NBA Live 10 (Xbox 360) Preview
Posted by Sean Garmer on 09.25.2009
EA looks to step-up its game in NBA Live 10.
EA's NBA Live series has slowly been improving the core gameplay every year, but they've also had a few experiments that didn't work like the superstar abilities. It does seem that every year NBA Live tries to implement things that continue to blur the line between realism and arcade style. Personally, I have always enjoyed that Live doesn't try to copy 2K exactly, instead they retain things that work and keep the game at a slightly faster pace. So I guess we should check out some of these new improvements.
The demo for this came out a couple of weeks ago and the gameplay allows you to play the first two quarters of the last NBA Finals game between the LA Lakers and Orlando Magic (with roster changes included). That means Orlando has Vince Carter in the starting lineup while the LA Lakers get to introduce Ron Artest in those Laker colors.
The team at EA Canada have changed a few things in the gameplay aspect. There are no longer two different buttons to distinguish dunking/lay-ups and jump shots. It's all on the X button, if you want to try a dunk just hold down the turbo button and press X. Just be careful not to overuse it because the rim or an opponent can reject you. Shooting is a bit more realistic, as how long you hold the button will determine the shot release. EA developers say it may take some practice time with certain players. Since many players in the NBA shoot in different ways you may have to experiment and see if they shoot better with an early release or a late one.
Driving the lane has been made a bit easier. The direction you point the stick will make the shot go to that side. So if you take off for a lay-up and the defender is on your right side, simply point the stick to the left and press X to do a left-handed lay-up instead. You'll also see players battle to get the rebound and hustle to go for loose balls.
Another few new additions is the freestyle passing that gives players the option to pass with the right thumbstick while holding the left trigger down, for quicker decisions. The off-the-ball control has been revamped a little. You hold down the left trigger to display the icons, by letting go of the left trigger after you've pressed their corresponding button, you have free control of that player. So you can move him anywhere you want so they can receive the ball in a better shooting position. The last thing is now there are size-ups for those that like to do the freestyle tricks. It does simple control dribbles that vary on the size of the player. They basically make it easier to switch from a simple dribble to a more complex one to overtake defenders.
The major new mode is the Dynamic season, which has been my dream since the whole idea of updated rosters. Dynasty Mode is still in the game, but for people like me that don't really care about taking a team throughout multiple seasons there is Dynamic season. Basically its a one year season that uses Dynamic DNA throughout, it also allows you to play any game, from any team for the entire season. Obviously it works better if you go from present to past. If you buy the game in December, but want to play a game that happened in November it will have the Dynamic DNA from that game's match-up so you can play the game just as it was during the real NBA season. You can then compare your score and stats to those of the real game.
That's about it for all the new stuff. Basketball fans don't have to wait too long though as NBA Live 10 comes out on October 6th.
