EA are aiming to make things interesting for basketball fans, as NBA Live 16’s E3 announcement outlined a raft of gameplay improvements to the series. NBA 2K has been the market-leader for a number of seasons now, but the new features may mean that players have a tough choice on their hands this year, particularly as both titles will be released on the 29th of September.
EA are keen to bring players into the game like never before, and their GameFaceHD tech uses your smartphone to scan your face, before depositing it on your created character. The staged demonstration of this using their community manager Montel Gaitor showed the potential of the feature, though a similar feature in last year’s NBA 2K often produced horrific effects.
Visually, the game will be the most technically proficient title in the series, and their Live Motion physics system looks to eliminate the feeling that in-game animations are scripted, combining run-time physics and motion capture to create thousands of new animations.
From a gameplay point of view they’ve also taken a new look at the way the game controls, offering a new pick n’ roll system, and more precision to shots. In a mild dig at 2K, they are also promising a reliable and stable place to play online basketball, which could be a deciding factor for players burnt by 2K’s MyCareer server issues.