When do we get gameplay footage of NBA Live 07 next gen?

[ballaholics]

2K7 has been pimping their game all over the place with playable demos at E3 and EA only showed us practice mode and a game trailer. No gameplay footage yet. What gives?

[Playmakers]

Re: When do we get gameplay footage of NBA Live 07 next gen?

The sport of basketball has always been a tough nut to crack in terms of delivering a high quality and authentic gameplay experience. No matter how hard developers have worked in years past, the fact still remained that watching Kobe drive to the hole and posterize some poor fool looked drastically less enthralling in a video game than it did on SportsCenter. But times have changed and this is the next-generation of video games we’re talking about here. Players should pivot properly, move realistically, and dominate the hardwood in ways that the gaming world has never seen. While that may sound like a complete pipedream for those who invested in the first entry in the NBA Live series on the Xbox 360 you folks needn’t fear, the developers at EA Sports are planning on bringing the noise in a big way with Live 2007.



True next-gen gameplay? Yes, please.

At this year’s E3 we were taken behind closed doors by EA to checkout their latest and greatest from the world of sports. It was clear from the start that the focus of their sports lineup this year was on delivering a more realistic play experience than had been seen before and that all begins with their new universal facial capture technology. Take T-Mac for instance. Last year watching McGrady throw one down and then watching Vince Carter do the same was indiscernible from one another. Sure they might have varying dunk animations, but there was no personality behind them - no unique celebrations, nothing to bring the player into the experience of throwing down on a defender sick-nasty style. Now EA Sports has added the aforementioned universal facial capture which allows players to display genuine emotion during certain moments of gameplay. Take the aforementioned T-Mac throw down for instance. Now you’ll notice his trademark, “call me the bus driver ‘cuz I just took you to school and back” smirk after he embarrasses an entire defense.

Another new fangled technology that EA is tossing into its bag of tricks is procedural awareness which allows the player models to track the movement of the ball with everything from bodily reactions to incoming passes to eye movements that track its flight. Gone are the days of players streaking down the court and catching an outlet pass without turning to face the ball (thank God). As impressive as it was to watch Kobe use his spider sense on a fast break, we agree with EA Sports that it’s about time for an upgrade. During our demo of the game we were shown a close-up of Dwayne Wade’s face and watched as his eyes moved realistically to follow the flight of the ball.

Quite possibly the most impressive new feature, haters and lovers of the series alike should pay special attention to this one, is the newly designed foot planting technology. What this does is it eliminates the classic sliding effect that infected all of the previous Live titles. The old effect basically killed any hope of delivering a realistic looking basketball title, but with the new foot planting technology in place players now stick to the ground and can make actual cuts. Even running up the court has a completely different look to it then it has in past years. And playing defense no longer takes the term “defensive slide” to heart as players’ feet now stick to the ground with newfound authenticity.

Also aiding in the realism is the ability of animations to be interrupted halfway through so that a new animation can take place. Let’s say for instance an offensive player is breaking down a defender by utilizing a spin move. Well, if, mid-spin, they notice a player open out on the wing then the spin animation can be interrupted so that a pass can be made to hit the open man for an easy J. This all goes along with what EA has dubbed “authentic athletic performance” so that playing NBA Live 2007 on the 360 actually looks the same as the highlights on ESPN.


The Outlook

While we didn’t see any genuine five-on-five action – our demo was simply T-Mac and D-Wade on the practice court – if EA can deliver the same level of graphical proficiency during actual gameplay, then the competition could be in for a seriously long season on the hardwood. With all of the technology that has been developed specifically for their new line of sports titles it’s going to be a real shock if one of the previous versions of NBA Live somehow finds its way back into your system once this year’s version hits store shelves. Details are still sketchy on what type of features will be available in NBA Live 2007 but if the new technology is any indicator gamers are in for the first real basketball simulation ever created. Stay tuned to TeamXbox.com as we’ll have more on this title as soon as it develops.

[FluffyTonka]

Re: When do we get gameplay footage of NBA Live 07 next gen?

That sounds more than impressive. If the AI keeps up with the animations and graphics engine, it'll be one serious contender to stay in my 360 for a whole NBA season ...

[WTF]

Re: When do we get gameplay footage of NBA Live 07 next gen?

Wow.... that preview has me ecstatic about the possibilities of this upcoming version. I just hope they have manual replays, and the ability to save replays. Manual replays for me is a must. If you have such great looking character models, atmosphere, etc... then why not allow the user to see replays of how awesome a play was. It's petty, I know... but it's important to me.

[Admiral50]

Re: When do we get gameplay footage of NBA Live 07 next gen?

Me too, I like to take advantage of my PC capture card and upload cool looking plays!

Live sounding decent on paper as always...

[WTF]

Re: When do we get gameplay footage of NBA Live 07 next gen?

Exactly... with these next gen graphics, I want to see some nasty highlight videos. Like when I was doing my Dynasty, it became a chore to have a camera right there for every play trying to get a decent pic or a movie capture because of lack of manual replay.

And that's what I'm worried about, is that it looks good on paper. I can't wait to see some actual footage. After PM's hard work, this game was pretty good last year, albeit really stripped down. This year, if all of this holds true, then we are in for a treat. I know what 2K is bringing to the table, and I like it. But from a gamer's point of view, I hope that Live is able to acheive all of this and make a stellar game.