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Xbox MVP Previews NBA Live 07

Jonathan Rainmaker2112 Cragle may be known to you as an Xbox® MVP, a forum moderator, or that crazy dude who played Xbox Live® for 24 hours straight. Now you can add intrepid reporter to that list. Rainmaker took a jaunt up to Vancouver, British Columbia, for Electronic Arts' NBA Live 07 Community Days. Here's what he brought back.

The Great White North
EA Sports Canada, located near Vancouver, was the site for "NBA Live 07 Community Day" on August 11. It was a chance for representatives of the gaming community, including myself, to get to meet the developers, see the new game features, and get our hands on the game early.

Stay on top of your opponent with the best player control yet.

New experiences
The original Xbox team briefed us first. They explained the new features, which include an Intensity bar that ties the crowd and atmosphere into the game, based on the game situation and the efforts of the players. This bar applies to both teams and is not the same as the momentum feature.

We were also told about the new concept of rivalry games, which were not in the previous version of NBA Live. Also new are under-the-hood player collisions that lead to less button-mashing and more realistic defensive play.

Total Freestyle Control
Both the original and next-gen teams covered the Total Freestyle Control system, which lets gamers pull off new and cool freestyle moves, while simultaneously making the Freestyle system more authentic to real basketball.

By separating players into three tiers of ability, Regular, Star, and Superstar, the characters are more closely tied to their real world counterparts. On-the-fly switching to Superstar players will let gamers take advantage of that athlete's unique abilities and skills.

Gamers jaded by the previous release owe it to themselves
to check out NBA Live 07.

Game control can progress along three levels according to the player's ability: A gamer can use traditional button pushes, "flicks" on the right stick to choose the specific moves or shots, or more complex circular turns on the stick, which allow the player to make sick moves like 360 degree dunks. New player-specific dunk packages are also available, with more realistic dunks, often tied to specific players and based on their personal style.

New Dynasty Mode
Dynasty Mode was presented next, and the look and feel of the draft was impressive, including cool enhancements such as ESPN comments, player ratings, team weakness ratings, and ESPN grades of each pick based on your team's needs. Extensive in-game help is certainly welcome, and the new Team Chemistry bar shows how well your team is getting along.

The new Assistant Head Coach can help you with your myriad tasks, including running down rumors. Rumor Central, based on the actual ESPN area of the same name, spits out rumors, and you can assign your Assistant Head Coach to research the truth behind them.

Better hope this draft pick pans out.

All Star Weekend
Rejoice, console gamers! EA has heard your cry and included virtually the entire All-Star Weekend experience, including the Rookie game, Dunk contest, 3-Point Shootout, and the All Star game itself. These new additions will expand the playability of the game, and will be wholeheartedly welcomed by gamers of all abilities.

Make your free throws
Couldn't shoot free throws in 06? You weren't alone. Didn't know why you always missed? EA has come through for you here as well. The new free throw instant feedback feature makes free throws much easier to hit. Those who hate using the right-analog stick can also simply simulate the free throw by using the B button.

Free throw success is now based on the player's rating. Everyone attending the NBA Live 07 Community Day agreed that these were critical features that would instantly raise the game's playability.

ESPN Integration
Next we were shown the new ESPN integration, including in-game sports tickers, draft analysis, and commentary. Xbox 360™ takes this integration to whole new levels with ESPN on Demand, including a real-time sports ticker as well as ESPN Motion showing you highlights of ESPN programming.

Hands on NBA Live 07
Finally we were allowed to play the game, and I was able to spend several hours with it, checking out the various features. The flow of the Xbox 360 version was excellent, including the crisp camera changes that had been missing in NBA Live 06. I was impressed with the rich graphics, realistic audio, and especially the superb game play. Scoring on offense was not as easy in 06, but was much more realistic.

Gamers jaded by the previous release owe it to themselves to check out NBA Live 07. Newcomers will be able to dive right into the game experience. Community Day was a great opportunity for the gaming community to get to ask EA the tough questions, as well as see the game first hand and try out the new features. As a member of the gaming community, it was an honor. As a gamer, it was simply a pleasure.

Special thanks to Tony Hynes (Microsoft), Jonathan Long (EA), Matthew Mahar (EA), and the entire EA Canada team for hosting a great community event.

Article by Jonathan Cragle