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RaychelSnr · 03-24-2009, 11:59 AM

For some die-hard basketball fans, choosing between NBA Live and NBA 2K this year was like going to a used-car lot and trying to decide if you wanted a refurbished Pinto or a beat-up Camry.

On the one hand, there is the familiar 2K engine, which has problems that have been compounded over the years because its owners have spent all their money adding frivolous features like a sleek spoiler, custom wheels and a lavish paint job, all while refusing to take the car in for the necessary maintenance on the parts that really matter: the engine, the brakes and the transmission, etc.

In the lot across the street sits an ugly looking Ford Pinto, with a rusting exterior, a broken passenger-side door handle and a non-functional air-conditioning unit. But since it just had its engine and transmission replaced, the Pinto runs well, and unlike the souped-up Camry, it will not leave you kicking it in its chrome-plated tires as it is lying dead on the side of the road with a pile of smoke rising from its engine -- though it may still explode if hit in the wrong spot.

Such is the state of this year’s basketball games: One is in dire need of an interior makeover (2K), while the other (Live) might be all right to use in a pinch but still needs a lot of exterior work before it is ready to become an "every day" type of car.

So, here are the key areas that the Live developers need to work on in the offseason if they want their game to earn a spot in the starting five of the 2010 lineup of sports games.

Read More - Why I'm Done With NBA Basketball This Year: NBA Live 09

wsu_gb23 · 03-24-2009, 12:10 PM

The only reason I have never bought a next-gen NBA Live game is because of the animations, ball-physics and net-physics. Quite frankly, this is what makes basketball look like basketball...EA has a lot of work to do.

stephensonmc · 03-24-2009, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wsu_gb23


	The only reason I have never bought a next-gen NBA Live game is because of the animations, ball-physics and net-physics. Quite frankly, this is what makes basketball look like basketball...EA has a lot of work to do.

Working hard on this stuff this year man.

Stumbleweed · 03-24-2009, 12:54 PM

Live's defense is much less frustrating than 2K9's at least. If you stick with your man and avoid getting caught up in the driving animations, the proximity defense is much better, and pressing "block" tends to result in better, more contextual contests than in 2K9 (including a lot of animations where you don't actually leave your feet, which is very welcome). But yeah, the animations tend to suck you in way too often, so that gets negated a lot of the time. But still, if someone relentlessly drives with Kobe/LeBron, if you pack the paint with bigs, you can stop them most of the time. The clipping and footplanting are better in Live also.

But yeah, both games were a disappointment overall, though Live at least progressed forward in big ways from Live 08, while 2K9 regressed in the most important areas that were already handled better in previous games. I'm definitely more excited for Live 2010 than for 2K10, simply because they've shown the ability to improve their game markedly year-to-year, even if the final product still isn't up to my (admittedly high) standards.

sportyguyfl31 · 03-24-2009, 12:55 PM

I honestly feel like Live is close to something very good. The problem with the game this year, is that the player animations seemed generic.

crossing over, ball handling, passing, backing down in the paint, all seemed to be the same no matter who the player was...and the CPU is entirely too scripted: The game begins passive, then gradually rachets up, and then in the 4th quarter, the cpu is lights out.

This made the game too easy, and predictable. I got more enjoymeny out of playing it, but the game simply stopped being challenging, and that's why I ultimately ended up trading it in as well. 0-2 with hoops games this year.

jaosming · 03-24-2009, 01:30 PM

I disagree with you on the rebounding physics, that is something that I love about this game, how unpredictable the ball is. The player animations need a lot of work on the rebounding end, but the ball physics really need to stay the same.

dave374 · 03-24-2009, 03:57 PM

I still really enjoy Live.
I wish my team (Toronto) didn't suck, but there's not much I can do about that.

Jamin23 · 03-24-2009, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave374


	I still really enjoy Live. I wish my team (Toronto) didn't suck, but there's not much I can do about that.

I'm really enjoying live too. I have a dynasty with the sixers and it's funny how the standings are almost identical to the real life nba. I'll probably be done with live after the season ends because I don't get the enjoyment of playing after the season ends. It's a bummer that your done with both nba games. I cna't wait until live 10.

03-24-2009, 11:59 AM	#1
RaychelSnr Executive Editor OVR: 57 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 4,846 Blog Entries: 490	Why I'm Done With NBA Basketball This Year: NBA Live 09 For some die-hard basketball fans, choosing between NBA Live and NBA 2K this year was like going to a used-car lot and trying to decide if you wanted a refurbished Pinto or a beat-up Camry. On the one hand, there is the familiar 2K engine, which has problems that have been compounded over the years because its owners have spent all their money adding frivolous features like a sleek spoiler, custom wheels and a lavish paint job, all while refusing to take the car in for the necessary maintenance on the parts that really matter: the engine, the brakes and the transmission, etc. In the lot across the street sits an ugly looking Ford Pinto, with a rusting exterior, a broken passenger-side door handle and a non-functional air-conditioning unit. But since it just had its engine and transmission replaced, the Pinto runs well, and unlike the souped-up Camry, it will not leave you kicking it in its chrome-plated tires as it is lying dead on the side of the road with a pile of smoke rising from its engine -- though it may still explode if hit in the wrong spot. Such is the state of this year’s basketball games: One is in dire need of an interior makeover (2K), while the other (Live) might be all right to use in a pinch but still needs a lot of exterior work before it is ready to become an "every day" type of car. So, here are the key areas that the Live developers need to work on in the offseason if they want their game to earn a spot in the starting five of the 2010 lineup of sports games. Read More - Why I'm Done With NBA Basketball This Year: NBA Live 09 Platform: PS2 / PS3 / PSP / Xbox 360

03-24-2009, 12:54 PM	#4
Stumbleweed Livin' the dream OVR: 39 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Denver Posts: 6,280 Blog Entries: 1	Re: Why I'm Done With NBA Basketball This Year: NBA Live 09 Live's defense is much less frustrating than 2K9's at least. If you stick with your man and avoid getting caught up in the driving animations, the proximity defense is much better, and pressing "block" tends to result in better, more contextual contests than in 2K9 (including a lot of animations where you don't actually leave your feet, which is very welcome). But yeah, the animations tend to suck you in way too often, so that gets negated a lot of the time. But still, if someone relentlessly drives with Kobe/LeBron, if you pack the paint with bigs, you can stop them most of the time. The clipping and footplanting are better in Live also. But yeah, both games were a disappointment overall, though Live at least progressed forward in big ways from Live 08, while 2K9 regressed in the most important areas that were already handled better in previous games. I'm definitely more excited for Live 2010 than for 2K10, simply because they've shown the ability to improve their game markedly year-to-year, even if the final product still isn't up to my (admittedly high) standards. __________________ Send your Midnight Release weirdo pics/videos to my new website: http://www.peopleofmidnightreleases.com!

03-24-2009, 03:57 PM	#7
dave374 Banned OVR: 24 Join Date: Feb 2003	Re: Why I'm Done With NBA Basketball This Year: NBA Live 09 I still really enjoy Live. I wish my team (Toronto) didn't suck, but there's not much I can do about that.

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03-24-2009, 12:10 PM	#2
wsu_gb23 Banned OVR: 32 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Green Bay, WI	The only reason I have never bought a next-gen NBA Live game is because of the animations, ball-physics and net-physics. Quite frankly, this is what makes basketball look like basketball...EA has a lot of work to do.

03-24-2009, 12:55 PM	#5
sportyguyfl31 MVP OVR: 34 Join Date: Nov 2005	I honestly feel like Live is close to something very good. The problem with the game this year, is that the player animations seemed generic. crossing over, ball handling, passing, backing down in the paint, all seemed to be the same no matter who the player was...and the CPU is entirely too scripted: The game begins passive, then gradually rachets up, and then in the 4th quarter, the cpu is lights out. This made the game too easy, and predictable. I got more enjoymeny out of playing it, but the game simply stopped being challenging, and that's why I ultimately ended up trading it in as well. 0-2 with hoops games this year.

03-24-2009, 01:30 PM	#6
jaosming MVP OVR: 22 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New England Blog Entries: 21	I disagree with you on the rebounding physics, that is something that I love about this game, how unpredictable the ball is. The player animations need a lot of work on the rebounding end, but the ball physics really need to stay the same.