 08: 6.9
IGN NBA Live 09: 6.5
IGN Sony NBA 08: 7.5
If we go by IGN’s rating system, then NBA Live 08 is a better game than NBA Live 09…heck Sony’s NBA 08 is better than NBA Live.09 Like I said above, IGN is hit or miss on their reviews. Other gaming sites have been rating NBA Live 09 as 8.0 – 8.5 or B average.
October 8, 2008 at 4:38 am
well point, JR…which incidently happen to be my initials…
October 8, 2008 at 4:42 am
Is the 2k camera totally gone or just out of online play, i would be pissed if they deleted it out of their franchise mode
October 8, 2008 at 4:44 am
Bottom line after playing both games:
NBA Live 09: balance between fun/simulation, will satisfy base and anyone who wants to jump into the series. The best NBA Live I’ve played. There is a lot of room for improvement, which makes NBA Live 2010 even more exciting because of the stuff the developers already want to implement and are working on (unfortunately they stated that there won’t be any patches to implement them into NBA Live 2009).
NBA 2K. Appeals to the hardcore basketball gaming community, and has more longetivity due to the learning curve. The more you play, the better you will become, the more options you will have. They’ve improved in a lot of their weak areas from the previous years. For those that have been playing this series for the last several years, you’ll feel the forward progress in this game. This really does feel like a next-gen basketball game.
My personal rating:
NBA Live 8.3
NBA 2K9: 8.7
October 8, 2008 at 5:14 am
[quote comment="40960"]Is the 2k camera totally gone or just out of online play, i would be pissed if they deleted it out of their franchise mode[/quote]
If someone could answer that, i wont buy the game if they took out the only camera view i play on.
i dont play online only association mode
October 8, 2008 at 6:15 am
pasta can u talk about 2k9 more. You always talking about live
October 8, 2008 at 7:55 am
Jesus Christ, train wreck of a paragraph.
[quote comment="40939"]
YOU SEE I TOLD YOU GUYS PASTA WAS A LIVE FANBOT!!!! DUDE JUST ADMIT IT MAN YOU ARE NOT IMPRESSED WITH THE NBA LIVE AND DO THESE PEOPLE A FAVOR BY TELLING THE TRUTH! SINCE NO ONE WANTS TO BE REAL ABOUT THE WHOLE 2K9 SHIT I WILL! SO PAY ATTENTION! “THIS SHIT IS MUTHAFUKIN DOPE FLATOUT THE BEST GAME EVER MADE! AND MAKE IIT SOOOOOO BAD THIS IS MY FORST TIME BUYING OR PLAYING ANY 2K GAME! SO MY OPINION MEANS ALOT! SCREW NBA LIVE AND MADDEN! FOR ME ITS 2K9 AND NCAA FOOTBALL! LET’S GO BULLS! OH YEA THE MIAMI HEAT ARE HELL OF TIGHT THIS YEAR WITH BEASLY WADE CHALMERS AND DA MATRIX!!!![/quote]
October 8, 2008 at 8:35 am
2K camera is offline only but if you try to use it ,its jsut gonna lag cause of frame rate issues
October 8, 2008 at 9:01 am
[quote comment="40980"]2K camera is offline only but if you try to use it ,its jsut gonna lag cause of frame rate issues[/quote]
That’s honestly a purchase killer. If I can’t run online, w/an up and down view then I’m good w/my LIVE 09. I was really considering getting both until I heard this and the dreaded 2K framerate issues (see: MLB2K series)……..Live to me is certainly less hardcore and more of a pure videogame, but hey what’s so bad about that. I already knew 2K had more polished gameplay……I’m good.
October 8, 2008 at 9:03 am
[quote comment="40961"]Bottom line after playing both games:
NBA Live 09: balance between fun/simulation, will satisfy base and anyone who wants to jump into the series. The best NBA Live I’ve played. There is a lot of room for improvement, which makes NBA Live 2010 even more exciting because of the stuff the developers already want to implement and are working on (unfortunately they stated that there won’t be any patches to implement them into NBA Live 2009).
NBA 2K. Appeals to the hardcore basketball gaming community, and has more longetivity due to the learning curve. The more you play, the better you will become, the more options you will have. They’ve improved in a lot of their weak areas from the previous years. For those that have been playing this series for the last several years, you’ll feel the forward progress in this game. This really does feel like a next-gen basketball game.
My personal rating:
NBA Live 8.3
NBA 2K9: 8.7[/quote]
B-I-N-G-O ! ! !
October 8, 2008 at 9:24 am
[quote comment="40953"]Josh, I’ll aslo make the point that IGN rated Sony’s NBA 08 reasonably higher than NBA Live 08, so I’ve been taking IGN’s ratings as a hit or miss. I thought their 2K review was excellent; however, their Live rating was was really unjust. Other gaming sites have been giving Live 8.0 – 8.5.
IGN NBA Live 08: 6.9
IGN NBA Live 09: 6.5
IGN Sony NBA 08: 7.5
If we go by IGN’s rating system, then NBA Live 08 is a better game than NBA Live 09…heck Sony’s NBA 08 is better than NBA Live.09 Like I said above, IGN is hit or miss on their reviews. Other gaming sites have been rating NBA Live 09 as 8.0 – 8.5 or B average.[/quote]
I agree that IGN’s scores are hit or miss & I don’t agree with a lot of their scores. Now what the heck was up with those Team Xbox reviews? Live 8.5 and 2K9 8.0? Are you kidding me? They just lost all credibility with that sh*t. I realize that people are going to like what they prefer & that’s fine but I just want people to cut it out saying that Live is catching 2K. It’s still not even close & at the rate EA is going I don’t know if it ever will be.
October 8, 2008 at 9:30 am
[quote comment="40961"]Bottom line after playing both games:
NBA Live 09: balance between fun/simulation, will satisfy base and anyone who wants to jump into the series. The best NBA Live I’ve played. There is a lot of room for improvement, which makes NBA Live 2010 even more exciting because of the stuff the developers already want to implement and are working on (unfortunately they stated that there won’t be any patches to implement them into NBA Live 2009).
NBA 2K. Appeals to the hardcore basketball gaming community, and has more longetivity due to the learning curve. The more you play, the better you will become, the more options you will have. They’ve improved in a lot of their weak areas from the previous years. For those that have been playing this series for the last several years, you’ll feel the forward progress in this game. This really does feel like a next-gen basketball game.
My personal rating:
NBA Live 8.3
NBA 2K9: 8.7[/quote]
I agree with your 2K9’s rating but I would give Live a 7.3 & that’s my honest opinion. Trust me, I want Live to be back on top just like most people but I have to keep it real..They’re just not there yet.
October 8, 2008 at 9:36 am
I agree with previous comments that each game will fit specific people. Whether you are a fan boy or not both games will appeal to someone. I personally find that this year’s Live is the best in this generation (it may not be saying much but the game has taken big leaps).
2K offers more “bells and whistles” with the inclusion of real PA announcers and throwback jerseys. I am still waiting for a game to include classic teams. Who wouldn’t want to use the Lakers and Celtics from the 80s, the Dr. J-led Sixers and the Bad Boys?
October 8, 2008 at 9:48 am
Can somebody help me decide. I rented 2k, I only play online. my question is where the hell the lobby is on this game…. It has a horrible on line menu. I only can play unraked games don’t even know why… I am still thinking about buying NBA Live, but i hated last year game so much that I didn’t even rented it…. What do you recommend Pasta… HELP ME PLEASE
October 8, 2008 at 9:58 am
Josh the reason why I decided to self rate (I know I’m just a regular video game users who’s opinion is probably not worth much) NBA Live 09 at 8.3 is because of the improved gameplay, features and modes. To me it’s not longer the NBA Live where you give it to your star player and just pump fake and go to the basket. I find myself running players or a pick and roll, finding the open shooter. Also NBA Live’s OTP was very solid last year, and despite it’s hickup yesterday I think it will continue to improve and refine itself.
I rated NBA 2K9 higher, because they addressed their major flaws from 2K8 and added 5 on 5, and they are going to be including new animations throughout the year.
I look at the games as a whole when I rank them. Some features may be important to some and not others. NBA 2K gets the nod this year, and I’m very happy that these two games are better than the previous year. Both basketball games were bad in my opinion last year.
As for NBA Live being higher ranked on Team Xbox…yeah, that’s kind of suspect right there. I was thinking 2K9 would get a 9.
October 8, 2008 at 9:59 am
2K removed the lobbies this year. Probably has to do with their Team 2K thing. At least this has been the case for ranked games. They did the same with NHL 2K9.
October 8, 2008 at 10:00 am
Josh, I’m assuming you purchased NBA Live 09 to justify your personal rating of 7.3
– I’m really loving the FIBA tourney. Played Spain in the opening round, and that was a close one, only won by 6 (Superstar mode). Played Russia in the second game…broke away in the second half and won by 30.
– had to adjust the sliders because too many shots were being hit. I also liked how the bench got to stay out there during a blowout victory.
Anyway, just rambling right now and giving my impressions.
October 8, 2008 at 10:22 am
Is it just me or Whenever a player is wide open they never miss