And so, without further ado...
NBA Live 10: What We Know (So Far...)
- As of this post, the exact release date is unconfirmed. Some sites have listed a date of September 28th, 2009, but others simply list October 2009. Since a recent producer blog mentioned an early October release, I would suggest that the September 28th date isn't right and that the release will be around the same time as last year.
- NBA Live '10 will be released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable. Unfortunately, there will be no PC version of NBA Live '10; releases for the Playstation 2 also appear to have been discontinued. IGN is also listing an iPhone version of the game.
- A demo has been alluded to, based on the last couple of years it will likely be out about a month before the actual release for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
- NBA Live 365 and Dynamic DNA will be a part of NBA Live '10, with the subscription running for the duration of the 2009/2010 NBA season. Presumably, features such as NBA Rewind will still be a part of NBA Live 365. A surprising addition to NBA Live 365 has been hinted at in a couple of recent blog posts.
- On the subject of the NBA Live 365 subscription, it will be provided free of charge courtesy of a sponsor for all new copies of the game. If the game is bought second hand, a subscription will need to be purchased seperately from a game retailer, the Xbox Live marketplace or the Playstation Store. Presumably the cost will be similar to last year.
- NBA Live '10 will be discontinuing the use of seperate shoot and dunk/layup buttons, as confirmed by Mike Wang on the Operation Sports forums. However, the user will still retain control over the shot attempt and presumably shots will still be contextual to a certain extent, so there'll be no dunking from the free throw line etc.
- Particular attention has been paid to backboard usage, not only on layups but for players who like to use the glass on jumpshots. Shot arcs have also been an area of focus, with some players having signature shot arcs.
- In addition to player specific moves and animations such as signature jumpshot styles and Go To Moves, players will also have signature dribbling animations in NBA Live '10. Presumably there'll be a couple of different generic animations as well to cater for players who do not have a unique style. There will also be greater differentiation between footspeed for different players.
- A blog post requesting feedback on the audio for NBA Live '10 has confirmed that Marv Albert and Steve Kerr will continue to provide commentary in NBA Live '10.
- The game will make use of the EA Sports Virtual Playbook technology.
- Substitution logic has apparently been re-written this year with more emphasis on secondary positions. Gameplay in general would appear to be the focus this year with several blog posts emphasising an approach of "fixing the cracks in the foundations" and other snippets in the OS forums referring to creating a realistic basketball game and addressing issues with defense (notably Lockdown D) and minimising exploits that lead to cheesy play, especially online.
- Visuals and presentation will also receive an upgrade this year. An early work-in-progress of LeBron James performing his pre-game chalk toss can be seen here. Early screenshots have also shown players on the bench wearing warmups and displaying jersey numbers, as well as signs in the crowd.
- The soundtrack will consist of hip-hop tracks with strong basketball themes.
Whether you 
