During EA’s Studio Showcase last Thursday, AMN was able to receive a genuine opportunity to check out the latest build of NBA Live 07, which will release in late September on PS2, Xbox, PSP, the PS3 [during launch], and the Xbox 360. Our hands-on time spent with the game was mostly with the graphically superior Xbox 360 version.

Now, we all know that last year’s NBA Live was often referred as a “dunk-fest.” Don’t believe me? According to the producers, who worked on last year’s game including this one, the freestyle superstar controls simply limited players from doing certain moves in extreme situations. Performing monster “jams” in front of the basket had been one of the emphasized fixes that EA Canada in Vancouver simply needed to resolve, and the latest version already seems to remedy that.

NBA Live 07 features a more complex series of traffic situations in the court’s post, down-low under the basket. This means that more collisions will occur whenever a player, most notably a superstar, is driving to the lane with a computer-controlled opponent having the “foot placement” advantage. Not only will this encourage tougher defense as a whole, but it will also allow for a much smarter computer AI to take place during the game, especially when near-impossible shots are attempted around several defenders at once. Speaking with one of the producers of the game at EA’s summer press event, we were told that plenty of variables were factored into the game, whenever an offensive player goes one-on-one against a defender towards the basket. Things such as player attribute scores; placement, height, and distance are just some of the things that will determine which player receives the advantage towards making the key play, whether it is a steal, block, or a reverse dunk in the defender’s face. These “scenarios,” happen regularly during games, and are those physical challenges that pit one player against the other during key match-ups. Let’s just say that Ron Artest will constantly stick to his defender every single time his man receives the ball.



Can somebody say offensive foul? (Xbox)

Now where do the new freestyle superstar controls come in? Different from the hold-L-button combination that rose form the previous game, this year’s Live allows hoopsters to switch freestyle superstar “modes” with the touch of a button (In 360’s case, by clicking the right analog stick). Using this, players will be able to scroll through different special abilities given to the different types of players. In NBA Live 07, there are superstars, stars, and regular NBA players (The 360 has one extra tier above that). Of course, the superstars are the captain(s) of their respective teams that are given the most freestyle superstar moves. The second type of players, the stars are the “X-Factor” players, a person who isn’t a full-time superstar yet, but can rise to the occasion at any given point. Think of Robert Horry, Steve Kerr, or for history’s sake, Rex Chapman as those special players that give that extra boost to a team during clutch moments. Bringing these type of X-Factor players can boost your team’s game, and can go on “hot streaks” to give that player a temporary “boost” for an entire game. Basically, you’ll want to make sure to sub in these players wisely and utilize them only when that hot hand is needed. And obviously, the regular players are those without any specific superstar moves, and are limited to their traditional style of play.

The refined and familiar freestyle superstar categories [which include playmaker, high-flyer, power, perimeter, post, block etc.] are changeable on the fly, so you’ll be able to use Tracy McGrady to do a quick, snap pass [a new passing feature] using the Playmaker mode, then immediately call for the ball back and slam it home under the High-Flyer mode. Not only does this allows for a much larger amount of moves per category (the original only had a maximum of four), it also allows new players to quickly pick up the game and be aware of the move they’re about to perform since each mode change is shown on the player’s cursor icon. By clicking the right analog stick for a quick change, and then using a trigger or face button, a multitude of hoopster actions can occur. Let’s not forget that dunks and layups are now assigned to different buttons on the controller: X being used for layup and Y for dunks on the Xbox controllers.



For the win... (Xbox)

One of the more innovative changes that EA decided to implement within the game is the once-ancient idea of momentum in sports games. As teams play a grueling game in NBA Live 07, a certain shift of intensity will be noticed during several key moments during a game. Basically, crowd noise, the pace of games, will be dictated by factors such as team rivalries, playoff matchups, and last-second game-winning potential scenarios. Even during blowouts, you might notice a specific change in the latter team’s performance. When this happens, your players might not be running back on defense, and you might have to call a time-out to potentially lessen the momentum of the other team – hence a useful tool for determining when to call time-out or not. Of course, we’re very familiar with EA’s gamebreaker meter, and although the premise is similar, the feature is fresh in its own sense. The momentum and intensity meters are placed within the game’s UI, and are updated every minute. Now, the highest levels of intensity occur when a controller rumble kicks in near-end-game to signify clutch shots in the most critical moments. Players will also dive for loose balls during the key moments. All in all, you can expect a plethora of new gameplay scenarios with these dramatic game-flow changes. With the interesting gameplay elements handled, let’s move on to the numerous changes in game mode for Live.