NBA Live 10 Demo Impressions

by pastapadre
Posted September 12th, 2009 at 9:10 pm

live10demod

The NBA Live 10 demo came out on Friday for the 360 and now having played enough of it I feel comfortable posting my impressions. The general response appears to be largely positive from browsing various forums and Twitter. While I’m recognizing some great things about the game I’m also finding myself frustrated by some of the flaws which are tampering with my overall experience.

Continue on to read the full impressions as well as watch two new demo play-through HD videos.

I’ve played the demo solely on All-Star difficulty which is the recommended setting by EA for the sim experience. The CPU definitely plays tough on this difficulty but the challenge doesn’t necessarily feel organic. The CPU is shooting very high percentages with 75% being approximately the average I’ve seen. Shot selection is decent but they’re draining many well contested shots and not just from Kobe which I can live with. Derek Fisher and Ron Artest hit contested threes quite a bit, it seems like every game one does that on the opening possession. All the CPU players hit mid-range shots and driving shots even with players in their face and it is rare to see them miss from the low post.

The visuals are incredibly impressive. The game presents a vibrant experience from the players to the jerseys to the arenas. Player models are improved and player faces are well done for the most part. The only visual quirk comes in the “Hangar” where players look light and with Yao and Nash in the background almost translucent as pointed out by someone on Twitter.

The atmosphere is excellent and given that it is the “Finals Atmosphere” is does a pretty good job of representing that. Hopefully the crowds react well in regular season games, and amp up for playoff games (and more so in places like Atlanta and Golden State). When the Lakers score in the demo I find myself affected by the crowd which is a feeling that I can’t say I’ve had from any other sports game. That is cool.

While the player control is excellent there seems to be no adjustment made based on location. What I notice most is that the players don’t adjust their strides when they near the sideline or half court line. So making a step towards the sideline may result in stepping out of bounds because there is no recognition of that boundary. It appears to balance that they made it so out of bounds isn’t called in those situations. So it looks awkward but it is better than if there were OOB calls that were basically out of your control which would happen pretty frequently.

The most improved aspect of the game to me is the rebounding. The sense of positioning is much better and the majority of boards are legitimately grabbed by the right team or player. I have gone through a few instances where mistimed jumps resulted in multiple offensive rebounds by the CPU though I suspect that is just a matter of adjusting to the difference in rebounding strategy from last year.

I have mixed thoughts on the changed passing controls. I do like the multiple options especially the potential of freestyle passing with the stick and how that improves fast breaks. However I’ve also found myself passing to an unintended players. With the numerous different passing options pressing a particular button may mix up the passing style and with so many other things to worry about at a given time I haven’t come to recognize those situations yet.

The most perplexing change to the controls is the removal of the post-up mechanic. I really appreciated the feel of holding the left trigger to back down and then having the array of moves on the right stick. Now I’m uncertain every time I’m in the post whether my player is going to post up or not. Which usually means I end up turning the ball over or taking an awkward shot.

Live has always represented court space well which allowed for realistic spacing and the ability to call plays and use pick and rolls effectively. This continues to be the a great aspect of the game. I was running plays and having Vince Carter come off screens that resulted in open looks. It is relatively simple to run plays and seemingly can be effective and for that I’m finding myself doing it more often than I have with previous iterations. The main problem I seem to have is not fully understanding when the pass will go to the intended teammate with the icon over his head or to someone else.

One thing I’ve noticed is that seemingly there is no way to affect a player or their shot as they’ve gone into an animation towards the basket. If Derek Fisher beats my defender on the perimeter and drives the lane, Dwight Howard and friends are there to watch him slice by, jump for a block attempt that appears can not ever be successful from the side, and watch as he scores the bucket. When I switch over to a player like Howard to try and affect a shot as the CPU player is going to the hoop it seems to all be futile unless I get directly in his path.

I haven’t seen a many of the hustle plays but when I have they’ve made sense for the situation and looked really neat. Having a player dive to bat at the ball is a refreshing thing to see for the Live series.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the CPU getting called for illegal screens. I have yet to see one called on my team so I’m not sure if it’s almost a scripted thing that only happens for the CPU.

Not a big deal cause I will usually be skipping over it but the starting lineup presentation is laughably bad. Can we get real introductions please? On the plus side the signature pre-game rituals are a great touch and it’s good to see them done with a variety of camera angles instead of using the same one every time. I’m already sick of the post-scoring cutaways to the player running back up the court and pointing or hopping back. Feels like those interrupt the flow more than add to the presentation and its just too repetitive.

There seems to be a bug that happens occasionally with the CPU player holding the ball and not starting their offense. You have to engage said player for them to make a move. Hopefully this has been addressed because it’d be hard to believe the dev team didn’t notice it happening along the way.

The overriding feeling I can’t escape is one of sloppiness. Despite all the improvements and flashes of excellence I’ll find several possessions where something madly frustrating occurs. It may be a defensive player seemingly warping for a steal. It may be having simple low risk passes stolen as my player stands there in place but the defender arrives out of no where to knock it away. It may be my player taking four steps and not getting called for a travel. It may be the CPU making tough shot after tough shot while I miss wide open opportunities. It may be my defense not collapsing on a driving player. It may be how I can’t get positioning on offense without the CPU knocking the ball out of my hands. In all there are just way too many turnovers and various oddities to overlook. Sometimes games can be strong enough to overshadow things like those but given how much they’ve bothered me already I can’t say for sure that Live 10 will be one of those games.

So as I sit here I’m conflicted with my feelings on NBA Live 10. The vast improvement is obvious but at the same time when there are a handful of frustrating instances in every short play-through of the demo I don’t know how to decide whether I actually like the game or not. Live 10 is fun and very satisfying when everything works as expected but then again it remains marred by the occasional sloppiness. Hopefully the final version is cleaned up and balanced better than the demo and if it is then Live 10 has great potential to be a hit with hardcore basketball gamers as well as the more casual crowd.

Tags: Videos

synnista

Good post pasta and you 2k fan boys postin shit bout 2k dev team saying that about mike wang you know what I call that is called acting like bitches or high-school girls oh jenny said this about mike and becky said that did who the fuck cares mike don’t he gettin paid far doing something good for guys wholikelive get off 2k balls homie they need to bust a nut anyways live is really good this year pasta pointed out all my gripes plus I noticed that you can’t rip the offense up but kobe or fisher get ripped up by carter he ok on d but he aint that good never seen carter on any defensive list the right stick is a gift from the game gods if you never played live then you will post garbage about ot if you had it in the past then you will appreciate it mike wants like that free agent you needed to make it to the ply offs the last few years ya teams been missing kinda like the lakers grabbing gasol watch out 2k somebody else wants to play on the sim court you guys run it this gen but for how long….

http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

yeah that was a pretty tacky shot from a professional stand point.

synnista

Good post pasta and you 2k fan boys postin shit bout 2k dev team saying that about mike wang you know what I call that is called acting like bitches or high-school girls oh jenny said this about mike and becky said that did who the fuck cares mike don’t he gettin paid far doing something good for guys wholikelive get off 2k balls homie they need to bust a nut anyways live is really good this year pasta pointed out all my gripes plus I noticed that you can’t rip the offense up but kobe or fisher get ripped up by carter he ok on d but he aint that good never seen carter on any defensive list the right stick is a gift from the game gods if you never played live then you will post garbage about ot if you had it in the past then you will appreciate it mike wants like that free agent you needed to make it to the ply offs the last few years ya teams been missing kinda like the lakers grabbing gasol watch out 2k somebody else wants to play on the sim court you guys run it this gen but for how long….

http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

yeah that was a pretty tacky shot from a professional stand point.

ronimous

Damn NBA LIVe 10 Rocks… Its B.E.A Brilliant! Excellent! and Amazing!!! Im switching this year to NBA live 10 from 2k.. Practically 2k10 is the same as 2k9 with different rosters IMO… Hate the visuals! NBA Live 10 here I come.. I understand Mike Wang is just 1 person on the 2k team.. And so is MICHAEL JORDAN the G.O.A.T!!! Its IRONIC what can 1 person do??? Hmmmm??? I smell insecurities from 2k team, I dont care if im a 2k fanboy B4!! The blog they released is not for 2k10 game but for the 2k company which the HELL i CARE!!!
ronimous

Damn NBA LIVe 10 Rocks… Its B.E.A Brilliant! Excellent! and Amazing!!! Im switching this year to NBA live 10 from 2k.. Practically 2k10 is the same as 2k9 with different rosters IMO… Hate the visuals! NBA Live 10 here I come.. I understand Mike Wang is just 1 person on the 2k team.. And so is MICHAEL JORDAN the G.O.A.T!!! Its IRONIC what can 1 person do??? Hmmmm??? I smell insecurities from 2k team, I dont care if im a 2k fanboy B4!! The blog they released is not for 2k10 game but for the 2k company which the HELL i CARE!!!
Anonymous

oh i just noticed that was cool after artest made the first shot, the lakers bench did the "Hold me back" thing. just like in real-life. hopefully 2k10 has that too.
http://intensedebate.com/people/deepen03 deepen03

oh i just noticed that was cool after artest made the first shot, the lakers bench did the "Hold me back" thing. just like in real-life. hopefully 2k10 has that too.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Borquette Borquette

I hope that this game corrects Vince Carter's headband. The Orlando Magic are one of the few NBA teams, like the Bulls, that do not allow players to wear headbands. Courtney Lee was an exception in the playoffs because of his broken nose and the mask he wore with it.

http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

I think they said that was addressed in the full build.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Borquette Borquette

Ah ha…

http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

the skipping up the court after plays is addressed as well thankfully as a patch that will be out.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Borquette Borquette

I hope that this game corrects Vince Carter's headband. The Orlando Magic are one of the few NBA teams, like the Bulls, that do not allow players to wear headbands. Courtney Lee was an exception in the playoffs because of his broken nose and the mask he wore with it.

http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

I think they said that was addressed in the full build.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Borquette Borquette

Ah ha…

http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

the skipping up the court after plays is addressed as well thankfully as a patch that will be out.

BLAK BAKI HANMA

I was under the impression that Pasta knew (or at least understood) how to play basketball. Pasta is CLEARLY playing on a remedial difficulty setting and you can see right off the bat that he doesn't have any mastery of the controls HENCE THE "TAKE A CHARGE" stance he takes with Jameer Nelson 8 FEET AWAY from Derek Fisher… Then he switches to Pietrus and goes for a lunging stea?! Pasta!?… Buddy!?… Perhaps you should have spent about 3 days (an acceptable time to climb the learning curve) BEFORE you filmed yourself "playing" Live 10.

This game does not reward CHEESING of any kind so your past style of play is clearly ineffective. Do i even have to explain why you lose the ball when you try to spin INTO a 7 footer's chest? Apparently I do… so APPARENTLY you have no business reviewing this title.

http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

Pasta has admitted he's just a casual player in the past.
http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

LOL

BLAK BAKI HANMA

I was under the impression that Pasta knew (or at least understood) how to play basketball. Pasta is CLEARLY playing on a remedial difficulty setting and you can see right off the bat that he doesn't have any mastery of the controls HENCE THE "TAKE A CHARGE" stance he takes with Jameer Nelson 8 FEET AWAY from Derek Fisher… Then he switches to Pietrus and goes for a lunging stea?! Pasta!?… Buddy!?… Perhaps you should have spent about 3 days (an acceptable time to climb the learning curve) BEFORE you filmed yourself "playing" Live 10.

This game does not reward CHEESING of any kind so your past style of play is clearly ineffective. Do i even have to explain why you lose the ball when you try to spin INTO a 7 footer's chest? Apparently I do… so APPARENTLY you have no business reviewing this title.

http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

Pasta has admitted he's just a casual player in the past.
http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

LOL

DisfunctionalEA

I've played the demo several times on two consecutive games….I will admit I've been a 2k fan for the past few years…always trying the Live series as well each year anyway. I think they have potential…I have been dissappointed by many of the same things bothering Pasta…I don't feel the controls are tight, it has a sense of sloppiness at times for sure. The percentages make this game annoying…i miss layups and open shots and they knock down anything and everything….even pg's are walking in on Bynum and Gasol and making layups uncontested or invincible to the swinging arms of both defenders.

I'll wait to see the final…and see what 2k has to offer, but while not liking either game last year…I would have to take 2k over live just because of the issues mentioned….and why are guys standing out of bounds?? i don't understand why EA is releasing a game that has these issues…pretty scary. Anyway…2k has to bring back the sim element…i can't stand defenders moving around at mock 5 speed….and there needs to be something done about all the BS alley oops.

Lets see what they bring to the table this year.
DisfunctionalEA

I've played the demo several times on two consecutive games….I will admit I've been a 2k fan for the past few years…always trying the Live series as well each year anyway. I think they have potential…I have been dissappointed by many of the same things bothering Pasta…I don't feel the controls are tight, it has a sense of sloppiness at times for sure. The percentages make this game annoying…i miss layups and open shots and they knock down anything and everything….even pg's are walking in on Bynum and Gasol and making layups uncontested or invincible to the swinging arms of both defenders.

I'll wait to see the final…and see what 2k has to offer, but while not liking either game last year…I would have to take 2k over live just because of the issues mentioned….and why are guys standing out of bounds?? i don't understand why EA is releasing a game that has these issues…pretty scary. Anyway…2k has to bring back the sim element…i can't stand defenders moving around at mock 5 speed….and there needs to be something done about all the BS alley oops.

Lets see what they bring to the table this year.
BLAK BAKI HANMA

Live 10 is not "Perfect" (what is?)… but the gameplay is the closest thing you can get to "REAL" without buying a ticket, paying for parking, and waiting in line to piss out a $8 beer.

The controls are razor sharp and multi-layered. You simply did not do the game justice as your execution is beyond poor.

example: Jameer Nelson… Want to make MULTIPLE 3's with him?.. Okay, then take him to the right elbow, call for the screen, take 2 steps to the right and release at THE TOP OF HIS JUMP… 'TREY ALL DAY'… YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO PLAY TO THEIR STRENGTHS. Orlando's offense SHOULD BE played from the OUTSIDE-IN. Dwight Howard is a fantastic "garbage man" but the offense DOES NOT GO THRU HIM… KNOW YOUR PERSONNEL!… when i play are Orlando, i always feel like I can shoot my way back into any game – but… THAT'S THE MAGIC!!

http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

Completely agree. Saw lack of pick and rolls too! Too many quick and contested shots, lack of moving the ball on these videos. I'm glad to see that sloppy offensive plays won't result in points.

imyourfriendpasta

Pasta, It's tough to be a homer when the game sucks eh?

http://intensedebate.com/people/tcnumba10 tcnumba10

It's interesting reading the other comments posters have made here, before they were all about supporting LIVE 10 and Pasta's encouraging words for LIVE 10, but all of a sudden after Pasta makes some critical comments about the game, the same posters come out attacking Pasta saying that the flaws are ONLY evident when you don't play the game right, therefore proclaiming Pasta does not play SIM basketball. Very Mature, very mature LIVE fans.

Let the man have his own opinion, and you don't have to question the way he plays. The flaws are there and will always be there unless they fix it before the final product is released.

BLAK BAKI HANMA

Live 10 is not "Perfect" (what is?)… but the gameplay is the closest thing you can get to "REAL" without buying a ticket, paying for parking, and waiting in line to piss out a $8 beer.

The controls are razor sharp and multi-layered. You simply did not do the game justice as your execution is beyond poor.

example: Jameer Nelson… Want to make MULTIPLE 3's with him?.. Okay, then take him to the right elbow, call for the screen, take 2 steps to the right and release at THE TOP OF HIS JUMP… 'TREY ALL DAY'… YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO PLAY TO THEIR STRENGTHS. Orlando's offense SHOULD BE played from the OUTSIDE-IN. Dwight Howard is a fantastic "garbage man" but the offense DOES NOT GO THRU HIM… KNOW YOUR PERSONNEL!… when i play are Orlando, i always feel like I can shoot my way back into any game – but… THAT'S THE MAGIC!!

http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

Completely agree. Saw lack of pick and rolls too! Too many quick and contested shots, lack of moving the ball on these videos. I'm glad to see that sloppy offensive plays won't result in points.

imyourfriendpasta

Pasta, It's tough to be a homer when the game sucks eh?

http://intensedebate.com/people/tcnumba10 tcnumba10

It's interesting reading the other comments posters have made here, before they were all about supporting LIVE 10 and Pasta's encouraging words for LIVE 10, but all of a sudden after Pasta makes some critical comments about the game, the same posters come out attacking Pasta saying that the flaws are ONLY evident when you don't play the game right, therefore proclaiming Pasta does not play SIM basketball. Very Mature, very mature LIVE fans.

Let the man have his own opinion, and you don't have to question the way he plays. The flaws are there and will always be there unless they fix it before the final product is released.

BLAK BAKI HANMA

IN SHORT – Play as the team plays and you will give yourself the best opportunity for success.
I'm not sure this 'game' can be rated (if you ask me it's completely off the charts) because the more you play like the actual team, the more enjoyable your experience will be and that's real talk.

NBA Live 10 (FROM WHAT I'M PRIVY TO IN THE DEMO) is the sim-of-all-sims. I have dissected this demo for 36 straight hours. THE CASUAL HOOPS GAME FAN WILL BE TURNED OFF BY THIS TITLE. No player will have any success on the "Respectable" difficulty settings without having, BOTH, extensive fundamental knowledge of PRO BASKETBALL and the TEAM THEY'RE PLAYING WITH and AGAINST.

Yes, like any game, you can 'tard it down to Rookie and Pro and have a Live '95 dunk fest but that is the furthest thing from the game's intentions.

PLAY like a PRO and this game will make you FEEL like a PRO.

ncaa rules

hahahahahah this goon is off his rocker and apparently on the ea live team hahahaha
jusmegamer

Sim of all Sim's? You lose respect when you make ignorant statements like that. EA will tell you themselves that they don't cater to the Sim players. This may be the most Sim Live has ever been but not the Sim of all Sim's. What a joke.

BLAK BAKI HANMA

I ANTICIPATE AN INCREDIBLE ONLINE EXPERIENCE THIS YEAR BECAUSE 'THE KIDS', 'THE QUITTERS', AND MOST IMPORTANTLY 'THE CHEESERS' (ahem… PASTA) WILL NOT BE PLAYING LIVE 10!!
IF YOU ARE ANY OF THE ABOVE, PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON THIS TITLE.

IF YOU WANT TO RUN A FULL-COURT PRESS ALL GAME LONG (see: Rick Pitino's stint in NY) AND DRAIN 36 3's IN A 20 MINUTE GAME, YOU ARE A 2K-BALLER (AND APPARENTLY NOT REMOTELY INTERESTED IN PLAYING "NBA" BASKETBALL).

Thanks Mike AND EVERYONE ON THE LIVE DEV TEAM this year for giving grown folks who LOVE 'authentic NBA basketball' an incredible game to play… FINALLY!!

Oh, and Pasta?… if you can't keep your opponents to under 75% shooting ON PRO AND STARTER, you either have fingers or chromosomes missing… get it together man or have A REAL PLAYER PLAY FOR YOU NEXT TIME. (BTW, i'd be happy to…)

FOR ALL THOSE SIM BALLERS WHO KNOW (THE TRUTH) ABOUT LIVE 10, I'M BLAK BAKI HANMA ON XBL… GET AT ME ON OCT. 6!!!

"LET 'EM HANG"
BLAK BAKI HANMA

IN SHORT – Play as the team plays and you will give yourself the best opportunity for success.
I'm not sure this 'game' can be rated (if you ask me it's completely off the charts) because the more you play like the actual team, the more enjoyable your experience will be and that's real talk.

NBA Live 10 (FROM WHAT I'M PRIVY TO IN THE DEMO) is the sim-of-all-sims. I have dissected this demo for 36 straight hours. THE CASUAL HOOPS GAME FAN WILL BE TURNED OFF BY THIS TITLE. No player will have any success on the "Respectable" difficulty settings without having, BOTH, extensive fundamental knowledge of PRO BASKETBALL and the TEAM THEY'RE PLAYING WITH and AGAINST.

Yes, like any game, you can 'tard it down to Rookie and Pro and have a Live '95 dunk fest but that is the furthest thing from the game's intentions.

PLAY like a PRO and this game will make you FEEL like a PRO.

ncaa rules

hahahahahah this goon is off his rocker and apparently on the ea live team hahahaha
jusmegamer

Sim of all Sim's? You lose respect when you make ignorant statements like that. EA will tell you themselves that they don't cater to the Sim players. This may be the most Sim Live has ever been but not the Sim of all Sim's. What a joke.

BLAK BAKI HANMA

I ANTICIPATE AN INCREDIBLE ONLINE EXPERIENCE THIS YEAR BECAUSE 'THE KIDS', 'THE QUITTERS', AND MOST IMPORTANTLY 'THE CHEESERS' (ahem… PASTA) WILL NOT BE PLAYING LIVE 10!!
IF YOU ARE ANY OF THE ABOVE, PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON THIS TITLE.

IF YOU WANT TO RUN A FULL-COURT PRESS ALL GAME LONG (see: Rick Pitino's stint in NY) AND DRAIN 36 3's IN A 20 MINUTE GAME, YOU ARE A 2K-BALLER (AND APPARENTLY NOT REMOTELY INTERESTED IN PLAYING "NBA" BASKETBALL).

Thanks Mike AND EVERYONE ON THE LIVE DEV TEAM this year for giving grown folks who LOVE 'authentic NBA basketball' an incredible game to play… FINALLY!!

Oh, and Pasta?… if you can't keep your opponents to under 75% shooting ON PRO AND STARTER, you either have fingers or chromosomes missing… get it together man or have A REAL PLAYER PLAY FOR YOU NEXT TIME. (BTW, i'd be happy to…)

FOR ALL THOSE SIM BALLERS WHO KNOW (THE TRUTH) ABOUT LIVE 10, I'M BLAK BAKI HANMA ON XBL… GET AT ME ON OCT. 6!!!

"LET 'EM HANG"
Joe

Great write up Pasta. I agree with everything you pointed out. Now I think you understand a little more about what 2K fans talk about when they say "2K is so much better than Live". Though I'm sure you always knew that 2K's gameplay was much better than Live's. The problem I see is that NBA Live 10 is the first year EA is trying to really "simulate" basketball. This may discourage fans such as yourself since as you can see, there are obvious problems their new gameplay features. Problems that will effect the over all flow of the game.

I'm not saying 2K10 is going to be a better game, honestly none of us know that. The changes 2K made with their post up and speed burst mechanics may make the over all gameplay crap.

It's just nice to see EA take a more realistic approach to their basketball franchise. I'm sure in about a year or so they will fine tune their efforts and be right there with 2K, well they do have to work on their franchise mode also.

Looking forward to 2K10 demo.
Joe

Great write up Pasta. I agree with everything you pointed out. Now I think you understand a little more about what 2K fans talk about when they say "2K is so much better than Live". Though I'm sure you always knew that 2K's gameplay was much better than Live's. The problem I see is that NBA Live 10 is the first year EA is trying to really "simulate" basketball. This may discourage fans such as yourself since as you can see, there are obvious problems their new gameplay features. Problems that will effect the over all flow of the game.

I'm not saying 2K10 is going to be a better game, honestly none of us know that. The changes 2K made with their post up and speed burst mechanics may make the over all gameplay crap.

It's just nice to see EA take a more realistic approach to their basketball franchise. I'm sure in about a year or so they will fine tune their efforts and be right there with 2K, well they do have to work on their franchise mode also.

Looking forward to 2K10 demo.
http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

Pasta I watched you play and I think you need to unlearn how you play NBA Live. You were forcing too much stuff in the lane whereas in past NBA Live games you would have been able to just dunk and push players out the way. You don't pass the ball around enough to find an open shot, and I saw a lack of pick and rolls. On the defensive end you you were too pressed up on Fisher and he would beat you every time, I think you were so used to be "warped" into a auto defense lock and you flat out got beat. Also you can't expect to block every shot, sometimes you just need to get into a position to contest the shot or put your body there.

I agree with some of the other general issues, but you have said you're a casual basketball player, and you're breaking some basic fundamental no no's.

The Live team stated the some of the issues with the game are already being worked on or have since been fixed. One thing Mr. Wang said was that they've addressed the issue of that over used "hop skip" celebration after a dunk.

I'm hoping we hear more franchise news, that needed to be revamped as well.

http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

Im sure there is the learning curve and comfort curve here. But I do all my initial impressions of games the same way. Generally that comes from the perspective of the general sports gamer who picks up it up. What annoys me? What do I notice? I think those things are what people would pick up on if thats how it comes across to me.

http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

I understand its an initial impression, but very rarely do you see a game make such a huge over haul. The Czar on O/S even posted webisodes stating some pointers as you transition into the new game play, and the Live team also put up blogs stating you're going to have to play to individual and team strengths. A casual gamer cannot go into this game and play on All-Star mode, seeing as that mode was built for a sim experience and provides a challenge.

I believe if you've taken the time to learn more about the mechnics, locomtions, play sets and player strengths you could enjoy the simulation nature of the game.

Legendoflegends

Cabrillo, there is nothing sim about live 10. You can sit over there all you want and talk about learn the mechanics, but if you don't have enough common sense to look at live and see the obvious general problems then you are brain dead and worthless to debate.

Based on your theory, you would have to know the mechanics and fully understand the controls to play a good game. That's just not true, 9x's out of 10, I can tell if a game is legit without fully knowing how to play the game. When I first played NBA 2k8, I knew right away that I was playing a very good game. Same with other top tier games.
http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

thats what i like about Live 10, it seems someone has finally had the balls to create a sim game for sim heads. Usually they are trying to much to include the casual gamer which leaves us sim heads feeling the game is flat.

Live is not perfect but nether will 2K10 be.

http://www.intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

Im sure there is the learning curve and comfort curve here. But I do all my initial impressions of games the same way. Generally that comes from the perspective of the general sports gamer who picks up it up. What annoys me? What do I notice? What do I appreciate? I think those things are what people would pick up on if thats how it comes across to me.

http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

Pasta I watched you play and I think you need to unlearn how you play NBA Live. You were forcing too much stuff in the lane whereas in past NBA Live games you would have been able to just dunk and push players out the way. You don't pass the ball around enough to find an open shot, and I saw a lack of pick and rolls. On the defensive end you you were too pressed up on Fisher and he would beat you every time, I think you were so used to be "warped" into a auto defense lock and you flat out got beat. Also you can't expect to block every shot, sometimes you just need to get into a position to contest the shot or put your body there.

I agree with some of the other general issues, but you have said you're a casual basketball player, and you're breaking some basic fundamental no no's.

The Live team stated the some of the issues with the game are already being worked on or have since been fixed. One thing Mr. Wang said was that they've addressed the issue of that over used "hop skip" celebration after a dunk.

I'm hoping we hear more franchise news, that needed to be revamped as well.

http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

Im sure there is the learning curve and comfort curve here. But I do all my initial impressions of games the same way. Generally that comes from the perspective of the general sports gamer who picks up it up. What annoys me? What do I notice? I think those things are what people would pick up on if thats how it comes across to me.

http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

I understand its an initial impression, but very rarely do you see a game make such a huge over haul. The Czar on O/S even posted webisodes stating some pointers as you transition into the new game play, and the Live team also put up blogs stating you're going to have to play to individual and team strengths. A casual gamer cannot go into this game and play on All-Star mode, seeing as that mode was built for a sim experience and provides a challenge.

I believe if you've taken the time to learn more about the mechnics, locomtions, play sets and player strengths you could enjoy the simulation nature of the game.

Legendoflegends

Cabrillo, there is nothing sim about live 10. You can sit over there all you want and talk about learn the mechanics, but if you don't have enough common sense to look at live and see the obvious general problems then you are brain dead and worthless to debate.

Based on your theory, you would have to know the mechanics and fully understand the controls to play a good game. That's just not true, 9x's out of 10, I can tell if a game is legit without fully knowing how to play the game. When I first played NBA 2k8, I knew right away that I was playing a very good game. Same with other top tier games.
http://intensedebate.com/people/jonathanglapion jonathanglapion

thats what i like about Live 10, it seems someone has finally had the balls to create a sim game for sim heads. Usually they are trying to much to include the casual gamer which leaves us sim heads feeling the game is flat.

Live is not perfect but nether will 2K10 be.

http://www.intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

Im sure there is the learning curve and comfort curve here. But I do all my initial impressions of games the same way. Generally that comes from the perspective of the general sports gamer who picks up it up. What annoys me? What do I notice? What do I appreciate? I think those things are what people would pick up on if thats how it comes across to me.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000055121751 Jaylon Mallory

As I can tell Live looks somewhat better but can still be improved. I've been a Live fan for years, but this year i actually want to play 2K because of the My Player Mode and how good i've seen it look on Youtube. Overall i might rent Live 10 but definitely buying 2K10.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000055121751 Jaylon Mallory

As I can tell Live looks somewhat better but can still be improved. I've been a Live fan for years, but this year i actually want to play 2K because of the My Player Mode and how good i've seen it look on Youtube. Overall i might rent Live 10 but definitely buying 2K10.
Alex

Pasta did you get NHL 10 yet? Are you posting impressions on it anytime?
Alex

Pasta did you get NHL 10 yet? Are you posting impressions on it anytime?
http://intensedebate.com/people/tcnumba10 tcnumba10

Fan Boys = Fail to see the flaws no matter how noticeable it is to others (gamers, bloggers, critics)
http://intensedebate.com/people/tcnumba10 tcnumba10

Fan Boys = Fail to see the flaws no matter how noticeable it is to others (gamers, bloggers, critics)
http://intensedebate.com/people/tcnumba10 tcnumba10

It's interesting reading the other comments posters have made here, before they were all about supporting LIVE 10 and Pasta's encouraging words for LIVE 10, but all of a sudden after Pasta makes some critical comments about the game, the same posters come out attacking Pasta saying that the flaws are ONLY evident when you don't play the game right, therefore proclaiming Pasta does not play SIM basketball. Very Mature, very mature LIVE fans.

Let the man have his own opinion, and you don't have to question the way he plays. The flaws are there and will always be there unless they fix it before the final product is released.

http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

I don't think anyone is attacking him, rather based off the way he played, he was using the same cheesing strategies from past Live games (i.e. drive to the lane and hit the dunk button and push players out the way) on All-Star mode. People respect his opinion, but there will be those who will choose to agree to disagree.

I'm one who buys both games; however, if you've been following Live's blogs, Czars blogs and webisodes, you can't go in with the same strategy as in past games. Czar initially felt frustrated and even admited that he was a cheeser and didn't realize it and started playing the game the right way (basketball fundamentals) Sorry but Nelson is not a good on the ball defender and that's why Fisher kept on getting by Pasta. Lack of pick and rolls, too many quick shots and not enough passing. It was good to see him taking mid range jumpers though, and not just relying on 3 point shots.

http://intensedebate.com/people/tcnumba10 tcnumba10

It's interesting reading the other comments posters have made here, before they were all about supporting LIVE 10 and Pasta's encouraging words for LIVE 10, but all of a sudden after Pasta makes some critical comments about the game, the same posters come out attacking Pasta saying that the flaws are ONLY evident when you don't play the game right, therefore proclaiming Pasta does not play SIM basketball. Very Mature, very mature LIVE fans.

Let the man have his own opinion, and you don't have to question the way he plays. The flaws are there and will always be there unless they fix it before the final product is released.

http://intensedebate.com/people/cabrillo24 cabrillo24

I don't think anyone is attacking him, rather based off the way he played, he was using the same cheesing strategies from past Live games (i.e. drive to the lane and hit the dunk button and push players out the way) on All-Star mode. People respect his opinion, but there will be those who will choose to agree to disagree.

I'm one who buys both games; however, if you've been following Live's blogs, Czars blogs and webisodes, you can't go in with the same strategy as in past games. Czar initially felt frustrated and even admited that he was a cheeser and didn't realize it and started playing the game the right way (basketball fundamentals) Sorry but Nelson is not a good on the ball defender and that's why Fisher kept on getting by Pasta. Lack of pick and rolls, too many quick shots and not enough passing. It was good to see him taking mid range jumpers though, and not just relying on 3 point shots.

James

I'm not going to lie pasta… alot of the shots you took were not quality high % shots. But I can see your point (based on the vids) on the CPU making contested effortlessly. It seems like Live is going to have the "Madden effect" meaning the more you play it the more problems you start to notice once that "honeymoon" effect wears off.
James

I'm not going to lie pasta… alot of the shots you took were not quality high % shots. But I can see your point (based on the vids) on the CPU making contested effortlessly. It seems like Live is going to have the "Madden effect" meaning the more you play it the more problems you start to notice once that "honeymoon" effect wears off.
Dcu

Why do people like this game….. It’s a improvement but fuck EA they keep doing little shit every year dude it’s almost 2010 come on give the people what they want…In all sports games!!!!

TreyIM2

Obviously, u have NO clue as to what game devs are up against, especially in a 1yr gaming dev cycle like NBA Live's. You're one of those bratty, uninformed children that get on my nerves on the net. I'm not defending EA, per se, but u have no clue or appreciation for what they did in a year. It's not going to ALL change in 1yr, idiot. It takes time and they can only work on so much each year. Sounds like they are moving in the right direction not to mention, if you are comparing it to 2K in your own mind, 2K wasn't all that for a while. It took steps to achieve a good game and to many, they've even gone BACKWARDS in the last 2 games.

Bottomline, stfu, ok? Lol…

Dcu

Why do people like this game….. It’s a improvement but fuck EA they keep doing little shit every year dude it’s almost 2010 come on give the people what they want…In all sports games!!!!

TreyIM2

Obviously, u have NO clue as to what game devs are up against, especially in a 1yr gaming dev cycle like NBA Live's. You're one of those bratty, uninformed children that get on my nerves on the net. I'm not defending EA, per se, but u have no clue or appreciation for what they did in a year. It's not going to ALL change in 1yr, idiot. It takes time and they can only work on so much each year. Sounds like they are moving in the right direction not to mention, if you are comparing it to 2K in your own mind, 2K wasn't all that for a while. It took steps to achieve a good game and to many, they've even gone BACKWARDS in the last 2 games.

Bottomline, stfu, ok? Lol…

TreyIM2

I like your insight, Pasta. I understand it's just a demo, as well. Even Czar on op. sports says that the final is much smoother than the demo since he has played both. U broke down the good with the bad and was professional about it (do I read anything less from u?) but I do have to give u a good looks on the correct demo dates. Mike Wang had us all thinking the 10th for EVERYBODY but as we definitely now know, this is not the case so I will have to wait til Thurs like the rest of my PS3 brethren and the Silver XBL members *sigh*

AmenRa

Man STFU eveyr comment someone makes talking negative about this game you got to make a fricking comment. Every GAME REVIEW SITE HAD THIS GAME BEHIND 2K LAST YEAR. The only way they catch up is if 2K stops developing. LOL you lose homey

TreyIM2

I like your insight, Pasta. I understand it's just a demo, as well. Even Czar on op. sports says that the final is much smoother than the demo since he has played both. U broke down the good with the bad and was professional about it (do I read anything less from u?) but I do have to give u a good looks on the correct demo dates. Mike Wang had us all thinking the 10th for EVERYBODY but as we definitely now know, this is not the case so I will have to wait til Thurs like the rest of my PS3 brethren and the Silver XBL members *sigh*

AmenRa

Man STFU eveyr comment someone makes talking negative about this game you got to make a fricking comment. Every GAME REVIEW SITE HAD THIS GAME BEHIND 2K LAST YEAR. The only way they catch up is if 2K stops developing. LOL you lose homey

TreyIM2

Ooo, one thing I just noticed was how a player will yell out when they are going up for a shot and getting fouled or trying to get the foul call. Nice touch.
TreyIM2

Ooo, one thing I just noticed was how a player will yell out when they are going up for a shot and getting fouled or trying to get the foul call. Nice touch.
Legendoflegends

Pasta, this is the the first post I've seen u write up that was fair and 100% full honesty(not saying that you haven't before). However, I always got the feeling that you was the kind of guy that back off from hard criticism on a game. But man, you really said what needed to be said and I applaud you for that.

Initially when I first played the live demo I was excited and impressed, but the more I played the game and got into it, the more my feelings changed. Their are some things that live has improved on, but there are definitely some things that can't be over looked. I've played it on all-star and it's hard to call this game a sim basketball game. I think MIke Wang is doing all he can but the live engine just needs to be scrapped and re-built.

http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

Well I appreciate you recognizing that, but I always just post up my true impressions. Whether people agree with them or not I can't worry about that.

Legendoflegends

Pasta, this is the the first post I've seen u write up that was fair and 100% full honesty(not saying that you haven't before). However, I always got the feeling that you was the kind of guy that back off from hard criticism on a game. But man, you really said what needed to be said and I applaud you for that.

Initially when I first played the live demo I was excited and impressed, but the more I played the game and got into it, the more my feelings changed. Their are some things that live has improved on, but there are definitely some things that can't be over looked. I've played it on all-star and it's hard to call this game a sim basketball game. I think MIke Wang is doing all he can but the live engine just needs to be scrapped and re-built.

http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

Well I appreciate you recognizing that, but I always just post up my true impressions. Whether people agree with them or not I can't worry about that.

sdot

I TRIED TOLD'EM

LIVE JUS AIN'T READY 4 da BIG LEAGUES

IT JUS CAN'T COMPETE wit da KING
sdot

I TRIED TOLD'EM

LIVE JUS AIN'T READY 4 da BIG LEAGUES

IT JUS CAN'T COMPETE wit da KING
GSNY

This game is ok, but 2k is going to be way better and whatever live did this year 2k has had for many years now. It still feels like a game that takes no skill to play. Anybody can pick it up and plays its terrible gameplay.
GSNY

This game is ok, but 2k is going to be way better and whatever live did this year 2k has had for many years now. It still feels like a game that takes no skill to play. Anybody can pick it up and plays its terrible gameplay.
johnshaft23

MY impressions on the game:

the visuals are amazing! Really impressed with the textures and faces and the arenas etc. All players tend to be sweaty as fuck, but i don;t mind since they are running around. It doesn;t make the game look bad or anything.
The introduction is horrible, but it doesn;t bother me since i always skip it. I only watch intros in times where i make myself or friends.

The player models are the same as each and every year. Some difference and the lebrons, wades and howards look accurate while Gasol doesn’t for some reason. They have enough models to do most of the guys in the league, but they need to do more specific types cause the wierd looking people in the nba tend to be noticed in games. For instance lebron is supposed to look like lebron, he’s a superstar. But guys like walton and shannon brown need to be accurate( which he is) I appreciate tha more.
THE PLAYER ANIMATIONS I REALLY HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM WITH!!!!
Being someone who actually messed with the animations in the pc version of nba live 2005 to 2007 i know most moves, lay ups and dunks by heart and i know in nba live 10 they have used a big bunch of those dunks, layups and shots. It’s surprising to me that eventhough they have redone the dribbling and some passes and moves…..they still have 60 to 75% of the older animation sets from older lives. It;s also surprising that eventhough they have used this high % of the older moves, they still don;t have more than 20 to 30 different signature jumpers in the game.(mike wang said this himself)
Weird thing about the guys running back after a score…….they tend to run like they got something up their asses. Most animations look smooth, while some look choppy and teleport style.
stealing is weird….when someone tries to inbound you can’t go for steals effectively for some reason. It doesn;t respond quick enough. The cpu knows this and just stands there to inbound.
The blocks are horrible……..the ball is like a ping pong ball a lot of times. I have only seen a handful of good looking blocks.

THE CONTROLS are a little awkward. A lot of times i am trying to rebound and i get the rebound and they automatically lobpass the ball to someone else. The icon passing i amgetting used to. The pick and roll play is sloppy to me, but i need to play it more. The plays themselves work perfectly almost. Very well done and smooth.
I often end up passing an alley oop to someone back at the three point line when i try to lob it to VC on the break. The alley oop button is not consistent at all. I tend to lose control with some guys trying to dribble, but this could also be me not knowing the moves yet.
DEFENSE is really hard on the perimeter. i have trouble stopping fisher sometimes with Nelson. Kobe is unguardable if he decides to iso or go one on one. only thing you can do is help and foul or block his shot.Or try.

PROS and CONS:

PRO’s
- great graphics and faces,
atmosphere,
commentary is okay,
rigth stick dribbling works well,
playcalling is amazing,
different types of shots and options to take these shots are very nice and well done.

CON’S
- players tend to grab balls when out of bounds while they should let them be, cause last touch is the opponents.
Some animations are canned and some moves are also canned and you can not pass out of them or alter them.
Not enough signature moves for my taste.
passing is sloppy and alley oop passing is broke.
sprinting is weird……vince carter can not outrun gasol on the break.
lead passing i still haven;t figured out.
computer hits a lot of jumper sin your face
defense is too hard for my taste still

my overall opinion…………i hope they will finish some things in the final build, caus eonly then the game will be good and able to compete with 2k9, cause having played 2k9 and 2k8 the past years ( i own live 2008 and 2009 too , by the way) I know live has to step it up at least on the animation and movement part, cause the plays and atmosphere are perfect.
I don;t think i will be playing live 10 at all if i get 2k10 and that game has improved on the bugs and issues.

LionsFanLOL

wow looks like u have 2 much time on ur hands guy

johnshaft23

MY impressions on the game:

the visuals are amazing! Really impressed with the textures and faces and the arenas etc. All players tend to be sweaty as fuck, but i don;t mind since they are running around. It doesn;t make the game look bad or anything.
The introduction is horrible, but it doesn;t bother me since i always skip it. I only watch intros in times where i make myself or friends.

The player models are the same as each and every year. Some difference and the lebrons, wades and howards look accurate while Gasol doesn’t for some reason. They have enough models to do most of the guys in the league, but they need to do more specific types cause the wierd looking people in the nba tend to be noticed in games. For instance lebron is supposed to look like lebron, he’s a superstar. But guys like walton and shannon brown need to be accurate( which he is) I appreciate tha more.
THE PLAYER ANIMATIONS I REALLY HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM WITH!!!!
Being someone who actually messed with the animations in the pc version of nba live 2005 to 2007 i know most moves, lay ups and dunks by heart and i know in nba live 10 they have used a big bunch of those dunks, layups and shots. It’s surprising to me that eventhough they have redone the dribbling and some passes and moves…..they still have 60 to 75% of the older animation sets from older lives. It;s also surprising that eventhough they have used this high % of the older moves, they still don;t have more than 20 to 30 different signature jumpers in the game.(mike wang said this himself)
Weird thing about the guys running back after a score…….they tend to run like they got something up their asses. Most animations look smooth, while some look choppy and teleport style.
stealing is weird….when someone tries to inbound you can’t go for steals effectively for some reason. It doesn;t respond quick enough. The cpu knows this and just stands there to inbound.
The blocks are horrible……..the ball is like a ping pong ball a lot of times. I have only seen a handful of good looking blocks.

THE CONTROLS are a little awkward. A lot of times i am trying to rebound and i get the rebound and they automatically lobpass the ball to someone else. The icon passing i amgetting used to. The pick and roll play is sloppy to me, but i need to play it more. The plays themselves work perfectly almost. Very well done and smooth.
I often end up passing an alley oop to someone back at the three point line when i try to lob it to VC on the break. The alley oop button is not consistent at all. I tend to lose control with some guys trying to dribble, but this could also be me not knowing the moves yet.
DEFENSE is really hard on the perimeter. i have trouble stopping fisher sometimes with Nelson. Kobe is unguardable if he decides to iso or go one on one. only thing you can do is help and foul or block his shot.Or try.

PROS and CONS:

PRO’s
- great graphics and faces,
atmosphere,
commentary is okay,
rigth stick dribbling works well,
playcalling is amazing,
different types of shots and options to take these shots are very nice and well done.

CON’S
- players tend to grab balls when out of bounds while they should let them be, cause last touch is the opponents.
Some animations are canned and some moves are also canned and you can not pass out of them or alter them.
Not enough signature moves for my taste.
passing is sloppy and alley oop passing is broke.
sprinting is weird……vince carter can not outrun gasol on the break.
lead passing i still haven;t figured out.
computer hits a lot of jumper sin your face
defense is too hard for my taste still

my overall opinion…………i hope they will finish some things in the final build, caus eonly then the game will be good and able to compete with 2k9, cause having played 2k9 and 2k8 the past years ( i own live 2008 and 2009 too , by the way) I know live has to step it up at least on the animation and movement part, cause the plays and atmosphere are perfect.
I don;t think i will be playing live 10 at all if i get 2k10 and that game has improved on the bugs and issues.

LionsFanLOL

wow looks like u have 2 much time on ur hands guy

linguini

Didn't pasta give madden good impressions too. and madden is crap. so how do you think live is.

http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

I still think Madden is great. Issues sure, but I'm enjoying it more than I have in many years.

linguini

Didn't pasta give madden good impressions too. and madden is crap. so how do you think live is.

http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

I still think Madden is great. Issues sure, but I'm enjoying it more than I have in many years.