NBA Live 07: First Look from IGN

Original article from IGN. Read it here. Placed here for personal reference.

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Everything you need to know about the current gen and PSP versions, plus a taste of 360.

by Jon Robinson

July 12, 2006 - Voshon Lenard. If you played NBA Live 06, the three-point threat represented both the good and the bad of the game all in one shooting stroke. Everyone loved the new Superstar abilities the players possessed, but players like Leonard, who aren't really Superstars but had insane ability behind the arc thanks to his special moves, tended to take over the game like they were the second coming of MJ.

This is all about to change in NBA Live 07 (sorry, Voshon). In Live 07 you have three variety of players: regular just happy to be in the league types, stars, and superstars. By changing players like Voshon from a superstar to a star, sure, he'll still have a mean jumper, but he'll also be toned down so he's not knocking down 50 points a game.

Diaw flies high (current gen).

But that's not the only change you'll find to Freestyle Superstars. If you have a player like Dwyane Wade or LeBron who has multiple superstar types, you no longer have to settle for just one. You can now change superstar types on the fly with the press of a button, turning LeBron from a High Flyer to a Playmaker to go behind the back to Larry Hughes cutting toward the hoop, then on the next break, switch back to High Flyer to jam it down the throats of any defender in The King's path. This gives gamers the ability to play more like their favorite players, as the elite baller of the league will really stand out with more abilities, and they are all at your fingertips, or in the case of Live 07, your right analog stick. That's right, 2K Sports introduced the Shot Stick in 2K6, and now NBA Live follows suit by putting Freestyle Superstar shots on the stick as well. Tap up to pull off one of the more simple dunks, but rotate the stick like a Street Fighter fireball and you'll see players like Vince Carter pull off a throwdown that will really get the crowd on their feet.

The Matrix throws one down (current gen).

One thing Live missed out on last year, though, was the ability to showcase players who might not be superstars, but came up clutch in key situations. Think about a guy like Robert Horry. If it's not the 4th quarter or the playoffs, he's not doing too much, but put the game on the line, give him the rock in Game 7, and you know the man is going to knock down the game winner. But how do you replicate that in a videogame? EA is introducing a new ability in 07 called The X-Factor. At the beginning of the game, you'll see a picture of one player from each team, the designated X-Factors. If you take a player like Horry and get him in the game, feed him the ball, grab a rebound, knock down an open shot, you'll start to see an X glowing under his feet. You can then wait for the perfect time to trigger Horry, giving him whatever superstar ability is associated with him at the beginning of the game. This ability will last about four minutes of gameplay, and is perfect to setup Big Shot Rob to help win the game with one last three as time expires. X-Factors are usually players coming off the bench, and can even change from game to game depending on the situation or match-up.

In terms of gameplay additions, the biggest change is in the controls. You now have one button to shoot, one for dunks, and one for layups. In past games, whether you dunked or went for a layup was all contextual, but now you will be able to decide for yourself, even changing your mind in mid-air if a big man is about to block your dunk, switching to a layup to attempt to flip the ball over his outstretched arm. Another addition is the ability to throw either bullet or lob passes. Depending how hard you press the pass button, that's how hard you pass the ball. This really comes in handy on fast breaks as you can finally lob the ball over a defender to your streaking guard out in front without fear of it getting picked off by the man chasing him down from behind. You will also see a lot more collisions in the game, making it more difficult, more rewarding to work your way inside for the dunk as defenders will put a body on you out in the perimeter, making it more difficult for you to penetrate, then once you do get in the lane, you're more likely than in seasons past to take blows and head to the line than to simply slam the ball for an easy two. Free throws have also been changed to the right analog stick (similar to the 360 version). There will be about 15 custom free throw animations added as well including Jason Kidd's kiss.

Nash shows off his current gen handles.

One of the other major new features is the addition of both a momentum meter and a game-intensity meter to every game. If you drive to the hoop and hit a superstar slam, momentum will shift to your team and the next time you try a superstar dunk you'll be rewarded with an even bigger, riskier move. In terms of game intensity, everything from rivalries to time of year to the score will be a factor and the meter will be updated on a minute-by-minute basis. You'll see the intensity grow as the score is tied and the AI players will be more likely to dive on the floor for loose balls or show that extra hustle as the game comes down to the wire. On the opposite side of the spectrum, if there is a blowout, you'll see guys not running back on defense, and you'll need to call timeout to break the momentum and get your guys back on track. You'll also see a lot more variety of player and even bench celebrations based on the intensity and momentum of the game.

Building a Dynasty
One of the most watched and talked about aspects of the NBA season doesn't even take place during the season, and that's the NBA Draft. For some reason, though, nobody has really taken the draft and translated the excitement and second-guessing into a videogame. NBA Live 07 finally attempts to blowout the draft as you even have the option to start your Dynasty with the 2006 draft, starting the draft from scratch and taking the player you think your team should've picked but didn't. But just because this is all in a game doesn't mean you're immune to criticism from the folks at ESPN. Not only will you get an ESPN mock draft to help you out with your evaluations heading into the big event, but ESPN Insider will grade your picks after you make your selections, letting you know if you've got the talent to steal a future star or if you're the second-coming of Isiah Thomas (I don't think the NBA world could stomach a second one, so do your homework).

T-Mac soars against the Cavs (current gen).

Team chemistry plays a major role on every team, and it now means everything in Live. Beyond the usual set of coaches and trainers you'll need to hire, you'll also need to find an assistant head coach who is in charge of event scheduling. The game isn't about simulating to your next game as now, off days matter, and you'll have to decide when to practice, when to hold press events, and when to give your guys a day off. Every decision you make will have an impact on everything from chemistry to team happiness. You'll even be able to look at a profile of every player and see what they think of their playing time, the overall talent of their team, the bench order, the stability of the roster, and whether or not they think their team has a chance to win. Before making trades, you can preview how team chemistry might be affected, even finding out if certain members of your team don't get along with a player you're trying to acquire. You can hold press events to make your players feel more important about themselves, but watch out, some players don't like dealing with the media at all and will get pissed if you schedule too many interviews. During road trips, you'll even see a map to show how far you've traveled and your team fatigue.

Melo's got some moves to make (current gen).

ESPN Rumor Central has also been added and you can send your assistant coach on missions to research rumors. You might read something like Knicks rumored to sign Kenyon Martin, and before you stop laughing you can send your assistant coach out to make some phone calls and he'll come back to you and tell you about the validity of the rumor. This is one way you can find out if players are unhappy in their current situations, then go after them through trade or try to sign them in the offseason.

Another cool addition is the ability to adjust player rotations for every position before you simulate games. This way, you'll know for sure that the computer is playing the players you want and not just going by ratings so your key rookies can continue to develop using Player Evolution.

PSP
One of the major problems with Live PSP last year was the absence of Dynasty mode. This year, you have a Dynasty you can play and connect to your PS2 version, continuing your season on the road, then picking things back up when you get home. There are a few differences between current gen and PSP, however. First off, you can't redo the draft to start the game. Second, Freestyle Superstars won't be on a tiered system, so guys like Voshon will still be lighting things up from long range. You also won't find the separation of the dunk and layup buttons when you're on your PSP.

T-Mac shows off his hops with this shot (PSP).

What you will find are all of the superstar types, the ability to change superstar abilities on the fly, and the X-Factor. You fly through the air in All-Star Weekend, play mini-games like 2Ball, Handles, and Superstar Challenge (can you score 81 like Kobe), and there will be a number of alternate jerseys, including throwbacks.

One cool addition is the EA Media Center. This will enable you to play your own MP3's rather than listening to EA Trax. You will even be able to have the MP3 playback during mini-games.

King Jame rules the court (PSP)

Also look for the ESPN integration to get even deeper with Live PSP. When you start the game, you'll see rotating pictures of 10 of the NBA elite, from Wade to LeBron, and you'll be able to unlock special ESPN highlight videos of each of these players to save to your PSP. There will be an online ticker, the ability to track everyone you play against online, and a rematch option for both the 5-on-5 and mini-games so you don't have to leave the game only to challenge the same opponent.

The Future
We've covered current gen and PSP, but what about next gen? EA acknowledges the disaster that was NBA Live 06 on the 360 and promises everything you'd expect from NBA Live finally being added into the game. That's All-Star Weekend (including the slam dunk contest), a more thorough Dynasty mode (deeper than current gen), players who move and react more like their real-life counterparts, and a few surprises EA isn't ready to drop just yet.

Until that news hits, check the papers and get ready for the re-draft. Better do your research or ESPN Insider will be all over you. Then again, you might do so bad there will be a job at the Knicks waiting for you by the time you save your game.

A glimpse on the new NBA Live 07

I got this from Gamespot and the original page is here. Just putting here for personal reference.

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It's interesting to hear the producers of EA Sports NBA Live series refer to last year's game as a "dunk-fest." Of course, they aren't completely dismissing NBA Live 06. While the freestyle superstar controls introduced in last year's game were an appealing control scheme designed to show what the league's elite are capable of, the producers realized the limitations of the feature. Or more specifically, they realized the lack of limitations players ran into when using freestyle superstar controls. For NBA Live 07, one of the first things the development team at EA Canada addressed was the freestyle controls. We got a chance to see the current-gen version of game for the first time during a recent trip to EA's offices in Vancouver to see how the company is refining the game's approach for next season.

In NBA Live 07, you'll be able to switch your player's role on the fly to take advantage of skilled superstars like Corey Maggette.

While driving to the lane with Kobe or Lebron was more or less a guaranteed basket in NBA Live 06, one of the first things the development team wanted to add was traffic--particularly traffic in front of the basket to clog up the shooting lanes. After all, opposing teams don't make a habit of opening up the lanes for Kobe and King James to dunk at will, and neither will the virtual teams in NBA Live 07 anymore. Adding more collisions under the basket essentially means the computer-controlled opponents will be playing tougher defense than in previous entries in the series, but it also has some interesting consequences for the animation. Consider your standard dunk animation--this year, if you're flying toward the rim and an opposing player gets in your way, it won't necessarily end your chance for scoring. Instead, the development team has been working on ways to gracefully transform that dunk into a layup animation.

Beyond the traditional roles included in the game--including scorer, playmaker, high-flyer, and so on--NBA Live 07 is also introducing the concept of the X-Factor player. Each game will have an X-Factor player--a guy who isn't a full-time superstar but is able to rise to the occasion at the right moment. Think of Robert Horry in basically every crucial playoff game he's ever played in, and you'll have a good idea of what an X-Factor player can bring to your game. Bringing that player into the game at the right time and getting him on a hot streak will allow him to temporarily raise his game to superstar levels, and then you can ride his skills all the way to victory. The boost won't last forever, however, so you'll want to sub him in wisely and make sure he keeps his hot hand as long as possible.

Defensive animations have been improved this time around as well. The team is working on what they refer to as "scenarios" between players on the court, which are all the minute physical dramas that happen hundreds of times during a typical NBA game. Instead of a defending player stepping in front of a driving offensive player and impeding his momentum, that player will now attempt to lock up the other player and stick with him. It's a little reminiscent of the shutdown defense featured in last year's March Madness game, except that it happens automatically--a defender runs in front of the player with the ball and makes it tough for him to get around and continue his progress to the basket.

When it comes to the freestyle superstar controls themselves, a tiered system has been introduced to separate the standard superstar controls from the more-advanced controls. Specifically, the Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions of the game will feature three levels of superstar control: regular, star, and superstar; while next generation versions of NBA Live 07 will add one more level of control above that to create some truly spectacular moves. By mixing the right analog stick with the trigger button, you'll have a wealth of NBA-caliber jukes, shots, and blocks at your fingertips. Another important tweak to the system is that dunks and layups are now assigned to different buttons on the controller: X for layup and Y for dunks on the Xbox controller.

Expect to run into tougher defense during the transition game in NBA Live 07.

How players contribute in a game depends largely on their role, and in NBA Live 07 the idea of playing roles has been tweaked for the superstar players in the game. Specifically, NBA Live 07 will allow the game's elite to play more than one role on the court. Everyone knows Lebron James is more than a great scorer. He's also able to pull off amazing playmaking passes on a regular basis and has been known to dunk the ball once or twice. NBA Live 07 will take this into account as well, and the best player in the game will be allowed to play all the roles he is suited for in real life on the virtual court. By pressing the trigger button when in control of a player, you can cycle through his multiple player roles. You can take Lebron up for a big rebound, for example, and then switch to his playmaker icon, make a great pass down the court, then get the ball back to James once he's in the lane, switch to high-flyer and rock the arena with a rim-rocking dunk. It will take some quick fingers to make the most of the on-the-fly role-switching, but we suspect it will soon become an integral part of most folks' game.

Previous EA Sports titles have introduced the idea of momentum in games, but in NBA Live 07, this concept is referred to as "intensity." As teams play in this year's game, you'll be able to detect shifts in intensity, which will change depending on the specific situation. After all, how a team plays in a second quarter during a midseason blowout is dramatically different from how they play in the fourth quarter of the deciding game in a playoff series. As a result, rivalry games, games between division leaders, and playoff games will feel different from your standard Tuesday-night matchup in November. As intensity increases so too will crowd noise and the pace of the game, and as it reaches its peak, players will begin making big shots to ratchet the crowd up even further. At the highest levels of intensity, you'll feel it in your controller, when a heartbeat rumble kicks in to signify the most important shots in the game.

Nowitzki shows Haslem what's what. Too bad he couldn't have played like that in the real thing.

In dynasty mode, the most important addition is the idea of scheduling off-day events. Now, instead of simming directly to the next game on the calendar, you'll be responsible for making sure your team is prepared by scheduling events such as team practices, workouts, press events, or team events on days when no game is scheduled. Another new addition to the game is the assistant head coach. By default the head coach will handle most of the off-day stuff if you want him to. His most crucial role will be in researching various player rumors that crop up during the season and advising you on the best course of action. Say a rumor pops up that your star center is looking to get dealt to a team in a warmer climate--you'll want to send your assistant head coach to look into it. He'll report back on whether or not there's any truth to that rumor and then it will be up to you how you deal with it. Here's the catch, though--your assistant may be wrong and provide you with incorrect information. Over the course of the season, you'll get a feel for how often your assistant head coach is right or wrong, and you've always got the leeway to can him if he doesn't have his finger on the pulse.

The concept of team chemistry isn't new to dynasty modes, but NBA Live 07 has made some nice tweaks to the system to help give you a better idea of how your team gets along. Certain menus in the mode give you a complete look at your player's satisfaction across a number of different team-related subjects--market, roster stability, winning, playing time, team talent, bench order, and so on. You can also see how that player feels about every other player on his team and, when it comes to making a trade, how your team would feel about having an opposing player join their team. As you might expect, players who "like" one another will usually play better as a unit on the court, which is something you'll need to factor in when it comes time to pull the trigger on a trade.

Vince Carter posterizing yet another hapless victim.

From a presentation standpoint, we liked the new menu system in the game, with its clean lines and white background, and the new press box camera on the court, which has a slightly higher and angled vantage point to give a clear view of the entire court, especially the corners at the bottom of the screen. Marv Albert and Steve Kerr return this season in the commentating booth, and their voice work seems just as smooth and varied as in previous years.

It's important to note that while the developers of NBA Live 07 have made steps to ensure the game isn't a "dunk-fest," moving to a more sim-styled basketball approach doesn't mean the game won't be fast-paced and fun. Instead, the team is looking to balance the realism of the game with the freestyle controls that let players take control of the best in the basketball business. That balance will be the essential ingredient in NBA Live 07's success. We'll be bringing you more on the game in the coming months as we lead up to its release later this year.

-GameSpot

A Bad Premonition?

This day is somewhat weird. Things didn't happen the usual way. Well, actually everyday in school happens to be different in its own random way but the peculiarity observed from this day is somewhat... uhh, noticeable? We don't know why, but my friends started to talk about it while we're eating. And the atmosphere seemes to be buzzing somewhere within our subconsciousness trying to tell us that there is something wrong.

Actually, there is something wrong. One of my classmates just told us that their house was on fire this morning. Not much details was asked from him but we just turned the conversation to silly jokes to convert the atmosphere for everone. Not a good start for a day of classes.

Eventually this day passed not the usual way. Before I went home I accompanied my classmate to Philippine Science High School to fetch an application form. Actually 2 of us accompanied him to PhiSci and after receiving the form, we stayed for some time to enjoy wandering around. Unfortunately we are not permitted to do so since there are classes going on. It is Monday indeed, they don't permit outsiders to wander around campus. They told us we can come back on Saturday then they would allow us to do that. But we didn't plan of returning to PhiSci somehow so we just thanked them before leaving. Then we walked straight the road towards SM north and from there I gave farewell before riding for home.

The Blu-ray Disc

From CD, to DVD, then now, the BD. It is currently competing with the HD-DVD format for wide adoption as the preferred next generation optical standard. So having the cool name, what's different with the Blu-ray Disc compared to a DVD anyway?

The answer is this: Just like a CD differs with the DVD, the BD is a new technology that uses a different method than a DVD or a CD when reading its data.

The name Blu-ray is derived from the blue-violet laser it uses to read and write to the chalcogenide disc. A Blu-ray Disc will be able to store substantially more data than a DVD, because of the shorter wavelength (405 nm) of the blue-violet laser (DVDs use a 650-nm-wavelength red laser and CDs an infrared 780 nm laser), which allows more information to be stored digitally in the same amount of space. In comparison to HD DVD, which also uses a blue laser, Blu-ray has more information capacity per layer (25 gigabytes instead of 15) but may initially be more expensive to produce.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu_ray

The Blu-ray standard was jointly developed by a group of consumer electronics and PC companies called the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), spearheaded by Sony.

More infos can be found about Blu-ray Disc on Blu-ray.com.

Mano-A-Mano: The People's Champ Did It Again!

A lot of improvements have been observed on this recent match by Pacman at the Araneta Center in the Philippines. I definitely agreed that this Pacman is not the same Pacman we knew since his first bout against Eric Morales. Aggressiveness has been converted to some mental tactics. Brainwise, he managed to handle the fight against Chololo very easily. Thanks to his fully devoted coach Freddie Roach who is handling now more Filipino boxers under his sleeve.

If he retains his aggressive and defense-neglecting attitude before, he probably defeated Larios quickly by KO/TKO. But that tactic has a higher chance of losing against him. Since being aggressive will give away so many weak points that an experienced enemy can seize anytime. Maybe that was what he learned from his first fight against Morales, where his aggressiveness was reduced to 12 rounds without gaining a score higher than his opponent. Because his aim that time was not for high score but for a knockout. But not all boxers can be taken down by his powerful punch in less than or equal to 12 rounds. As he level-up his way toward his career, he realized this mistake before he commits it again. And even though he was asked if what round probably Larios will be KO-ed if he was more aggressive, he just answered that it is still unpredictable because Larios was also heavily trained and conditioned for the fight. So he just let the people have their own opinion about that. A good answer from the People's Champ.

At least he also learned not to speak too much on media. He indeed is less noisy than any other Mexicans that challenged him. What he says are actually what his apparent advantages are. And then enough. He never boasted like having the upper-hand can easily beat any Mexican that would oppose him. He just tells us that he always exert his best in every fight for the honor of his country. At this point, I can see that he is aware of keeping his feet low in the ground. Good job, Manny Pacquiao! You really make our country proud of you!