I really think part of their problem lies in the animations, so I guess that's by defaul the gameplay engine. It's not there yet, and I don't see 2k relaxing to the point of allowing EA to get back in the game.

Yup, i definitely agree with that 100 percent. Live would be cool on the 360. 2K has its issues, but mostly because of the cheesy people who play it and dont know basketball. 2K not only killed live, but its doing some harm to Madden as well these last few years. Soon as I get my 2k I usually put Madden down for good.

If 2k had a football game most ppl probably would say the same thing about Madden

I agree...and as much I want NBA live to be good it just seems to be 2-3 years behind. I mentioned yesterday the animations at time play like the PS2 and the unnatural movement under the basket is awful. I will say that Lives courts and arena sounds are much better than 2Ks

I completely agree with this blog. This sums up exactly how I feel. I know that EA is trying & the effort is evident, but at the end of the day the video game business is similar to the NFL as in it's a win now business. We as consumers can sympathize with developers with the challenges of making a great game, but at the end of the day we are paying them for their services when we purchase these games. So thesee games have to produce similar to NFL players in order to keep their spot & remain relevant. Like the OP said, after watching numerous Live 16 gameplay vids, I'm just not impressed & I really wanted to like the game this year. Is it an improvement over last year? Of course but that's not saying much because how could it not be? NBA Live has set the bar so low for themselves that any improvement they make is going to stand out even more & get over hyped. Now don't get me wrong, Live 16 does have some things going for it (footplanting, area atmosphere, lighting, ESPN presentation, etc..) but the gameplay still isn't where it needs to be going into 2016. I'm still seeing animation stiffness, wonky animations, ball warping when dribbling, cartoony player models, shot success still way too high, etc.. Live just has this arcady appeal to it (nothing wrong with that if that's your preference). If Live 16 was the game we got for Live 14 then EA would be in a good spot right now. I just don't see how EA is going to be able to ever legitimately compete with 2K at this rate (even with 2K's flaws). I hope I'm wrong because I grew up on Live, but I've been hoping for years now & I'm still waiting......

I agree with the OP as well and Jk you hit the nail on the head when you said that Live set the bar so low for themselves. I played part of nba live 16 and was kinda disappointed from what I had seen now granted I will give the demo benefit of the doubt and say that only 28% of it was downloaded. But what I kinda saw reminded me of nba live 2006 for xbox 360. Beefed up player models and clunky animations. While I have been a 2k fan since its beginning in 1999 (football too) I grew up on live before it was live. (Lakers vs. Celtics, Bulls vs. Lakers, Bulls vs. Blazers) part of me still wants for this game to be great as well but unfortunately Live is still not on par with the current competitor.

Agreed/way too far behind to compete. But Fellas, we have to all agree that is great for the consumer b/c it will push 2k to ramp up their product cycle and blow EA out of the water. In this upcoming version of 2k16, the Devs say that their has been a huge jump in Gameplay..so yeah, competition breeds growth!

Yeah it is but that does not matter to me. Gamers now feel that they have to put one game against another in this, one man enter one man leave, sort of mentality. Its not as polished as 2k , but that was expected. I'm a old school gamer and I like having multiply titles in the same sport, just like it was in the 90s. Live has its own good points as well as 2k. I can afford to buy both. Its not a one or the other type of thing for me.

Haven't played it but from the videos I have seen it does look rather robotic and stiff. I will still give it a try I was looking forward to some competition from EA this year so I will be opened minded about it...especially since I will be picking up 2k next week so it's a win/win.

The best thing about this year's game (that I've yet to play) reminds me a little bit of 2K releasing NFL 2K5 for $20 (or whatever it was). Releasing this mega demo for NBA Live is a great idea, as long as the gameplay is solid.

And because they're releasing it free for all, everybody can play and develop an opinion. Brilliant move, and I'm open-minded enough to hope they can rope in some new players. I've already pre-ordered 2K, and don't see me changing my mind (due to Spike Lee, the Arena stuff and even the early promise of the offseason stuff in 2K that looks interesting, as well as general gameplay and everything the Czar said last week.)

The funny thing is, I'm still shocked every year when Live ends up so far behind. I knew it was a bad sign that they weren't showing ANY collisions in any of the gameplay snip-its the past few months, but I would have never guessed that there would be so few animations in the paint.

There are just so many unnatural movements, and as was stated in the original post, the players just look awful from the neck down. They've apparently improved upon last year's game, but at this rate I'm not sure they'll ever catch up to 2k. This looks like Live 2010 with a new coat of paint.

i hope they keep trying only if it's to ensure 2k doesn't become complacent. i dislike EA Sports (i understand why a company would do exclusive license with the NFL but it seems EA feared exactly what's happening with LIVE now as the future of NFL 2k series) but monopolies weaken product quality & the incentive to outdo yourself.

Completely agree. The Live run and Summer Circuit is very fun with your friends though. But we've come to a conclusion that it's because there's no NEW alternative right now. 2k15 rec was fun until patch 4 and Demigods broke the game, so we don't play that anymore. But next week we will be on 2k16 like white on rice. ��

Live will always be live 2k wins by far live does have good arena atmosphere but 2k 16 will by far blow live 16 away I'm with nba2k16 so live better watch and learn sorry also the mechanics in 2k are awesome and live 16 is still arcade

Awesome blog. Live will never catch 2k and that's unfortunate for EA but they have done it to themselves. I may be biased but maybe if they created a college game rather than NBA they would at least be able to push their product on being different. If not scratch the Live team and have them contribute to the other sports games such as Madden, NHL, and RM PGA.