NBA Live 09 Hands-On Report
July 7, 2008 by pastapadre
The increased shift towards community involvement and interaction have paid dividends for several of the upcoming EA Sports titles. The first real development towards this was with the early community event for NBA Live last year. After proving to be a success it has led to events around games such as NCAA Football, Madden, and NHL where feedback could be taken early enough to be considered and acted upon. Now for a second straight year the NBA Live 09 community event offered the same opportunity at the same time.
Once again to preface everything to come this event takes place while the game is still very much in the development process. At this point it is normal to find bugs and tuning issues. What is great though is that those things can be pointed out and worked on. As I did last year I plan on comparing these thoughts to the final product in order to see how much impact the event had.
If I were to sum up my feelings on NBA Live 09 following the event it would be that there are a bunch of new, very exciting and fun additions to the game. However the overall gameplay still has several underlying issues that are difficult to ignore. The encouraging thing is that most of those were potentially fixable or improvable and there was no overriding issue that seemed to obscure everything else.
While at the event I got to take in the opinions of the other community members and found myself to seemingly be the least outwardly enthusiastic in general. Statements were made by some that the game had surpassed 2K and that’s not something I’m going to come out and claim. Feature wise that seems very likely however gameplay is always going to be subjective and certainly it was too rough to make that judgment already. On the other end of things I did leave extremely excited about Online Team Play, the NBA Academy, Pick & Roll Control, Lockdown Defense, and enhanced EASW video uploading options.
Of course much of the discussion around the game will have to do with the “ground-breaking” feature that is set to be announced until E3. Obviously I can’t speak to this feature, however I will say that literally two hours were spent explaining and displaying it. It is very much targeted to the hardcore crowd but should also have appeal for everyone else. Once this is officially announced we’ll be able to discuss the feature in greater detail than will be made available through the announcement or any media sites and I’ll be able to give my personal thoughts on it. I have also been asked to hold back on anything related to online play, which gutted what I could present for this initial hands-on report.
The NBA Academy was probably the area I was surprised most by how much I enjoyed and appreciated it. They originally had a list of 80+ possible scenarios to practice however could only get so many in. One that is lacking which would’ve really been helpful is free throw practice considering they changed the system this year. However I found great use for drills such as fast breaks since you’ve never really been able to practice those in the past. That should reflect directly in game situations now once you get comfortable with them. Others that I got into were pick & rolls, rebounding, and full five on five practice (which can include your own first team vs second team which is great for dynasty).
The Pick & Roll Control works really well and gives you an extra sense of control over the action. When you call for the pick a player automatically comes up to set it. This is supposed to be based off ratings and positioning on the court however it seemed like many times a player not well suited to be setting a pick would do it. The longer you hold in the button the different action the pick man will take. Let go quick and he’ll cut to the basket, hold it in longer and he’ll pop out for a jump shot. The meter that you can judge the timing off of wasn’t displaying correctly which made it more difficult to do what you wanted, but it was easy to tell this will be a popular feature.
Lockdown defense is pretty simple, you just body up on your man. It doesn’t necessarily lock you in though as you’ll have to react still to whatever move the offensive player makes. It makes it somewhat of a game within a game and definitely made playing defense more fun and gave the feeling that you can affect what happens much more than in the past.
Game presentation is very similar to last year. Starting lineup announcements are different and the game loads from the practice gym followed by a locker room fly through. The halftime and timeout cut scenes have not changed and post-game has the same highlight reel. On a positive note the Tip-Off is all new, displayed at a low closer upward angle. The default broadcast camera angle is a pulled a little farther out than last year and is slightly angled which was nice. I’m not sure I cared all that much for the spectators standing most of the time in the front row at the bottom of the screen though.
In a very welcome change the free throw system has an old-school feel to it. Gone is the right stick use which was a next-gen addition that never really worked well. Last year all I did was hit B to shoot it at the percentage of the player. Now there is a line displayed on the backboard with a sliver of white where you want to release the button. Hold it down and it’ll move to the right at a speed relative to the player’s free throw percentage and to a white area relative to it as well. From what I heard it was extremely difficult to make free throws with Shaq. Overall it seemed to be a fair system that produced realistic results and it was a relief to have a new system in place.
I speculated when a Superstar mode was stated to not be in but then Be a Pro was revealed with absolutely no specifics that it may turn out to be a one game experience and it is. That was somewhat disappointing but at the same time that’s what I expected. Everything from the camera angle to the success meter are the same as used in Online Team Play. It could almost be seen as a single player practice mode for OTP more than anything else.
As promised last year the FIBA mode has been expanded to 24 teams with the official rules and trapezoidal lane. The list of teams includes USA, Russia, Spain, Lithuania, Greece, Argentina, Slovenia, France, Turkey, Serbia, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Iran, England, Australia. Somehow I missed noting six of the teams.
I really liked the quick play call with Y, and that the plays are listed with the name of the player it is called for. So I might hit Y and it would be “Durant Get Open”. Basically it would call a play for you and as soon as that player’s icon lights up you would want to pass it to him. What I appreciate about this is that I’ve always been distracted pulling up the plays and reading them. While doing that I’m not paying attention to the action on the court. Now I can run a play and immediately recognize what is happening.
The Hot Spots are represented better on the court. No longer is the court filled with colored sections when it is displayed. Instead the sections are “outlined” with the color. Much more visually appealing and less distracting.
A big issue I had last year was using one button to do two commands…alley-oops and direct icon passing. That has been addressed this year with the icon passing being the dedicated RB and alley-oops requiring the RB held in and a push up on the right stick. It felt pretty good to do but took some time to get used to.
Dunks are all new and very much improved. What we were told is that dunks used to be based on what the dunk contest did which was three separate motions and that just didn’t flow well together in games. Now though they are one full animation and look much more natural.
EA Sports World will offer the opportunity for video highlight and screenshot uploading. But the video uploading is better than has been for other games as you’ll have editing options such as being able to change the cameras (including a floating camera you can use to shoot from anywhere you want) and change the speeds. By placing markers in different places you can go through several cameras and speeds. The videos can run up to 25 seconds. Plus they’ll finally have sound!
Here is a list of areas that I had issues with. I discussed them with some of the producers at the event and passed them along immediately following the end of it. Considering the restricted amount of time we had with the game it results in various pros and cons. As a positive if I notice something after only a few hours than I feel adjustments may be necessary. Frustrations would only increase in magnitude the more the game is played. In addition to that if I identify something that quickly I suspect most others would too. On the downside you don’t get the opportunity to find all the problems and can’t be sure that you didn’t just experience an anomaly. The biggest thing for me was the poor passing and a feeling of not being control of the action at all times.
- There were several instances where I felt like control got taken out of my hands. One was with the leaning into of shots that when I felt like I was doing what I needed to in order to pull up instead. Because of the tendency for it to carry me into a leaner or layup looking animation it limited me in what I could do off an explosive move.
- The other thing which did illicit some frustration was being pushed or pulled into a turnover. This happened in some cases being pushed back past the half court line after just crossing it, or being pulled out of bounds by an animation. Usually this happened with a defender in lockdown.
- There is a sense of not being quite responsive enough, for me that was especially the case with passing. Seeing an open guy, hitting the button, and not having it pass quick enough or throw the right type of pass resulted in missing out on open opportunities.
- It was discussed at length but I really struggled with passing to players based on direction of the stick. There was really no sense that I could swing it around the wing if I wanted to, or post up and then kick it out to a guy unless he was straight ahead.
- I also had times where it was almost as if it was preloading passes off of inbounds after a made basket. This could be due to me trying to rush the pass out, though I wouldn’t expect it to pass once or twice immediately after my PG got the inbounds just because I had hit the button multiple times before it passed in.
- Just from my perception it almost seemed like there were very few wide open opportunities. Obviously those should be relatively rare, however it may have to do with the passing issues where by the time the ball would get to an open man a defender had closed in on him.
- Alley-Oops may not have enough risk to them still. I saw some that went out of bounds or were deflected/intercepted however there were too many that were caught and dunked in traffic, pushed defenders out of the way, or catching and laying it up in an unnatural fashion. I did really like though how in many cases the players would just go up and catch the ball if they weren’t in scoring position.
- The one-handed intercepted passes looked great but I felt as though they were happening a little too often.
- Noticed some rebounding issues that seemed to carry over from last year. A couple players may go up for the rebound yet it is a player who stands still on the floor who it ends up falling to. I also saw the ball hit the floor a few times before being picked up.
- On fast breaks I had cases of passes intercepted when it really should have been led ahead for an easy score, no arc or lead on those passes. Or in the case of players stopping to catch a pass when they should’ve continued running.
- In the limited time I split between All-Star and Superstar. I really couldn’t say that I noticed any difference between the two. Considering its head to head though I don’t know if that is significant or not.
- There is still an overall feel of lack of agressiveness when it comes to rebounding, but especially so with loose balls. Often it didn’t even feel like the players were making full effort to get to them. I know diving isn’t in, but it was almost as though they wouldn’t go full speed even if you were controlling one and was using turbo. It’s somewhat difficult to judge how to approach the ball and occasionally that means you run right by it.
- I really liked how the double-teaming is handled, but it almost appears like the second defender in doesn’t look like he is doing much to make it more difficult for the ball handler. I think I noticed this most in the post where if you were controlling the second defender you didn’t feel like you were helping all that much.
- By the end of the day I felt like it was too difficult to drive past a defender with players who are great at doing so. I had real trouble getting Deron Williams any penetration which didn’t seem right to me. Obviously it shouldn’t be easy to drive, but I wasn’t finding any of my moves effective enough to do so, or the defender seemed to stay in front of me regardless. It could be that the explosiveness of certain players needs to be improved since at times they would feel slow to me.
- There were several instances where players with their foot on the 3 point line were credited with 3 point shots. This wasn’t just announcing errors but it was giving them 3 points. It was obvious when the shot was put up as well as in instant replay that they shouldn’t have been for 3.
- Came across that bug which messes up the broadcast camera for one side of the floor a few times. Seemed to be corrected only after committing a foul from what I tried.
Feel free to comment with your thoughts, and if you have any questions or would like clarification please visit this forum thread where it will be easier for me to interact. Not nearly everything I learned about the game is covered in this writeup. Just know that I can not address anything online related or the huge feature that is waiting on the announcement. After a few days I will compile the information that comes out of that forum thread for an additional article.
Hopefully LIVE makes a run at 2k but i doubt it. They dont play no defense, the players jus stare at the ball and dnt react. Also the game is full of glitches………….Lets take it back 2 live 05 when the game was fun!
is the camera angle for team play just like the normal camera?
I have no idea why EA focuses on FIBA teams. I would much rather see classic teams and classic jerseys.
Also, will team warmups be represented? No basketball game to date has featured the teams’ warmups, which would be a cool addition.
I have no idea why Live hasn’t been playable since the Playstation days. The last Live game I enjoyed was Live 97. Yes, the graphics were not the best and there were “skating” issues with the players, but the AI was tough and presented a healthy challenge.
Let’s hope EA can fix everything you mentioned and then some. Also, somewhat disappointed that the presentation didn’t receive an upgrade.
actually college hoops 2k8 had layup lines for warmups where you can shoot and stuff
Oh so you are saying Be A Pro is a one and done game and that’s it?
Looks like another year for 2K for me.
yesssssssss
The only game ive seen with player warmup jerseys and sweats was nba 2k4 and 2k8 on current gen, they all have it. 2 bad it didnt come up 2 the Next Gen.
Was the dunk contest improved like did they have brand new dunks can you jump over props?
Hey Pasta did they fix the lighting or are we stuck with the same old Laker lighting where the stands are dark and the court is lit.
hey pasta what about the career stats in dynasty mode
With Live’s graphics and the 2K series game-play we would have the best games in history.
“There is a sense of not being quite responsive enough, for me that was especially the case with passing. Seeing an open guy, hitting the button, and not having it pass quick enough or throw the right type of pass resulted in missing out on open opportunities.”
This is my biggest issue with NBA Live 08, and I see they haven’t fixed it yet. If they fix that, they will realize how much better it plays.
” Tip-Off is all new” great!
“full five on five practice (which can include your own first team vs second team which is great for dynasty” yikes!
“Starting lineup announcements are different and the game loads from the practice gym followed by a locker room fly through” sounds cool
Pasta everything you had an issue with (passing, rebounding, fast breaks, basically the overall fluidness) were the biggest problems last year. This is very discouraging to hear because you would think that these issues would’ve been the 1st things corrected for this year. This is EA’s biggest problem, they always try to add all these “features” before making sure the core gameplay is solid. When are they going to learn that we don’t care about these features if the gameplay isn’t on point. I know this is “an early build” but from what you’re saying, it sounds like EA is still a few years away from catching 2K. Oh & this is coming from someone who’s played live since the mid ’90s.
[quote comment="27926"]Hey Pasta did they fix the lighting or are we stuck with the same old Laker lighting where the stands are dark and the court is lit.[/quote]
Arena lighting is much better.
pasta i heard that the blocks and defense is great and even better than 2k, i read that in opertaions sports
Why does EA insist on simply trying to fix an engine that is broken in every way? They need to take a year off, scrap the old live engine, and start fresh like they did with Triple Play/MVP Baseball.
I AGREE WHEN CAN I SEE THE CLASSIC TEAMS AGAIN? 92 BULLS AND SO ON BRING THAT BACK!!!!!!
will we see some more video before E3
Yea i would love to play with the 92 bulls against the 84 celtics or the 2001 lakers
Would love to see videos of the game in action.
you had more complaints than good news. i feel like this game is a minor upgrade from 08 which means its gonna suck
and why does derek fisher have hair on the picture on the top?
Sounds pretty good so far.
[quote comment="27944"]you had more complaints than good news. i feel like this game is a minor upgrade from 08 which means its gonna suck[/quote]
I blame that on not being able to talk about the big feature or anything online related. With just a handful of hours to talk about gameplay and being in an early state those things are going to be what jumps out and what we wanted to mention in hopes of them being fixed/improved.
Any news on 2K9 yet?
Why is it that every year we have to hope things get fixed or improved? Sounds like the same ol story to me.
so far i like it and my momma like so if my momma like it i like it………… lol
Pasta- can you elaborate on the starting lineup intros for me?? Thank you..
Pasta, you’re one of the biggest advocates for Live so for you to say you have issues with the game is saying a lot. I doubt this “ground breaking feature” is going to make up for EA’s lack of being able to make a fluid basketball game although that’s excactly what they’ll try to do. They will try to pull the wool over our eyes with this feature to try to cover up their gameplay flaws. Same ol bs from EA with all of their sports games. They try to blind you with all these features & don’t solidify the gameplay. Sounds like I’ll be going with 2K yet another year. If it sounds like I’m frustrated it’s because I am. I really want Live to be back on top but every year since 2005 it’s been the same crap. Just because it’s improved from the previous year doesn’t make it a success. It’s supposed to be better. Why can’t EA hire some developers that can do better. Can’t they buy out some of 2k’s developers?
Josh
every game has flaws so do 2k pasta said he cant talk about everything until E3
yea 2k had flaws, but live 08 is a flaw in its self. Jus go play the game online n u will c. No Defense, ZOmbies, OVEREXAGGERATED go 2 moves. I made Kobe’s fadeaway from 3pt line 14-20 times. who does that? FAKE! the hot zones r completely useless. I understand playershave spots n the floor they favor more then others. But danggg when my player like Rondo or even james posey are wide open and cant make it cus their in the blue zone is retarded. they wouldnt b n the league if they couldnt hit a open shot. The blocks suck, stealing is easy, cant jump passin lanes. DUnk Contest hasnt changed since 05. lmao n they keep addin these dumb features. Their worst then MADDEN games when it comes 2 covering up the flaws instead of fixing them.
All this talk about the “big feature” is really getting me excited. I really don’t think I will be let down either.
Pasta, 2 questions:
a) What about the re-introduction of the timed based jumpshots (responsiveness, animation fluidity, etc)?
b) Tell us more about the player models. Any improvements?
Thanks.
yeah the timing of jumpshots would be nice to have again….can we ask for classic teams pasta? is that a license issue with having to have players permission?
Pasta, like the guys stated in the 3rd post. Are players finally wearing warmups on the bench? Are there assistant coaches? Do players go to the bench when you call a sub? And finally, can you dive out of bounds for the ball? Thats all! Thanks!
Oh, and will the game ship with the new Oklahoma City franchise? Or will it be a downloadable patch? Thanks!
It would be nice to see some of this input in the game after all we pay for it and play it why dont they just listen to us! (LOL)
pasta i was wondering if you’ll be able to upload draft classes from MM 08 this year
[quote comment="27984"]pasta i was wondering if you’ll be able to upload draft classes from MM 08 this year[/quote]
No
[quote comment="27982"]Oh, and will the game ship with the new Oklahoma City franchise? Or will it be a downloadable patch? Thanks![/quote]
I don’t believe there will be time to get that change in.
[quote comment="27981"]Pasta, like the guys stated in the 3rd post. Are players finally wearing warmups on the bench? Are there assistant coaches? Do players go to the bench when you call a sub? And finally, can you dive out of bounds for the ball? Thats all! Thanks![/quote]
Can’t speak to the bench players with certainty, there was a bug in this version where some had no clothes on (disturbing). But I think it was just uniforms. No assistant coaches. No going to the bench, no diving for the ball.
Probably bummed you out with that response.
[quote comment="27978"]Pasta, 2 questions:
a) What about the re-introduction of the timed based jumpshots (responsiveness, animation fluidity, etc)?
b) Tell us more about the player models. Any improvements?
Thanks.[/quote]
Seemed to work naturally, I actually didn’t realize it until later that timing was a factor again. I think thats a good sign.
I thought they looked somewhat improved, nothing drastically different.
[quote comment="27958"]Josh
every game has flaws so do 2k pasta said he cant talk about everything until E3[/quote]
Dude if you play sports games just for features then more power to you but I for
one couldn’t care less about these new features if the gameplay isn’t at least up to 2k’s gameplay. I’m not some 2K fanboy either I just want a sim basketball game from EA. Is that too much to ask? I know the game isn’t finished but if you’ve visited this sight in the past then you would know that Pasta is a huge NBA Live fan so for him to have as many negative impressions as he does must mean that it’s 2 times worse than what he’s telling us. This definately isn’t a good sign. We’ll wait and see like every year right?
Thanks Pasta!! So you dont think that Oklahoma City will come witht he game? So you a think a patch will be the answer?
It’s going to take a few more years for EA to be up to par with 2k every year they add new features and the new features don’t work I just want a good game from EA because live 08 was terrible
[quote comment="27988"][quote comment="27958"]Josh
every game has flaws so do 2k pasta said he cant talk about everything until E3[/quote]
Dude if you play sports games just for features then more power to you but I for
one couldn’t care less about these new features if the gameplay isn’t at least up to 2k’s gameplay. I’m not some 2K fanboy either I just want a sim basketball game from EA. Is that too much to ask? I know the game isn’t finished but if you’ve visited this sight in the past then you would know that Pasta is a huge NBA Live fan so for him to have as many negative impressions as he does must mean that it’s 2 times worse than what he’s telling us. This definately isn’t a good sign. We’ll wait and see like every year right?[/quote]
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being cautious and patient on deciding if the game is worth the purchase. I wouldn’t dismiss it outright though considering the circumstances. It’s frustrating that I can’t talk about the things that excited me the most yet. But hopefully its a picture of things I noted and can be improved. If you look at my report from last year’s community day I had a list of things I felt needed work, and while it didn’t turn out perfect obviously they were much better by release.
[quote comment="27989"]Thanks Pasta!! So you dont think that Oklahoma City will come witht he game? So you a think a patch will be the answer?[/quote]
I don’t know for certain, I just don’t get the impression it’ll happen. I wouldn’t be able to comment on the feasibility of a patch in this situation.
OK Cool Thanks!
I just pray that Take 2 isn’t sold and we have no choice in B-Ball titles to play. I think EA is too proud to say if the acquisition occurs to shitcan Live and use 2k as their b=ball title
josh i see what your saying because madden 08 fooled me and it made me cautious about getting madden 09
It would be cool if there were a little pasta padre is now online icon when you are u know if we could buzz u a question but if it would over whelm u i understand
Do you plan on posting any pics/videos of the game??
Wow, sounds like this game is still trash. Imagine that, and yet it will sell millions simply because it says EA on the front. I’m not an EA hater, NHL 08 is good and 09 looks to be amazing, MVP Baseball was great, Madden 09 is looking good, but damn the Live Series needs to die off or get shut down for a couple of years and let them completely rebuild this game. Its complete s**t.
^^^^^^ agreed they really need 2 make some drastic moves. cus their game is trash. Only little kids liked it cus it takes no skill at all 2 play it. I think im gna go play Live 05 now 2 remember the good ole days lmao
Just wondering. Maybe this has already been brought up. What about the Sonics? Will they be in this years game? I think it’s too late to make them the Oklahoma City Sh$%heads!
[quote comment="27919"]I have no idea why EA focuses on FIBA teams. I would much rather see classic teams and classic jerseys.[/quote]
because its an olympic year…
Pasta,
sounds a bit like the focus has shifted towards online play. I’m more of a dynasty type guy as I find to many idiots online.
Has the AI improved much?
Do guys like me who are into dynasty mode have anything to look forward to in NBA LIVE 09?
Pasta, are of the 6 other fiba teams China and New Zealand
iall i have to say Pasta I hope u cover 2k like u cover live.I havn’t been here last year to know.
Live has been 2nd best ever since the next gen jump.Im not playing a game that don’t focus on good on ball defense and u can do a spin move with shaq all the way down the court.B-ball games is all about realism and smoothness of the game.There Lay-up animation needs work, I shouldn’t see chest passes being down inside the paint when players next to each other and I should see a jump shot being done right underneth of the basket.The crowd is still not interactive and people in the crowd should be wearing the home team jersey.The players models are decent but still needs to be fix.Im not going to get on the online play.I can keep going on and on and people that play Live and over look these flaws is just as worst as madden players over the last 3 to 4 years.
I know 2k has flaws to but right now that is the most realistic simulation basketball game out right now.If they improve on 2k8 they will have the crown again in basketball games.
^^^and I shouldn’t see a jump shot being done right underneath of the basket. (error)
I used to love Live i was the one yelling to people there will never be a b-ball game better then live back then but i was proven wrong.I want Live to get back to the status they used to have but until then i will play the better real life game
nice review pasta. hey did you notice anything different about the sweat in players faces and did you notice anything different about the timing of the jump shots. thanks
HEY PASTA PADRE does the rim jiggle? Does the net interact more realistic….. Is the player models better……like is the calf muscles bigger like on 2k sports games…… and one more thing is it true that “Be A Pro Mode” is just for one game….that sucks I thought it would be a season thing…… and will they have kobe’s sleeve like at the elbow…..and do they have chris paul’s sig. shoe……
Thats all, sounds like i will get live if they fix the little things that you talked about
Thank you
haha he asks questions like a little kid lmao^^^^^
NBA Live is still dead to me. After they switched over from 2000 to the new engine the game was plagued by bugs. I am solidly a 2k man and unless wowed by the demo I cannot see NBA Live being purchased again (well maybe if it came out on the PC again)
pasta tell them to have 4 quarters in a demo
What about VENEZUELA in the new FIBA teams????
As a once were live serie fan, played thousand hours from 97 til 2003 with live, I hope every year, that EA will change the game, and will come out with an outstanding product, but what we are talking about, those are only small, slight, insignificant changes.
Stop shading the people! This is, what we expected? This game is a shame, the NBA as a sport, deserves a better game presentation! I am angry!
Truly, we see now the basic modifications, what EA did in the last 360 days… Thats all? No graphical and gameplay improvement? Thats all, what the worlds richest and biggest game-producing company can do? Are they serious, professional developers? Are You not disappointed? Is is worth 60 dollars?
Nba Live serie is dead, they have to rebuild everything from zero to compete with 2k, need a more creative art team, who love the game.
Me personally not looking forward to NBA Dead 09.
comeone reignman dont insult the devolpers they are trying hard to make the game the way we like, really its just live second year on the next gen(if you dont count 06 and 07)so far 09 is improved over 08. 09 isnt perfect but i heard its a lot of fun. maybe next year live will be the way you like it
Huddy, You think, that the developers are trying to make the game better, I think, that the producers are trying to make us think, that the game became better.
Forgive me, it is just the way of my fustrations to see my favorite serie to become more and more unenjoyable, and I have to swallow all these marketing lies year by year, before it dissappoint me again and again and again…
IT JUST SEEMS LIKE SAME LIVE DIFFERENT YEAR LAST YEAR BIG ANNOUNCEMENT WAS JERSEY CONTEST THIS WILL BE SOMETHING IRRELEVANT ALSO. FAR AS MAKING THE GAME BETTER THEY WILL NEVER MAKE A GREAT GAME THEY JUST MAKE MINOR UPDATES TO MAKE YOU KEEP WAITING FOR NET YEAR. BUT ON THE SAME NOTE 2K WASNT THAT GOOD LAST YEAR EITHER. 2K BETTER HURRY AND MAKE A GREAT GAME BEFORE EA BUYS NBA LICENSE AND WE ARE REALLY SCREWED.
DI, stop talking like that, You are giving ideas to EA. They have 2 options to make a better NBA game, than 2k: own the NBA licence or buy Take2.
As far as I know, they tried both. They should focus to the game…
Great work with the report Pasta. I’m just running mine by EA now and should hopefully have it up within the next 24 hours.
[quote comment="28022"]HEY PASTA PADRE does the rim jiggle? Does the net interact more realistic….. Is the player models better……like is the calf muscles bigger like on 2k sports games…… and one more thing is it true that “Be A Pro Mode” is just for one game….that sucks I thought it would be a season thing…… and will they have kobe’s sleeve like at the elbow…..and do they have chris paul’s sig. shoe……
Thats all, sounds like i will get live if they fix the little things that you talked about
Thank you[/quote]
Yeah the rim does move which is nice, but the net animations still don’t look natural enough or varied enough. Don’t remember about Kobe and wasn’t looking for shoes.
[quote comment="28038"]IT JUST SEEMS LIKE SAME LIVE DIFFERENT YEAR LAST YEAR BIG ANNOUNCEMENT WAS JERSEY CONTEST THIS WILL BE SOMETHING IRRELEVANT ALSO. FAR AS MAKING THE GAME BETTER THEY WILL NEVER MAKE A GREAT GAME THEY JUST MAKE MINOR UPDATES TO MAKE YOU KEEP WAITING FOR NET YEAR. BUT ON THE SAME NOTE 2K WASNT THAT GOOD LAST YEAR EITHER. 2K BETTER HURRY AND MAKE A GREAT GAME BEFORE EA BUYS NBA LICENSE AND WE ARE REALLY SCREWED.[/quote]
I can say that it certainly won’t be irrelevant. I’m sure some people will think it is more significant than others but it is a legit feature. I don’t blame you for thinking that and you can continue to do so but I’ll be curious to see what you think after it is announced.
Hey pasta, did they finally put back in the trowback jerseys?
[quote comment="28042"]Hey pasta, did they finally put back in the trowback jerseys?[/quote]
No throwback jerseys this year.
Pasta do they have team Canada?
Yeah I believe Canada was one of the teams I missed writing down.
im still speechless on why you pump live up buddy, you tried to pump it up last year and the game was trash…
Im just speechless bro,
College Football and Madden (stick to that) and Let this Live is good fantasy go.
NOBODY WILL COP THIS GAME! EA wins in Football (because of no comp), but there is comp in Bball and EA is just not comming correct with the gameplay.
Speechless
[quote comment="28007"][quote comment="27919"]I have no idea why EA focuses on FIBA teams. I would much rather see classic teams and classic jerseys.[/quote]
because its an olympic year…[/quote]
hey smart ass… was it olympic year last year too? no. the teams were still in the game then too
“Also, will team warmups be represented? No basketball game to date has featured the teams’ warmups, which would be a cool addition.”
I agree. It would be nice to have warm ups before the game. Also if any of you have played ‘PES’ soccer games it displays how players feel that day (in other words whether they’ve got touch or not) and so when we play we can make more plays for players who are hot and less plays for cold players.
They can’t include classic teams there are difficulties in getting the likeness rights for all the players. Interestingly, the PC version last year contained database entries for classic team rosters but no artwork for those players or team data for them.
Team warmups, are you guys serious. Who gives a shit…… the primary issue with the game for some time has been gameplay and you guys are still hung up on shoes and F-ing warmups.
[quote comment="28052"]Team warmups, are you guys serious. Who gives a shit…… the primary issue with the game for some time has been gameplay and you guys are still hung up on shoes and F-ing warmups.[/quote]
Thank you! I couldn’t of said it better myself. Why don’t people understand that gameplay is most important? It’s like building a house on a shakey foundation, eventually it will crumble. It’s like sweeping dirt under the rug with all these “features”, eventually the dirt will show. I’ve been one of the most loyal fans EA has had since the mid 90’s but I’m really getting sick of them.
do they have the Mexico national team?
i think with all these new additions, and the “ground breaking feature” yet to be announced, live 09 is gonna take it, 2k to me is gonna have the same features, the only thing that changes every yr is the cover person lol, so for my money live is gonna be worth it
hey pasta, is the fiba tournement gonna be played like the real one, with pool play first then the actual tournement??
yo pasta are the post moves in live better than last year
pasta thanks for answering before now, do they have the rookies like beasley and rose?
are there going to be injuries during the game
88TH!
[quote comment="28068"]do they have the Mexico national team?[/quote]
Yes
[quote comment="28084"]are there going to be injuries during the game[/quote]
I didn’t see any, but within dynasty I’ve heard that there will be injuries including season enders (but no career enders)
[quote comment="28082"]pasta thanks for answering before now, do they have the rookies like beasley and rose?[/quote]
Rookies weren’t in the build we played.
[quote comment="28078"]yo pasta are the post moves in live better than last year[/quote]
I’d say so, have a few more options but it was a little too easy to pull them off. The nice thing is defenders really get a body on them but defending the moves was difficult.
[quote comment="28074"]hey pasta, is the fiba tournement gonna be played like the real one, with pool play first then the actual tournement??[/quote]
Not sure, I didn’t really look into the mode much. One of the other guys may be able to answer that.
when will new gamplay videos be added to this site
I support EA’s football efforts…..but as far as basketball goes….2K is king….I can’t wait for 2K9.
thanks pasta mon can you maker defenders fall with the quickstrike anklebreaker mon
pasta mon i was reading from Osports “Pared” said that
“Dunks looked good. I remember this two handed jam I did with D. Howard were it looked like he grabbed the rim “with authority!”
is that true
IM JUST TIRED OF EVERY YEAR I GET EXCITED ABOUT LIVE AND YET STILL ITS JUST OK I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW THE FIRST COMPANY TO TAKE SPORTS GAMES TO THE NEXT LEVEL IS HAVING SUCH A HARD TIME MAKING QUALITY TITLES. EVEN MADDEN, THE ONLY REASON WHY WE BUY IT EVERY YEAR IS BECAUSE ITS THE ONLY CHOICE WE HAVE. EVEN IGN THEY HYPE UP GAMES THEN CRAP ON THEM ON THE REVIEW. IM LOOSING FAITH IN SPORTS GAMES MADDEN IS OK BUT THEY COUD DEF DO MORE. ILL WAIT TO FURTHER COMMENT UNTIL I SEE WHAT BIG ANNOUNCEMENT IS ABOUT LIVE.
[quote comment="28095"]when will new gamplay videos be added to this site[/quote]
No videos coming out of that event.
[quote comment="28109"]pasta mon i was reading from Osports “Pared” said that
“Dunks looked good. I remember this two handed jam I did with D. Howard were it looked like he grabbed the rim “with authority!”
is that true[/quote]
Dunks were much better and definitely had more force to them.