05:36 AM - September 4, 2008 by wurstman3000
The NBA Live 09 demo has been released, please download it and post your impressions here.
News Post
05:36 AM - September 4, 2008 by wurstman3000NBA Live 09 Videos
Member Comments
# 381
JasonC1363 @ 09/05/08 04:14 PM
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i think the player models are way improved and on point with 2k's. the faces? i guess its a matter of opinion cause i thought they looked alot better then 2k's (im talkin 2k8 cause they refuse to put out info for 2k9)
as far as the jumpshots? not sure what it is beluba said about this but i totally agree with you. the jumpshots have bad animations and feel like they have no type of release point. they need to tighten that up alot because its still not on par with 2k's jumpshooting. kobes jumpshot in live isnt half as real looking as 2k's
the dunks and i layups i saw in my short playing time so far were really nice and the collisions and smoothness were top notch aside from a few jitters during transitions.
i havent seen anything in the game that would make it an epic fail just some small issues
here you go KDRE.. My camera shut off near the end and I didn't get the whole video but I tried to show off some variations of the same play and mostly just screwing around
# 383
Stumbleweed @ 09/05/08 04:35 PM
Nice video -- lots of good playcalling happening in that one, and that Ray Allen pumpfake-then-leaner was beautiful.
# 384
Chi Dynasty12 @ 09/05/08 05:01 PM
This is the first time in 5 years that Live feels like they have made major improvements. Gameplay is much improved, but not at the level 2k8 is, or where 2k9 will be. It feels like this should have been Live 08.
The passing is the worst part.
(I was Live through '06, 2k since 2k7; not a fanboy, just pick the best game)
The passing is the worst part.
(I was Live through '06, 2k since 2k7; not a fanboy, just pick the best game)
# 385
the_future420 @ 09/05/08 05:28 PM
After about 20 games of the demo, I'm ready to post my impressions. This is my first time playing any next-gen Live except for about 10 painstaking minutes of the NBA Live 08 demo. I'll start off with the things that bug me the most:
1) Offensive Control
In general, I feel like I don't have enough control. The last time I played Live, I felt that the freestyle control was superb. This was around NBA Live 05 or so. After fooling around in the practice gym for about 20 minutes, I felt I had a decent enough grasp of the controls. Once I got on the court though, it seemed like there were alot of times where I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but just couldn't pull it off. I really miss the pro-hop, I'm sad that EA took it out. I understand that it was abused in the past, but it was a perfect compliment to the freestyle control.
There are times when I will do a freestyle move, and once I finish it, it seems like there is something missing before I go up for a shot. As several others have mentioned, the right-stick moves are a bit unresponsive. I would have loved it if it were possible to "pre-load" moves to string together nice crossovers and breakdown moves. I think this would have went a long way in making the game feel smoother. There is definitely a bit of the "stuck in quicksand" feeling when it comes to using the right stick moves. In general, I just dont feel like I can completely make my guy do what I want him to do in any situation. Obviously part of this is my unfamiliarty with the control scheme, but I think part of it is the execution in the system itself.
2)Defense
On defense, its a mixed bag. Perimeter D feels nice (I'll talk more about that in a bit) but interior D feels very hit or miss. Closing out on open shooters is a nightmare. Why can't I manually use the right-stick to put my hands up? Pressing left or right on the stick attempts to draw the charge and it feels good, but the other directions aren't being used. If I could use the right stick to put my hands up in the post along with using LT defensive assist and the L-stick, post defense would be great. As far as closing out on shooters, what in the hell is up with the block button? It takes 2 seconds to respond, and once it does, alot of times my player doesn't even jump in the general direction of the shooter. I can be rotating with Pao trying to close out on a shooter in the corner, and when I press that direction + Y, he jumps toward the wing. Very annoying.
Now that I think about it, those are probably my two biggest faults with the game so far. I won't mention other things such as CPU offensive rebounding and shooting because those things have already been mentioned and can be fixed with sliders.
Now, onto the things that I like:
1)Animations.
There are some GREAT animations in this game. One of my favorite parts of this game contrary to what alot of you are saying is the jumpshots, specifically the leaners. Kobe and Ray Allen's sig shots look very nice. I love the feel of coming off a Garnett pick with Pierce and putting up one of those nice midrange leaners. Feels very nice. I pulled off a very nice baseline dunk with Kobe and have thrown down some nice jams with KG and Pierce that looked eerily realistic.
2)Play-Calling/Execution
As many have already said, the playcalling in this game is excellent. IMO it is definitely the best playcalling system in any basketball game to date that I have played. Calling plays is easy, and they are very intuitive to run. I love the myriad of options that you can run out of what basically seems like the same set. I'm so glad that there is no static play-calling art on the court. This forces you to think logically and react to what the defense is giving you and how your players are moving in the set. I definitely notice a difference between the sets of the Lakers/Celtics and I love that the CPU runs offense. There is NO super PG to be found here folks.
3) More Animations
Yep, I absolutely love the animations. Specifically when it comes to perimeter defense. Timing the passing lanes feels great, yet it doesnt seem cheap. When you time a pass perfectly and intercept it, you feel rewarded. In general, there is a good sense of risk/reward when playing Perimeter D. Steals arent easy to come by, and if you press the steal button at the wrong time, you will effectively take yourself out of the play and leave your team at a 5 on 4 disadvantage. There is a great sense of battling for position and beating your opponent to the spot when on defense. This is probably going to be the first BBall game that I can remember where guys like and Artest and Bowen will actually show their worth in more than just steals. Using them to ball deny as well as force there opponents into tough shots will probably be one of the more pleasing aspects of this game. Alot of this is because of the excellent foot-planting involved with player movement.
4) Flow
The pace of this game is perfect, IMO. I noticed that some of you bumped up the speed to 75, but I think that is crazy. The game speed is fine at the default 50. The tempo feels right. I havent seen a ton of fastbreaks, but the ones Ive seen have felt right. Im not seeing players stop to catch the ball on fastbreaks. Honestly, its tough to explain what makes the flow of the game good, but it just FEELS LIKE a real NBA game. Working the ball inside out, passing, player speed, it all contributes to a game that plays out like you are watching an NBA telecast.
5)Commentary/Presentation
I think this goes hand in hand with number 4. Marv and Steve just draw you in with their banter and their quirps about the players. You really get the sense that you are watching an NBA telecast, although there are some lapses where it is quiet for 10-15 seconds at a time. The crowd is great as well. One thing that annoys me a bit is the announcer though. He's been the Live announce for over a decade and his voice is just starting to get to me. Hes also a bit too loud. I haven't messed around with the sound setting too much though, so I may be able to change this.
Overall, this game has a very solid foundation like others have said, but it still needs some work. After playing the demo, even with its obvious faults, this game is very fun to play and has the most important feature of drawing me back for that "one-more game" feel. I will probably purchase this game day one now because I believe that with good sliders, this game, while not perfect, will deliver a very fun game of basketball.
1) Offensive Control
In general, I feel like I don't have enough control. The last time I played Live, I felt that the freestyle control was superb. This was around NBA Live 05 or so. After fooling around in the practice gym for about 20 minutes, I felt I had a decent enough grasp of the controls. Once I got on the court though, it seemed like there were alot of times where I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but just couldn't pull it off. I really miss the pro-hop, I'm sad that EA took it out. I understand that it was abused in the past, but it was a perfect compliment to the freestyle control.
There are times when I will do a freestyle move, and once I finish it, it seems like there is something missing before I go up for a shot. As several others have mentioned, the right-stick moves are a bit unresponsive. I would have loved it if it were possible to "pre-load" moves to string together nice crossovers and breakdown moves. I think this would have went a long way in making the game feel smoother. There is definitely a bit of the "stuck in quicksand" feeling when it comes to using the right stick moves. In general, I just dont feel like I can completely make my guy do what I want him to do in any situation. Obviously part of this is my unfamiliarty with the control scheme, but I think part of it is the execution in the system itself.
2)Defense
On defense, its a mixed bag. Perimeter D feels nice (I'll talk more about that in a bit) but interior D feels very hit or miss. Closing out on open shooters is a nightmare. Why can't I manually use the right-stick to put my hands up? Pressing left or right on the stick attempts to draw the charge and it feels good, but the other directions aren't being used. If I could use the right stick to put my hands up in the post along with using LT defensive assist and the L-stick, post defense would be great. As far as closing out on shooters, what in the hell is up with the block button? It takes 2 seconds to respond, and once it does, alot of times my player doesn't even jump in the general direction of the shooter. I can be rotating with Pao trying to close out on a shooter in the corner, and when I press that direction + Y, he jumps toward the wing. Very annoying.
Now that I think about it, those are probably my two biggest faults with the game so far. I won't mention other things such as CPU offensive rebounding and shooting because those things have already been mentioned and can be fixed with sliders.
Now, onto the things that I like:
1)Animations.
There are some GREAT animations in this game. One of my favorite parts of this game contrary to what alot of you are saying is the jumpshots, specifically the leaners. Kobe and Ray Allen's sig shots look very nice. I love the feel of coming off a Garnett pick with Pierce and putting up one of those nice midrange leaners. Feels very nice. I pulled off a very nice baseline dunk with Kobe and have thrown down some nice jams with KG and Pierce that looked eerily realistic.
2)Play-Calling/Execution
As many have already said, the playcalling in this game is excellent. IMO it is definitely the best playcalling system in any basketball game to date that I have played. Calling plays is easy, and they are very intuitive to run. I love the myriad of options that you can run out of what basically seems like the same set. I'm so glad that there is no static play-calling art on the court. This forces you to think logically and react to what the defense is giving you and how your players are moving in the set. I definitely notice a difference between the sets of the Lakers/Celtics and I love that the CPU runs offense. There is NO super PG to be found here folks.
3) More Animations
Yep, I absolutely love the animations. Specifically when it comes to perimeter defense. Timing the passing lanes feels great, yet it doesnt seem cheap. When you time a pass perfectly and intercept it, you feel rewarded. In general, there is a good sense of risk/reward when playing Perimeter D. Steals arent easy to come by, and if you press the steal button at the wrong time, you will effectively take yourself out of the play and leave your team at a 5 on 4 disadvantage. There is a great sense of battling for position and beating your opponent to the spot when on defense. This is probably going to be the first BBall game that I can remember where guys like and Artest and Bowen will actually show their worth in more than just steals. Using them to ball deny as well as force there opponents into tough shots will probably be one of the more pleasing aspects of this game. Alot of this is because of the excellent foot-planting involved with player movement.
4) Flow
The pace of this game is perfect, IMO. I noticed that some of you bumped up the speed to 75, but I think that is crazy. The game speed is fine at the default 50. The tempo feels right. I havent seen a ton of fastbreaks, but the ones Ive seen have felt right. Im not seeing players stop to catch the ball on fastbreaks. Honestly, its tough to explain what makes the flow of the game good, but it just FEELS LIKE a real NBA game. Working the ball inside out, passing, player speed, it all contributes to a game that plays out like you are watching an NBA telecast.
5)Commentary/Presentation
I think this goes hand in hand with number 4. Marv and Steve just draw you in with their banter and their quirps about the players. You really get the sense that you are watching an NBA telecast, although there are some lapses where it is quiet for 10-15 seconds at a time. The crowd is great as well. One thing that annoys me a bit is the announcer though. He's been the Live announce for over a decade and his voice is just starting to get to me. Hes also a bit too loud. I haven't messed around with the sound setting too much though, so I may be able to change this.
Overall, this game has a very solid foundation like others have said, but it still needs some work. After playing the demo, even with its obvious faults, this game is very fun to play and has the most important feature of drawing me back for that "one-more game" feel. I will probably purchase this game day one now because I believe that with good sliders, this game, while not perfect, will deliver a very fun game of basketball.
# 386
Stumbleweed @ 09/05/08 05:37 PM
About raising your hands with the right stick... it's in there, but it just takes FOREVER to get it to trigger. Even slower than the response time on the blocks (if that's possible).
# 387
the_future420 @ 09/05/08 05:39 PM
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If it takes that long though, it really isn't in there. I feel like John McCain in the post.
First thing that stood out to me was the rail thin player models......
# 389
Stumbleweed @ 09/05/08 05:56 PM
Yeah, and it doesn't seem all that useful in the first place. I saw that KG was going to likely shoot a hook and got in good position, was able to raise my hands before the shot released (first time) and it was still nothing but net. Heh, Live is getting more and more like 2K -- they've even added the useless-*** "tree stance" command hah..
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Thats for appreciation Dakkon
Quick impressions from a NBA2k Die Hard Guy ..
Well i just spent some time on the demo xbox 360. I must say im SHOCKED to see the game improved so much over last years disaster.
Seriously..this game is GOOD, i really love the feel of it..feels polished...very polished. I dont know about the atmosphere and presentation yet.. it is a demo after all but the gameplay and visuals are nice indeed. I havent seen that ALIVE ATMOSPHERE all that much in the demo ....that NBA2k (vc guys) always seems to deliver during gameplay but who knows.. maybe it'll be spiced up a bit before going gold.
The Camera..NICE NICE NICE, i LOVE THE CAMERA CHOICES HERE FELLA's.. the baseline low cam is actually very usable and NICE and is back far enough to use..correct me if im wrong but it seems all camera's are adjustable..thats how you cater to the user. Give us choice!!!! And LIVE does just that...if only Madden did that for us this year.
The AI seems solid and smart enough to get the job done..although i found a few little quirks here and there..like the cpu had to think for a split second a few times...sorta odd but wasnt a game killer and it is a demo afterall. Its defiantly not too late for EA to speed up this "A.I. Thinking" that seems to happen here and there.. hopefully that can be fixed..like i said..not a game killer but it will get in the way during fast paced games,etc NBA2k..always had this smooth flow.. seems like LIVE is getting there but not quite there like NBA2k.
Controls feel SOFT? Is that the right word? They give me this soft feel ..weird i know but thats how i can express it the best but they are not bad..they actually feel good to teh hand and mind.
Hey i LOVE the free shoot around mode at the menu screen guys..thats ATMOSPHERE if you look around own the courts..you see other ballers shooting around and stuff..nice touch and that is honestly fun to just shoot around... a great demo..i LOVE demo's like these..alots of play time out of a demo.
Well i just spent some time on the demo xbox 360. I must say im SHOCKED to see the game improved so much over last years disaster.
Seriously..this game is GOOD, i really love the feel of it..feels polished...very polished. I dont know about the atmosphere and presentation yet.. it is a demo after all but the gameplay and visuals are nice indeed. I havent seen that ALIVE ATMOSPHERE all that much in the demo ....that NBA2k (vc guys) always seems to deliver during gameplay but who knows.. maybe it'll be spiced up a bit before going gold.
The Camera..NICE NICE NICE, i LOVE THE CAMERA CHOICES HERE FELLA's.. the baseline low cam is actually very usable and NICE and is back far enough to use..correct me if im wrong but it seems all camera's are adjustable..thats how you cater to the user. Give us choice!!!! And LIVE does just that...if only Madden did that for us this year.
The AI seems solid and smart enough to get the job done..although i found a few little quirks here and there..like the cpu had to think for a split second a few times...sorta odd but wasnt a game killer and it is a demo afterall. Its defiantly not too late for EA to speed up this "A.I. Thinking" that seems to happen here and there.. hopefully that can be fixed..like i said..not a game killer but it will get in the way during fast paced games,etc NBA2k..always had this smooth flow.. seems like LIVE is getting there but not quite there like NBA2k.
Controls feel SOFT? Is that the right word? They give me this soft feel ..weird i know but thats how i can express it the best but they are not bad..they actually feel good to teh hand and mind.
Hey i LOVE the free shoot around mode at the menu screen guys..thats ATMOSPHERE if you look around own the courts..you see other ballers shooting around and stuff..nice touch and that is honestly fun to just shoot around... a great demo..i LOVE demo's like these..alots of play time out of a demo.
# 392
garnettfan @ 09/05/08 07:01 PM
the graphics are amazing but its not smooth the players look like they are forced to play basketball but a least they show they care about thier gamers requst to better the game my money on 2k
# 393
mutumbo888 @ 09/05/08 07:35 PM
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# 394
BrianFifaFan @ 09/05/08 07:47 PM
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So are you guys trying to say that all aliens look alike? I mean that's sorta racist if so..
I'm just saying..
I'm just saying..
# 396
23bluesman @ 09/05/08 08:38 PM
Thanks for all the impressions and videos guys! Keep 'em coming. I'm really excited to try it out for myself when it hits the PSN.
As for the shot release issue, I remember in the last Live game that I played (05), there was a "poor release shot percent" slider or something like that, is it still in this year's game?
I used to bump it all the way down in 05. That way, releasing the button early or late will rarely result in a made shot. Given that it's not as easy to "feel" an early, exact, or late release in this year's game (based on your impressions), this slider could help a lot.
As for the shot release issue, I remember in the last Live game that I played (05), there was a "poor release shot percent" slider or something like that, is it still in this year's game?
I used to bump it all the way down in 05. That way, releasing the button early or late will rarely result in a made shot. Given that it's not as easy to "feel" an early, exact, or late release in this year's game (based on your impressions), this slider could help a lot.
# 397
riDIRKulous41 @ 09/05/08 11:14 PM
While '09 appears to be better than '08, it is still behind 2k in my opinion. The animations just dont look natural and seeing players take off from the free throw line for dunks and layups when you press that button is ridiculous. I did a pick n roll with Kobe and Gasol. I passed it off to Pau and he proceeded to take off for a dunk from the free throw line withou even taking a dribble...Also, Players faces look off to me, the noses and mouth's our wierd
I love LIVE's crowd, presentation and commentary but that alone doesnt make up for the most important aspect, gameplay.
I love LIVE's crowd, presentation and commentary but that alone doesnt make up for the most important aspect, gameplay.
yeah nice to hear some impressions.... i cant wait to try it out once it hits PSN... the reviews are pretty mixed from what i read so far... so i just have to judge for myself to really see whats up!
Reasonably good...
Tomba321's NBA Live 09 Slider Set
This actually cuts down the crazy 3 pointers, the crazy and often times annoying dribbling and can lesson the effect of sliding from dunking.
Tomba321's NBA Live 09 Slider Set
This actually cuts down the crazy 3 pointers, the crazy and often times annoying dribbling and can lesson the effect of sliding from dunking.
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