RipTen Videogame Blog » NBA

“NBA’s Greatest” include Jordan, Magic, Kareem, Wilt and Larry in NBA 2K12

Matthew Sims — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:21:24 +0000

2K Sports isn’t dumb, they know that big names will sell games, as evidenced by their outstanding NBA 2K11 title featuring Michael Jordan on the cover and in-game. 2K is willing to bet that adding an “NBA’s Greatest” mode will help sales even more, and I completely agree.

The cover alone features Jordan, Magic, and Bird at the height of their careers, and fans have certainly speculated about who would round out the “NBA’s Greatest” roster in 2K12. 2K Sports has finally announced the completed roster.

The legends playable in 2K12:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar;
Larry Bird;
Wilt Chamberlain;
Julius Erving;
Patrick Ewing;
Magic Johnson;
Michael Jordan;
Karl Malone;
Hakeem Olajuwon;
Scottie Pippen;
Oscar Robertson;
Bill Russell;
John Stockton;
Isiah Thomas;
Jerry West.

There you have it, let’s hope that the legends don’t detract from the core of the game, which should be to keeping up to date rosters, improving controls and gameplay.

NBA 2K12 hits store shelves October 4th for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP and PC.

2K Sports Releases First Screenshot of NBA 2K12 – It’s Dirk Nowitzki Scoring on LeBron

Chris Carlson — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:00:17 +0000

Today 2K Sports released the very first screenshot of NBA 2K12.

The screenshot highlights the exciting 2011 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. In the screenshot, Mavericks superstar Dirk Nowitzki soars to the hoop at the American Airlines Center as the Heat’s Lebron James and Chris Bosh attempt to block the shot. Click on the image below to see the full sized version.

NBA 2K12 is set to release on October 4th 2011 for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and… PS2.

Blake Griffin Really Wants To Be in RAGE

Dave Oshry — Sat, 21 May 2011 08:59:36 +0000

NBA Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin belongs many places. A basketball court? Absolutely. TV Commercials? Sure. In a post-apocalyptic FPS? Umm… I don’t know about all that.

Well, apparently Blake isn’t taking no for an answer. He’s camped outside the Id Software offices in hopes of getting himself in the game… even if he has no idea wtf RAGE is about.

I wouldn’t be surprised to find a Blake Griffin Easter egg in RAGE. Or maybe he’ll have a weapon named after him… The TigerBomb? I dunno.

Go Blake Go!!

NBA 2K11: Offers Up First LeBron James Miami Heat In-Game Image

Chad Lakkis — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:42:17 +0000

Granted, I was a little ticked off last night when I saw that one of my fellow sports loving writers here at RipTen, Rangebar Merani, wrote up a quick post about LeBron James announcing his signing with the Miami Heat during his “exclusive ESPN primetime show”. My exact words to him in the comments section were:

“Unless EA is planning on renaming NBA Elite into LeBron Basketball 2011 I could care less about King “let me call a press conference to announce what I ate for dinner” James.”

And, while this is not a title rename, the first NBA 2K11 in-game shot of LeBron in a Miami Heat uniform is something I am much more comfortable sharing. On a side note, I can’t wait to lace up as Michael Jordan and dethrone the self-proclaimed king.

Get a better look at James by clicking the image below.

LaBron James wearing his new Miami Heat uni.

The Final Decision: Lebron Chooses Miami Heat

Rangebar Merani — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 02:10:46 +0000

The decision we’ve all been waiting for has finally been announced, LeBron James will be joining the Miami Heat this coming NBA season.

Revealing his decision live on ESPN just moments ago, LeBron will be leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers and will be joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in South Beach playing for the Heat. It’s gonna be an exciting 2010-11 NBA season, that’s for sure.

My prediction for next year? Lakers and Heat in the Finals. And the Lakers three-peat! Ooowww.

NBA 2K11: Jordan Cover Art Greatest of All Time, Say 2K Sports

Sam Naylor — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:41:25 +0000

2K have revealed the cover art for NBA 2K11 with a press release apparently written by Kanye West. “The Greatest Cover of All Time” features Michael Jordan, supposedly the greatest basketball player of all time.

As you can see, it is not the greatest box art of all time. It’s an old sportsman sticking his tongue out with too many red filters.

“We knew as soon as we signed Jordan that we needed to do something special for the cover,” said Jason Argent, Vice President Of Marketing for 2K Sports. “This could possibly be the most highly anticipated cover art in the history of sports games and we think the image we came up with delivers on every front.”

Did he really say that? Perhaps. What I do know is that Michael Jordan is a massive video game fan, and has this incredibly non-generic thing to say:

“It’s exciting to see it all come together … I am looking forward to seeing the final product, but my kids might have to give me some lessons.”

Ho, ho, ho. What a card that man is. Anyway, enjoy the box art- click to enlarge- and let us know in the comments what your favorite box art of all time is.

Reggie to Play Donkey Kong Country Returns on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Tonight

Justin Berube — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 03:36:34 +0000

Tonight (June 25, 2010), technically tomorrow for those of us on the east coast, Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime will be playing Donkey Kong Country Returns on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as the show wraps up it’s week long tribute to video games.

The show is scheduled to start at 12:35am Eastern/11:35pm Central time on NBC, and we’ll make sure to update this post just as soon as the video segment hits the web.

Update: As promised, here is the Reggie Fils-Aime segment showing off Donkey Kong Country Returns and the Nintendo 3DS. And thanks to Jimmy’s shrewd inquisition, we now know that the 3Ds will be available at some point in 2011, though no further specifics were revealed by Reggie.

Kevin Durant Named the Cover Athlete of NBA ELITE 11

Demi Adejuyigbe — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:54:20 +0000

Look, I’m not going to try and convince you that I’m a sports junkie by any means. I only occasionally watch basketball when they go into the finals, and even then, I don’t follow every game. That’s not to say I don’t get or understand basketball, though- just that I’m not exactly an expert or enthusiast. So, when you tell me that Kevin Durant is going to be the cover athlete for NBA ELITE 11, I’ll give you a half-sarcastic “Neat-o.” and go back to eating my ice cream sandwich. Did I mention that in this scenario, I’m eating an ice cream sandwich?

Apparently, Kevin Durant, small forward for Oklahoma City Thunder (or so the press release tells me) is going to grace the cover of the PS3/360 game when it hits later this year. Durant is the only person to grace both the cover of an NCAA and an NBA game, so I bet this guy is a big deal in the sports world. Anything I say from this point on will just sound forced and sarcastic, so I’ll just let you read the press release. Congratulations, Kevin Durant. Keep hitting that ball into the outfield. (My bad, that’s hockey.)

Redwood City, Calif. – Tuesday, June 22, 2010 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that Oklahoma City Thunder small forward, Kevin Durant, will be the cover athlete for NBA ELITE 11. A 2010 NBA All-Star, Durant became the youngest player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring this past season, and he helped lead the Thunder to an impressive 50 win season and an NBA Playoffs berth. NBA ELITE 11 is currently in development under the EA SPORTS™ brand by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. and will be available worldwide this October.

NBA ELITE 11 introduces significant gameplay changes that promise to revolutionize the basketball videogame experience. Hands-On Control is an innovative new control scheme that allows for one-to-one responsiveness of a player’s movement and actions on the court, as opposed to predetermined animations from the past that require users to wait while a scenario played out before making the next move. Hands-On Control is unique to NBA ELITE 11 and it is used to manage everything within a player’s offensive and defensive arsenal, including: dribble moves, dunks, drives to the basket, fadeaways, mid-air adjustments, blocks, steals and more.

“I’ve always been a fan of EA SPORTS,” said Durant. “This has been an exciting year for me and the team, and capping it off with being on the cover of NBA ELITE 11 is cool.”

“Durant is a game changer,” said Jordan Edelstein, VP Marketing, EA SPORTS. “There has never been a player his size with his skill set, and there has never before been a basketball videogame likeNBA ELITE. Just like we see Durant as the future of the NBA, NBA ELITE 11 represents the future of basketball videogames by providing a gameplay experience you simply won’t find anywhere else on the market.”

Picked second overall in the 2007 NBA Entry Draft, Durant has accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments in his short professional career, including being named the 2008 T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year. Additionally, he will be representing the USA in the 2010 FIBA World Championships this summer in Turkey.

Durant is only the third player in EA SPORTS history to be featured both on the pack of an NCAA and an NBA licensed product. Durant was featured on the cover of NCAA March Madness 08.

NBA ELITE 11 will be available for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB. For more information, log onto http://nbaelite.easports.com

E310 Preview: NBA 2K11, Presentation, Polish, and Revamped Controls

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:18:44 +0000

Ripten was given behind-closed-doors access to a brief presentation on NBA 2K 11. When we say brief, the presentation lasted about five minutes or so and touched on a few key points that the 2K Sports team wanted to hit home. Presentation, polish, and revamped controls.

Presentation: 2K treated us to a few minutes worth of game introduction that features the Lakers and the Celtics. It showed players getting off the bus and walking into the stadium and continued to follow them up until they hit the court. The announcers are what you would expect from a 2K Sports game — lively and entertaining.

We were also told that 2K brought in a former TNT television producer to help them create a more polished and realistic presentation for NBA 2K11. They repeatedly stressed the word “polish” throughout the session and the detailed graphics, crisp sound, and broad array of camera angles used during the pre-game build up provided a convincing backdrop.

Frame rate fanatics will be happy to know that the frame rate in NBA 2K 11 was confirmed to us as a smooth and consistent 60 frames per second throughout.

Revamped Controls: NBA 2K11 will feature a new left stick controlled dribble system, and while they weren’t ready to unveil the specifics of how it will work just yet, the 2K Sports team described it as a “smoother” game control alternative that will allow players to “execute when and how [they] want.”

Michael Jordan: The MJ mystery was kept under wraps as well. Outside of the pre-E3 announcement confirming Michael as the cover athlete for NBA 2K11, the team informed us that additional details outlining Jordan’s involvment would be revealed at a later date.

That concludes our NBA 2K11 E3 preview. We’ve been following 2K Sports since the inception of this site so you can be sure we’ll keep you updated as more new breaks regarding this title as it approaches it’s Fall 2010 release. In the mean time, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Freshly Minted NBA Elite 11 Screens

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 04:39:14 +0000

EA Sports’ recently renamed NBA Live game, now dubbed NBA Elite, has three new screens for you to mull over. The only gripe I have here is with the teams featured. I mean, Bucks vs. Magic? Would have been nice to get some Celtics vs. Lakers action up in these bad boys, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

[Thanks AGB]

Michael Jordan Announced as NBA 2K11 Cover Athlete

Rangebar Merani — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:59:45 +0000

2K Sports announced today that NBA legend and current Charlotte Bobcats owners Michael Jordan will be appearing on the cover of the upcoming NBA 2K11, confirming earlier rumors.

Jason Argent, Vice President of Marketing for 2K Sports, was the one who confirmed the news to CNBC today and said that it was because “we know we have the best NBA video game ever made here” that opted them to go after Jordan for the cover.

“So we thought to ourselves how can we embody that and there was only one person on that list who we wanted to have and that was Michael Jordan. Actually getting this done is the most ridiculous win of all-time,” he said.

Argent wasn’t ready to let out all the details on how Jordan would appear in the game, but did say that there will be “some really good surprises”.

“It’s an honor to be featured on the cover of NBA 2K11,” Jordan said. “I have no doubt that NBA 2K11 will be a bit hit with gamers and basketball fans alike. I’m looking forward to getting back out on the court, virtually.”

While there are dozens of current NBA players that truly deserve to be on the NBA 2K11 cover, I don’t expect to hear many complaints from gamers about Jordan being on the cover. Jordan was, and still is (until Kobe eventually dethrones him), the best basketball player to ever play in the NBA and 2K Sports has one hell of a gameplay to get him back on the virtual court.

Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA—13 with the Chicago Bulls (where he won six titles) and two with the Washington Wizards. He played his last game in 2003 with the Wizards.

Look out for Michael Jordan on the cover of NBA 2K11 when the game is released on October 5.

EA Sports’ NBA Live Title Rebranded NBA Elite 11

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:34:41 +0000

The NBA Live rebranding initiative that was leaked last week courtesy of an Official Xbox Magazine preview has finally been confirmed by EA via the press release issued today.

The “NBA Elite” name officially announced today puts an end to the NBA Live moniker and it’s 16 year long run dating back to 1995. If EA Sports is willing to scrap that, one’s got to wonder — could a Madden rebranding be next on the list? Gruden NFL 12 anyone? How about a game of Generic Patriots’ Coach NFL 13?

Read on for the full press release filled with classic EA Sports marketing lingo and a few quotes addressing new features available in the NBA Elite 11 release such as a “Hands-On Control” scheme that promises to deliver “one-to-one responsiveness” between player decision and on-screen reaction, and the addition of “real time physics” allowing for independent AI movement on the court.

EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA ELITE 11

EA SPORTS Set to Re-invent the Basketball Simulation Videogame Experience This Fall

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS) announced today that NBA ELITE will be the new moniker of the long running EA SPORTS™ NBA videogame franchise. NBA ELITE 11 will revolutionize the way basketball simulation games are played, with an all-new technology base, a new control scheme and a real-time physics system. Currently in development for the PLAYSTATION®3 and the XBOX™ 360, NBA ELITE 11 will be available in retail stores this October.

“We plan to profoundly evolve the interactive basketball experience in a way that the category has not seen for a decade,” says Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. “In NBA ELITE 11, we’ll introduce a gameplay experience that gives fans the control on the court that they have been begging for in a basketball game for years.”

Using the design principles from some of EA SPORTS top rated franchises, NBA ELITE 11 introduces several significant gameplay changes that center around user control. The new ‘Hands-On Control’ scheme allows for one-to-one responsiveness of a player’s movement and actions on the court, as opposed to traditional predetermined animations that require users to wait while a scenario played out before making the next move. Hands-on Control applies to everything within a player’s offensive and defensive arsenal, including: dribble moves, dunks, drives to the basket, fadeaways, mid-air adjustments, blocks, steals and more.

The new real-time physics system in NBA ELITE 11 allows each player on the court to move independently of one another, removing the two-man interactions that have long taken the user control out of basketball simulation videogames. In addition, a new skill-based shooting system requires accurate user input, based on a player’s position on the court, versus the randomly generated dice rolls that have driven shooting in basketball videogames in the past.

“NBA ELITE 11 will give gamers the same skill set that a pro basketball player has at his disposal,” said David Littman, Creative Director, NBA ELITE 11. “This is the first basketball simulation videogame where you are controlling every movement, dribble move, shot, dunk, lay-up, steal and block in real time with one-to-one control. You’re no longer going to push a button and watch the computer generate a long animation sequence. It is like being on a basketball court with an amazing set of skills. This is going to change what people have come to expect from a basketball simulation videogame.”

“From the first day of development on this product, it was clear that we intended to pioneer a groundbreaking change in the basketball videogame segment,” said Jordan Edelstein, VP Marketing, EA SPORTS. “It’s a whole new game that warranted a brand new name to fully capture the transformation we intend to deliver in NBA ELITE.”

Electronic Arts has been releasing basketball videogames since 1983. The first game, titled One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird, was one of the first basketball games to feature real NBA players. The franchise was rebranded to become NBA LIVE with the release of NBA LIVE 95, a brand that has carried on for 16 years culminating in last year’s NBA LIVE 10. EA’s NBA-licensed franchises have sold more than 25 million units since 1995*.

NBA ELITE 11 will be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system with an MSRP of $59.99. It is developed by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

*According to the TRST/NPD Data

Michael Jordan Rumored As NBA 2K11 Cover Athlete & Playable Character

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 27 May 2010 04:41:56 +0000

ESPN is reporting that despite the early rumors which pointed to LeBron “I’ll let the off season play itself out” James as the NBA 2K11 cover athlete, they’ve received confirmation from multiple sources that 2K Sports has signed NBA legend Michael Jordan as their featured cover athlete and spokesman for the upcoming NBA 2K11.

And if that isn’t enough for the die hard Jordan fans out there, the rumors also suggest that there will be a playable version of MJ himself in the game, along with some other players from his era. This will give gamers the ability to replay classic match-ups like Bulls versus Celtics with historic team rosters.

On a personal note, I can still remember where I was as a kid in 1992 during game six of the NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Portland Trail Blazers. Michael Jordan was leading the Bulls in a game six comeback to try and deliver what would be a second championship title to the city of Chicago, as me and my friend Mark were watching the game in his parents living room. The score was close and it, for all intensive purposes, looked like it was going to go down to the wire when my friend’s mom walks in and turns off the TV. What she said next will remain with me until the day I die. She looked us both in the eyes and said “I will not allow you to sit here and watch a bunch of uneducated monkeys jump up and down.” Needless to say that was the last time I allowed myself to be stuck there during a highly televised sporting event.

Sadly, I never got to see the end of that game as a kid, but thanks to the internet and this wonderful thing we call YouTube, you can watch the final minutes of that game six with me right now.

In all honesty, I haven’t watched much of the NBA since Michael Jordan retired. The old man in me could sit here and say the talent was better then, but from a collective standpoint, I’m not sure that it was — and even so — I wouldn’t peg that as my reason for a declining interest in the sport over the years. Instead, it’s my belief that the NBA, more so than any other major sport, seems to have a marketing agenda that just works better for a younger audience who cares about what flavor Gatorade they drink and what type of sneaker they wear.

Now don’t get me wrong — Jordan was a marketing Behemoth in his prime that sold everything from Ball Park Franks and Gatorade to Air Jordan Sneakers and Haynes Underwear. In fact, he still represents some of these brands to this day. All that aside, MJ was one beast of an athlete on the court, whose competitive nature elevated his game to a level few will ever attain. And those of us fortunate enough to see him “jump up and down” are certainly grateful to have done so. I know I was.

If true, 2K is taking a small risk in not going the modern day mega star route, but what they gain in sales from the thirty something demographic like myself should more than make up the difference. Heck, I’ll probably buy the game for the cover alone simply because … sometimes I dream … that he is me … you’ve got to see that’s how I dream to be. I dream I move … I dream I grove … like Mike. If I could be like Mike.

[Source: ESPN]

NBA JAM Arcade Style Basketball Coming to Wii 2010

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:20:54 +0000

A remake, or should I say “Wii-make”, of NBA JAM has been formally announced by EA Sports with a release date for the Nintendo Wii due sometime in 2010. NBA JAM was very popular in the arcades back in the early 90s, something I personally can attest for because I was there burning through quarters and eating crappy mall food. It’s gameplay was fast and highlight reel friendly, with ESPN style broadcasting antics that called out hot streaks, rejections, and monster dunks with catch phases like “he’s on fire!” and “boom-shaka-laka!”

EA Sports promises some new additions to the Wii remake, and while that sounds great, I hope they don’t stray too far away from what made the original a classic. Updated graphics and tighter animations would be nice, though I doubt we’ll see anything that remotely resembles my Photoshop work above. At least not on the Wii. Full press release available below.

BOOOOOOM-SHAKA-LAKA! EA ANNOUNCES NBA JAM

New Take on Classic Game to Appear on the Wii in 2010

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Jan 11, 2010 – Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS) announced today that EA SPORTS™ is developing one of the most popular and culturally influential arcade basketball games ever made — NBA JAM — for the Nintendo Wii™. EA SPORTS NBA JAM™ revives the classic franchise with vintage NBA JAM gameplay, and all-new features that deliver a fresh new take on the game. Featuring the sights and sounds that fans of the franchise will instantly recognize, EA SPORTS NBA JAM mixes the old school with the new, to deliver a one-of-a-kind sports presentation on the Wii.

“NBA JAM is one of the most recognizable franchises in videogame history,” said Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. “Diehard fans of the original game have been asking for a remake for more than a decade. We’re very excited to give them their wish this year with the return of this iconic franchise.”

Featuring gameplay that is true to the original, NBA JAM will have players spinning with ankle breaking moves to the basket and on the way to high-flying, backboard-smashing dunks. In addition to the classic experience, EA SPORTS NBA JAM will also introduce new game modes, characters and gameplay depth.

NBA JAM brought an all-new visual style to the sports videogame genre when it debuted in 1993. Now, the new EA SPORTS NBA JAM re-defines the visuals for a sports game yet again by bringing true-to-life body types, updated physics and visible player emotion to the over- the – top experience.

EA SPORTS NBA JAM is currently in development at EA Canada in Vancouver, BC and will be available for the Nintendo Wii videogame system in 2010. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.

For more information, visit www.nba-jam.easports.com.

EA Sports Announces Dwight Howard as NBA LIVE 2010 Cover Athlete

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:35:53 +0000

Make less than ten baskets (6 of 16 from the field) in your team’s first two NBA Final games, and you too can grace the cover of EA Sports NBA LIVE … assuming you look really cool with a Photoshop blur effect. Congrats Dwight Howard, aka “Superman”, now stop playing like the court is made of Kryptonite. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Three-Time NBA All-Star Currently Looking for First NBA Title

Redwood City, Calif. – Thursday, June 11, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that Orlando Magic center, Dwight Howard, will be the cover athlete for NBA LIVE 10. A three-time NBA All-Star, Howard is currently looking to lead the Magic franchise to their first NBA Championship. The No. 1 pick of the 2004 NBA Draft was the 2009 NBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Kia Motors, an All-NBA First Team selection the last two seasons, and stole the show at the 2008 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest with his superhero antics. Additionally, Howard was the starting center of the 2008 U.S. Basketball Men’s Senior National Team which won the gold medal at the Olympics in Beijing. NBA LIVE 10 is currently in development under the EA SPORTS™ brand by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. and will be available worldwide this October.

“It’s an honor to be named as the cover athlete for NBA LIVE 10,” said Howard. “This year has been a crazy ride and this is a cool way to cap it off. Of course – there is one more thing I’m on the hunt for that would complete it.”

Featuring several innovations to the core gameplay experience and online game modes, NBA LIVE 10 is bringing a renewed focus to the long-running EA SPORTS basketball franchise. The groundbreaking Dynamic DNA service, driven by Synergy Sports Technology, will make a return in NBA LIVE 10, with significant improvements that will allow players to connect their game to the NBA season like never before.

Along with Howard, regional NBA LIVE 10 cover athletes for France, Germany, Spain and Italy will be named at a later date.

The NBA LIVE franchise has graced multiple generations of consoles for over 15 years, and has sold more than 35 million units lifetime. The game will be available for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB. For more information, log onto www.nbalive10.com. Media can find screenshots and pack art of the game at http://info.ea.com.

EA SPORTS™ is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL Football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®.

NBA Live 09 Predicts Lakers to Win NBA Finals!

Rangebar Merani — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:53:24 +0000

As the Los Angeles Lakers begin their season tonight, taking on the Portland Trailblazers, I’d like to let all my fellow Lakers fans out there know that we aren’t the only ones who believe our team will go all the way. NBA Live 09 thinks we have what it takes to be champs once again!

A video game simulation of the 2008-09 season was conducted, using the EA SPORTS NBA Live 09 engine, and it predicted that the Lakers would end up beating the Miami Heat to win the NBA Championship.

According to the EA SPORTS press release:

A simulation is conducted by artificial intelligence or logic of the video game that uses real-life data from each player. Results are extrapolated by the video game when two teams match up based on player ratings, line combinations, and include variances such as injuries and hot streaks to give a realistic outcome of a game or series.

Pre-season simulations make the assumption that teams will stay healthy and play a season without any big trades, which would alter the end result. NBA LIVE 09 can now be used as a predictive throughout the season to simulate results of big match ups and the rest of the season with authentic data driving the artificial intelligence.

Along with predicting who would win it all, the Live 09 simulation showcased the Award Winners of the NBA season. Here’s are a few:

Houston Rockets’ Yao Ming completes an injury-free season and captures the MVP Award after posting 25.8 ppg and 11.1 rpg.
Kobe Bryant of the championship winning Lakers leads the league in scoring with 27.9 ppg.
Rockets’ Ming, Lakers’ Bryant and Pau Gasol, Celtics’ Paul Pierce and the Denver Nuggets’ Allen Iverson complete the All-NBA First Team.
Memphis Grizzles’ OJ Mayo will take home Rookie of the Year honors.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves is awarded Most Improved Player Award.
In addition to capturing the NBA Championship, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson will take home Coach of the Year honors.

Being a Lakers fan myself, I’m excited to hear that the Live 09 simulation has the Lakers winning it all, but unfortunately, I still have my doubts.

I mean first of all the simulation has the Lakers taking on the Heat in the Finals. Are you kidding me? The Heat? They were the worst team in the league last year, posting a record of 15-67, and the prediction has them getting to the Finals with a 55-27 record this season.

As for how well the rest of the league faired, here’s the full list of standings:

Final Regular Season Standings:
Western Conference                 W                     L                      Win %
1 Los Angeles                           65                     17                     0.793
2 Houston                                 59                     23                     0.720
3 Dallas                                    54                     28                     0.659
4 New Orleans                           53                     29                     0.646
5 Denver                                   50                     32                     0.610
6 San Antonio                           50                     32                     0.610
7 LA Clippers                            47                     35                     0.573
8 Phoenix                                 46                     35                     0.573
9 Utah                                       45                     37                     0.549
10 Portland                               33                     49                     0.402
11 Golden State                        31                     51                     0.378
12 Memphis                              30                     52                     0.366
13 Sacramento                          29                     53                     0.354
14 Minnesota                            28                     54                     0.341
15 Oklahoma City                      23                     59                     0.280

Eastern Conference                  W                     L                      Win %
1 Miami                                     55                     27                     0.671
2 Detroit                                   48                     34                     0.585
3 Boston                                   44                     38                     0.537
4 Chicago                                 41                     41                     0.500
5 Cleveland                               41                     41                     0.500
6 Orlando                                  40                     42                     0.488
7 Toronto                                  40                     42                     0.488
8 Charlotte                                39                     43                     0.476
9 Milwaukee                              37                     45                     0.451
10 New Jersey                           37                     45                     0.451
11 Philadelphia                          37                     45                     0.451
12 Atlanta                                 36                     46                     0.439
13 New York                              32                     50                     0.390
14 Washington                          30                     52                     0.355
15 Indiana                                 29                     53                     0.354

I guess we’ll have to wait until next summer to find out who’s going to win it all for sure, but I’ll make sure to check back with these predictions to see how well the NBA Live 09 simulation turned out. Here’s to the great NBA season ahead! Go Lakers!!!

E3 08 Hands-On Preview: NBA Live 09

Rangebar Merani — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:44:16 +0000

I just got a chance to play a game of NBA Live 09, and I gotta say I was really impressed. I was a fan of NBA 2K 08 last year, but I think EA might have the upper hand this year with all the new features and gameplay enhancements.

Let me start off with the EA Sports presentation of NBA Live 09, which took place yesterday.

It started off with Peter Moore introducing the game, but he quickly revealed a surprise guest to the stage: Basketball Hall of Famer and current NBA analyst Bill Walton, who suddenly stole the stage with his presence, humor and overall knowledge of basketball.

He totally won over the crowd and was my favorite part of the conference. To reiterate what Chad said, if Bill Walton was on the stage during the whole EA press conference, it would have been so much better. He was just that awesome.

Ok, enough about Mr. Walton – back to my impressions of NBA Live 09.

During the NBA Live 09 presentation, we saw cinematic gameplay and then we actually got to see the game running for the first time. The animations and player details look superb, easily keeping up with the likes of the NBA 2K series.

The biggest feature added to this year’s NBA Live (based on how many times Peter Moore mentioned it) is the Dynamic DNA, which is essentially a daily update of players and teams playing tendencies.

For example, say there is a real life NBA game going on one night, and Paul Pierce happens to drive to the basket cutting left the majority of the night. Following that game, Dynamic DNA will update the statistics of Paul Pierce in NBA Live 09 making it where he’d most likely be successful when cutting to the left.

Another example of how Dynamic DNA works is if a real life player is making a majority of his shots from one area of the court, that same player will be able to make those same shots in NBA Live 09 because that will become his “hot zone”. It kind of reminds me of NBA Jam’s hot spots, but just not as easy to pull off and the ball doesn’t catch on fire.

I got a chance to finally play a copy of the game today at the EA Sports showcase. I picked up the controller and was immediately impressed with the fluidity of the controls and the graphical detail to not only the players, but the fans and the stadium as well.

I got a hands-on demonstration of how the Dynamic DNA works and it’s just as cool as I thought it would be. It keeps the game as fresh as possible with daily updates. Honestly, I haven’t been this excited for a basketball game in awhile.

Just imagine getting all the latest stats and playing styles of all NBA players during the middle of the season. No more stats and rosters based off of the season before. Oh, and speaking of rosters, Dynamic DNA will also feature the ability to update any mid-season trades or cuts, as well as injuries to any players.

Another feature that I noticed, which kind of coexists with the Dynamic DNA, is the NBA Live Rewind. This all-new feature gives gamers the ability to take a look at stats from previously played NBA games, and use those same stats in the game you are going to play.

For example, say you are playing as the L.A. Lakers and your opponent is playing as the Boston Celtics. You can use NBA Live Rewind to look up the actual matches the two teams played against each other, and use the stats from one of those games. NBA Live Rewind is a really neat idea and gives players just another way to play the game.

Other than the Dynamic DNA and NBA Live Rewind, not much else was discussed during the presentation, but other features including the Pick and Roll Control, Defensive Lockdown Control, Signature Playcalling, Quickstrike Ankle-Breakers and FIBA tournaments have already been revealed for the game.

With the basketball season just recently coming to an end, I can only wait to get my basketball fix this fall when NBA Live 09 is released.