EA Vancouver playtest for "New NBA Concept"

EA Sports Vancouver studio is holding playtest sessions for a "New NBA Concept." The sessions are happening April 11th and 12th.

If you are in the Vancouver area and might like to attend, fill out this form-
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6KTC82S

Very interesting. Perhaps it's something to do with NBA Jam or another secondary, non sim-oriented basketball title.

I think it may be an online game. I have been getting emails that have playtest sessions for EA sports online pulse testing, FIFA online, NHL, etc. Either that or they are starting from scratch again.

Surely not. An online game is probably a good guess though.

awesome, thanks for the heads up, I live pretty much right up the street from the EA Burnaby studio... I'll go check it out if I get picked

Maybe it's a new NBA Street? I hope that's it, maybe it will be "sim" oriented ala the newest FIFA Street.

honestly id pay for an updated version of street vol 2

I'd want it to have Real AI, similar to NBA Jam: On Fire Edition.

honestly id pay for an updated version of street vol 2

You can't say things like that. Not with the latest trend of EA selling a roster update as a full game.

I think that the 2010 reboot of NBA Jam is proof that you can't just do that. I still think that was a pretty good game and unfairly maligned, probably partly due to the confusion over what was going to be included for free in the cancelled NBA Elite 11, but at the same time it arguably didn't innovate enough.

It seemed like a lot of people were excited about the prospect of a Jam remake with contemporary players, but a faithful remake also meant replicating some of the problems of those old Jam games, such as the repetitive gameplay. Gamers wanted something that was faithful to the original, but in some ways it was too faithful and not enough of an improvement on the original's gameplay, while the new features (like the boss battles) were sometimes hit and miss. Like I said though, I still think it was a pretty good game in its own right, though NBA Jam: On Fire Edition was a big improvement.

If they do remake Street, I think they need to do what they did with OFE. Utilise the Real AI so that every game doesn't feel like the same cycle of knocking down opponents for a steal and running it up to dunk or shoot a three. Include a mode that changes things up with some different challenges, special rules and the like. A story mode like Homecourt, though perhaps deeper and more fleshed out, would be a good approach.

I got picked, they sent me an email 2 days ago, and i just checked my mail now, lol almost missed the deadline to reply back too, which was 3 hours from now..
but anyway I'm going there down to their headquarters tomorrow to see what this is aboot

Cool. I can't imagine that they wouldn't get you to sign an NDA so there won't be much you can tell us (if anything), but have fun!

Congratulations man, have fun and hope that whatever game they let you play is good for the best of us.

yea either way I'm looking forward to it.... they've used one of my teammates who's done some And 1 international circuits, they used him for motion capture few times over the years... so I'm lookin forward to goin in there seeing what's up

Well I almost didn't make it today, but got there just on time.... and obviously I signed a non disclosure agreement so I can't talk about it.....

but all I can say is cant wait for this October

Well, that's just tantalisingly cryptic.

Sounds like a fun time, though. Good stuff!

There is a loophole in legals nda's. You can tell us what is not in the game.

I have the feeling (since he mentioned October) that he played Live 14,; I don't remember but the other non-Live games, where those released in October too? I want to believe he played current or next gen Live since he's excited but I wouldn't mind a NBA Street game, time will tell I guess.

I have the feeling (since he mentioned October) that he played Live 14,; I don't remember but the other non-Live games, where those released in October too? I want to believe he played current or next gen Live since he's excited but I wouldn't mind a NBA Street game, time will tell I guess.

i have a feeling too

seriously hope its live and not some gimmick game

yea once again.... i'm really lookin forward to Oct I can't say anything other than that, long shot but I hope they call me in again that would be neat.....

in my opinion 2k sports has had it easy last few years without any competition whatsoever, but they still kept progressing and came out with 2K13 which is the greatest sports video game ever made I think, but it's about time we all stepped into the new era of gaming with next gen consoles around the corner, and utilized the technology we have now today, not recycle something from years ago.....
2K sports will have no choice but to step their game up........ and that all means win win for fans like us

yea once again.... i'm really lookin forward to Oct I can't say anything other than that, long shot but I hope they call me in again that would be neat.....

in my opinion 2k sports has had it easy last few years without any competition whatsoever, but they still kept progressing and came out with 2K13 which is the greatest sports video game ever made I think, but it's about time we all stepped into the new era of gaming with next gen consoles around the corner, and utilized the technology we have now today, not recycle something from years ago.....
2K sports will have no choice but to step their game up........ and that all means win win for fans like us

something tells me you were impressed with what you saw lol

The simple fact is that you need to entirely reconsider the concept of the sport to justify any challenge to the "leader" if you can't best them at the same game. VC mostly just did this and EA's turmoil made it easy.

The problem with EA is the last time they really actually took a revolutionary approach was with 2K coming over from outside their SEGA iron curtain and went with freestyle control even as it busted up the gameplay. (Since they were floundering on that gen anyhow.) The "revolutionary" betas they kept throwing out last gen never did anything like that no matter what the PR says. Even Elite didn't have some justifiable "hook" that I can remember.

I wonder if they bailed on last gen to take the fight to this gen.

I'd hope they've spent the last three years churning through various extreme prototypes.

And that they'll make a PC version like everyone else is heading towards.

I say the NBA game is NBA Street.

I say it's the new NBA Live game but it will be based on an online subscription service to be able to play, like WoW.