I love nbalive05 edition but check this IF it's a THREATH...

Some dude over at gamefaqs has the new GameInformer and it says that you can use your 24/7 player in franchise now. He said somemore stuff 2, I will post it.

"From: GaryPayton LA | Posted: 9/13/2004 5:27:09 PM | Message Detail
espn=20$

espn=24/7 mode(bball rpg)

espn=better graphics(GI side to side review proves it)

espn=More customizations in franchise mode(visual concepts invented franchise mode, it will always be more indepth)

espn=better online mode(you could use your 24/7 player online and beat the living [***] out of people 1 on 1)

espn=Isomotion>>freestyle control. Freestyle control is way too basic, isomotion is like freestyle control but more moves. I realized that in nba live, the free style control was USELESS!!! I mean cmon! why freestyle control when you could pro hop?

espn=APPROX. 30 more sliders to choose from

espn=APPROX. 22 more offensive plays and 10 more defensive plays than nba live

espn=Over 60 teams to choose from, nba live has only 40+

espn=Commentary by bill walton. Heck, i know that he is a biased commentator, however he is funny. Therefore I wouldn't get tired of him for a while.

espn=the new Lock up defense is up now.

espn=the new stiff arm perimeter d is in 2005

espn=you could use updated rosters online

espn-you could use your 24/7 player in franchise mode. Heck you could use a created team in a franchise and put your 24/7 player in the franchise."

"From: GaryPayton LA | Posted: 9/13/2004 5:27:39 PM | Message Detail
the GI magazine is coming up, I got all this from the side by side comparisons."

I dont kno if this is true but lets hope so because it indicates the defensive stance is back! And wht is stiff arm perimeter d? 60 Teams? Historic ones maybe? Isomotion has more moves then freestyle, lets hope this is true. Anybody got the mag?

http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=920671&topic=16293292

those ESPN 2k5 pics look lousy.....the crowd looks awful...like their zombies....

Im really puzzled as to why ppl come in here and post stuff abt ESPN Basketball ....its a friggin Live site....www.sportplanet.com/nbalive .... Get it... NBA LIVE ...

Live 05's graphics look much better...they looked cardboardish at the start but they r steppin it up....
Live 05 is gonna kick ESPN's ass this year.....ESPN isnt gonna have the deep dynasty mode live's gonna have.....n ESPN's commentry sucks bad....MARV ALBERT rocks

Live series is the best ever b-ball series...
ESPN's just a bandwagoner of b-ball games.....

i just find it funny that right after andrew made a post asking them to stop this and to keep thier SS's in the other games forum he comes right back with yet another 2 posts and 2 more screens.

i just find it funny that right after andrew made a post asking them to stop this and to keep thier SS's in the other games forum he comes right back with yet another 2 posts and 2 more screens.

See what he didn't tell you is that one post alone earned him $10.00! I'm convinced The 2K Twins are moles sent by Visual Concepts to try and annoy everone into buying the game just so they would stop bugging everyone! Even guys who only have a PC would buy it just to make them go away.....

my friend i think you are onto something here. of course i rather spend my 20 bucks on a knife so i could cut thier fingers off thus preventing them from posting again. did that sound too crazy?

those ESPN 2k5 pics look lousy.....the crowd looks awful...like their zombies....

Im really puzzled as to why ppl come in here and post stuff abt ESPN Basketball ....its a friggin Live site....www.sportplanet.com/nbalive .... Get it... NBA LIVE ...

Live 05's graphics look much better...they looked cardboardish at the start but they r steppin it up....
Live 05 is gonna kick ESPN's ass this year.....ESPN isnt gonna have the deep dynasty mode live's gonna have.....n ESPN's commentry sucks bad....MARV ALBERT rocks

Live series is the best ever b-ball series...
ESPN's just a bandwagoner of b-ball games.....

Shutup.

Neither games or even out yet so all your talk is just horse shit. Have you played ESPN 2K5? Live 2005? No. So just shut your mouth.

And if anything, Live is the bandwagoner's game. It sells better. And it's not just because of the large fan base, but because of the name "Live".

Why the hell is it here? Shouldn't this be in other games forum?
And um Big Ben 2k5...WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU IN A NBA LIVE GAMES FORUM? ARE YOU SERIOUSLY PAID BY ESPN?
"NO NEW VIDEOS? WHAT HAPPENED?"
YOU KNOW WHAT, WHEN NBA LIVE RELEASED THEIR VIDEOS BEFORE ESPN AND WE WERE FUCKING CLUELESS ABOUT ESPN 2k5...WHAT THE FUCK WAS ESPN DOING? HUH? WHEN WERE THEIR VIDEOS THEN?
This is getting seriously annoying.

Go to Gamespot. They have ESPN gameplay videos up.

Also, check out the IGN interview. ESPN's redefining the Franchise mode.

Yes I know where the videos and previews are, I've seen them. The thing is, WHY THE FUCK IS THIS POSTED IN LIVE 2005 GENERAL ISSUES? CAN'T YOU GUYS READ? It's LIVE 2005 GENERAL ISSUES. GO POST IN THE "OTHER GAMES" SECTION NEXT TIME.

And for the 10451250581058021750172571205th time "THIS IS AN NBA LIVE FORUM DAMMIT!"

It's okay man....

Look at the attention post Andrew put up. It's NOT Ok. These ESPN promoters need to STOP.

I think this is the original ESPN topic, so Andrew has been lenient and kept it in here. It's pretty much the "Live vs. ESPN" topic, which should be allowed in this section of the forum.

But any other topics regarding or even mentioning ESPN will be moved, possbly locked, most likely resulting in a certain someone's ban from the forum.

Bangyounh, you don't have to go to every ESPN topic, trying to be the mod around here. They'll take care of business. Just keep contributing to the forum and let the mods do their job.

espn=More customizations in franchise mode(visual concepts invented franchise mode, it will always be more indepth)

Wow, you espn gamers know your stuff. NBA Live 2000 had the first franchise mode. Spastics.

espn=Isomotion>>freestyle control. Freestyle control is way too basic, isomotion is like freestyle control but more moves. I realized that in nba live, the free style control was USELESS!!! I mean cmon! why freestyle control when you could pro hop?

Isomotion is the most useless thing ever. You either get the charge called on you or you get a half step on your defender... which isnt enough to do anything with the akward shooting animations espn has.

espn=Commentary by bill walton. Heck, i know that he is a biased commentator, however he is funny. Therefore I wouldn't get tired of him for a while.

You espn bunnies are biased, and unintentionally funny. However, I have gotten tired of you.

Neither games or even out yet so all your talk is just horse shit. Have you played ESPN 2K5? Live 2005? No. So just shut your mouth.

Same goes for your espn bunnies so both of you shut up and wait for the game to be released. ESPN's graphics arent perfect either. Notice the ball is hovering around the players hands and not touching?

Will it really matter when the games come out? Either way there will be the same arguments over and over and BigBen2K5 will keep posting screens. So I say just lock all the ESPN threads and get this crap over with. It will never stop unless something is done about it.

ban ESPN Zombies

This topic at least relates to NBA Live 2005, whereas most of the others simply are news posts about ESPN and as such, belong in Other Games; that's why I've left it here (for now). Of course, if it becomes the "Check out the latest ESPN screens" thread I might see fit to move it.

Basically, if we don't move it and we're posting in it, we're happy to leave it where it is.

Andrew,

I'll give you $30 and a signed Leon Trimmingham poster if you'll ban BIGBEN2K5.

I await your acceptance of this offer,

Jae.

Hey pals.. I am not here to solely promote ESPN nba 2k5.. Whether u believe it or not, I am getting nbalive05 also and that's what the topic says here.. I like nba live 2005 but just check this if it's a Big THREAT:




September 14, 2004 - Allen Iverson wants to talk to you. The Sixers have lost seven in a row, and as usual, Iverson is the only one making his shots.


Now it's time to vent. He's mad at his teammates and wants you to do something about it.

Do you…

A) Tell him he's right and feed his ego.

B) Tell him to take it game by game and not get too upset about it.

Or

C) Tell him to take a hike.

Now depending on your response, not only will Iverson be affected, so will the entire team chemistry of the Sixers. Blow him off and refuse to talk to him, and the situation will get even worse. The Answer needs an answer and since you decide to cater to your superstar, you tell him he's right.

Wrong answer.

Sure, Iverson loves it, but your team chemistry takes a hit, causing the rest of the players on your team to feel unmotivated, and in turn, play worse.

Welcome to the innovative new world of running a franchise.

Welcome to The Association.

But that's not all you'll encounter in ESPN NBA 2K5's new spin on an old feature, as franchise mode, now entitled The Association, looks to be one of the most immersive, imaginative new takes on running a franchise the genre has seen in years.

And it doesn't stop with Allen Iverson.

While running The Association, periodically, players from your number one superstar to your 12th man on the bench will want to talk to you to boast, vent, or just talk. Each player has his own personality type (there are four distinct personality types in the game), and the more you play, the more you learn how to cater to Personality Type 1, 2, 3, or ?...that's right, one of the personality types is a ?, and you don't need 20 guesses to figure out The Answer to who is one of those question mark personality types.

That's right, he used to be on the cover of this game, and now you have to go inside his head and figure out why he doesn't like to practice, why he doesn't like his teammates, or why he's upset that you just signed another superstar shooting guard to the Sixers roster.

It's the first time in a basketball game where everybody on your team really matters, as you can't just brush off Samuel Dalembert or Kyle Korver and hope your team will still win behind Iverson. As the NBA Finals and Olympics recently proved, basketball is a team game, and if your team is not playing as a cohesive unit, it could spell trouble for your career as a G.M. Another great aspect is the fact that you don't control who I sgoing to approach you, so it really helps you get a feeling for your team unlike any other sports game to date.

Visually, when a player approaches you, it's extremely reminiscent of the WWE Smackdown! series when you're backstage and different wrestlers want to talk to you. You see a close-up of the player, and instead of talking, you read the text of the conversation. You are then given the three types of responses you can offer back to try to keep the balance between overblown ego and team performance.

But there are other reasons why you'll want to boost your team chemistry. As the chemistry is higher and your players are happy, you'll be able to take them on training regiments that aren't available to the average user. These training sessions actually boost your player's attributes for one week, so if you're playing as Miami and you know your playing against a team that likes to hack Shaq, you can actually stick your team in a training session with a free throw coach and watch as their ratings are boosted, making it easier for Diesel to sink a couple from the line. You will even be given the option on how strenuous you want the training sessions to be, from letting the players rest, to light, normal, or intense. The more intense the workout, the more at risk your players are for injury, so be warned. You'd hate to be practicing close range shots and dunks and watch as Shaq breaks his hand on the rim right before the playoffs. Working your players at an intense rate will also have a more immediate and widespread impact of fatigue. Sure, your players shot ratings will increase by four points instead of two, but at the same time, their stamina for the week will also be down three points.

Beyond the typical post up or shooting coach you'll also be able to bring in player mentors to help with team chemistry, you'll be able to hire NBA legends to work with your young players, even hire a masseuse to help relieve the stress of day-to-day life in the NBA, cutting down on the number of injuries.

When playing and simming your way through The Association, you'll also find another innovative new mode called Full Authority. Full Authority is an intriguing new way to sim through a game, giving you more control than ever of a sim, and really enabling you to play the role of coach in a mini-strategy game type setting.


Here's how it works: Each game is divided up into eight mini quarters. You're given ten shots per mini quarter to divide amongst your five players. But you not only decide how many shots to take with each player, you actually tell them where to shoot from. For example: Playing as the Heat, I give 6 shots to Shaq, 2 to Wade, and 2 to Eddie Jones. From there, I tell Shaq to take his shots from close range, using one of his special moves called The Wiley Vet (star players have special moves, either on offense or defense, but each special has a counter). I then assign Jones and Wade to bust their shots from long range, working on their three pointers. You then look at how the CPU has assigned their shots. Playing against the Rockets, T-Mac was given 7 shots, Yao 2, and Howard 1. Now it's time to play defense. You need to guess where T-Mac, Yao, and Howard have been assigned to shoot from and designate a defense to stop them. We have Eddie Jones matched up against T-Mac, and since Jones is a defensive specialist, he has a few special counters, like the Tenacious D, to offset moves like the Killer J that T-Mac might throw at us. We then tell Shaq to guard the close range shot against Yao, and Udonis Haslem to defend the mid-range against Howard.

Then it's off to see the highlights.

That's right, you see highlights of the action that you just simmed to see how the whole rock-paper-scissors type strategy paid off. You see Shaq try to shoot close range against Yao's close range defense and get the ball swatted back in his face. Luckily, the Magic were playing off of my two long range shooters, and Jones and Wade were able to connect for a couple of threes. On the other end, T-Mac wasn't using his Killer J after all, so our defense was helpless as he drove to the hoop and threw it down over our big men. We also picked wrong against Yao and Howard, as Yao was sinking jumpers from mid-range and Howard worked his way inside for the jam.

There is a summary of the score so far, then it's back to play the guessing game all over again, only now, fatigue is playing a factor, so you have to sub in some fresh players and continue with the strategy game for the second half of the first quarter.

It's all about knowing your players, the players on the other team, and what the strengths and weaknesses are. Sure, you can put Yao out for long range shots because the defense wouldn't be guarding him out there, but that doesn't mean he's going to make the shot. But slide him out for a mid-range attempt if your opponent is playing down low, and he might hit a few open jumpers.

Each of these games only takes about five minutes to complete, but it's an amazing new way to simulate a game, really giving you a more hands-on approach than waiting a few seconds and seeing a score pop up…although, if you still prefer the old way to sim, it's up to you as every game you'll be given the option to play, sim, or run through Full Authority. And if Full Authority seems a little too intimidating, you can also let the CPU coach your team and make all the moves for you, this way you can still watch the highlights while learning how to play.

But franchise wasn't the only thing about the NBA 2K series that was completely reworked, as the entire system for movement, not to mention both offense and defense were completely rewritten from scratch.

Play a game and you'll notice right away that there are far more contextual animations than in years past, from double teams and fighting for a ball in the post to knocking down defenders with a devastating pick. You'll also notice that when a defensive player gets beat off the dribble, they don't just stand behind and watch, but will ride the hip of the offensive player driving to the basket, adding a realistic look to the already unbelievable graphics.

The default camera angle has also been changed to a side view, now called the ESPN Broadcast cam, and is down a lot lower than last year's game, giving you a better chance to see all of the player tats, not to mention the new sweat that accumulates on the uniforms, actually turning the jerseys darker throughout the game.

On the movement side, momentum is now a big factor, as players won't be able to use turbo to instantly boost past the defense and glide in for the dunk. This helps the defense catch up and actually enables defenders to try to make a play for the ball. Momentum is also incorporated into shooting as players running right then shooting will actually drift to the right in the air, reminiscent of the Jordan/Craig Ehlo trademark shot that sent so many Cavs fans home crying.
Players will also now be able to adjust their shots in mid-air as ballers driving toward the hoop can press shoot to attempt a shot, then press the shoot button a second time to change that shot in the face of the defense. You can even manipulate the new shot by pressing a direction on the analog stick. For example: You drive to the hoop and start a layup with your right hand but see big Yao moving over for the help defense. You then press the shoot button and left to switch hands and toss the shot up with your left.


Big men down low also come to the court with a new set of post moves, emphasizing the game in the paint as much as the typical video game shotline beyond the arc. Players can now utilize moves in the post like a quick pivot or drop step to clear space, then add an up and under to pump the defender in the air, then roll to the side and deliver the shot. It's really three animations strung together, but the result is really cool as beyond the pivots and fakes, you can throw up fadeaways and even baby hooks in the lane in attempts to score.

Also added to the game is a hop step, similar to NBA Live's pro hop, where players can hop past defenders to gain an extra advantage of space to create their shots. What's new to the hop step is the turbo hop that is actually a way for your player to pivot around the defender or utilize a spin step to further baffle the D. The way to defend this is to obviously step in front and draw the charge, but while players are using a hop step, the ball is much more vulnerable, and with a well timed swipe, the defense can start running the other way on the break.

For those gamers who are more interested in strategy than slams, there is also a new play calling system. This enables you to call plays on the fly while also utilizing your team's tempo and pressure. There are four quick plays you can run at any time, along with the tempo and pressure bars. Manipulate the tempo to its highest point and your players will leak out early to run the fast break. Keep tempo low and they'll stay in to crash the boards. Pressure woks the same as you're able to manipulate how your team goes for steals, blocks, slows down the game, or plays loose. The crew at ESPN Videogames even hired a scout to watch tape of all of the teams and provide accurate playbooks, so while the casual fans can stick with the pick and roll, the hardcore user can go in and make one of his quick plays something more complex like the Box or Triangle. This also means that each team will play more like their real-life counterparts as the Heat actually feed the ball down to Shaq, Kobe hogs the rock, and Rip hits a bunch of mid-range jumpers.
Presentation-wise, you will be shown highlights of the game at halftime, detailing the best plays so far from each team's player of the half with commentary over the visuals by Bill Walton (PS2 owners will need a hard drive for highlights). After the game, more highlights will be provided, but only for the Player of the Game from the winning team. Stuart Scott provides all of the intros while Walton and Bob Fitzgerald provide in-game commentary. Courtside, Michele Tafoya will provide some comments, and you'll even see her in the locker room during a postgame cutscene interviewing the player of the game, but there is no actual interview like provide in ESPN NFL 2K5.

The crowd is finally fully 3D, from the kids in the front row all the way up to the fools up high with the nosebleed seats. Fall behind by too much, and you'll even see the crowd gt up and leave, leaving you to play in a near empty arena to a bunch of crickets.

On the court, the player graphics received another makeover utilizing the same Triple Pass Rendering seen in the NFL game. Like I said, sweat accumulates on the uniform, there are folds and wrinkles, and even self shadowing, as you can see Dwayne Wade's hand create a shadow as he attempts to block one of Kobe's shot.

Gamers will also have the ability to rip songs to their Xbox and play those clips in specific situations at the various arenas. You want to hear Lil Jon when you bring the ball up court, it's now up to you. Yea-yeah! Some other cuts are being produced and performed by Del Tha Funky Homosapien.

Off the court, last year's game was the first to offer 24/7 mode, and this year it's back in a more streamlined form. You create a player, gear him up from head to toe with headbands, shorts, tats, and glasses, then go in and create your own shoe from sole to heel. What's different, is now when you play the different challenges to earn attribute points, it's no longer to a game of 21, but timed to a minute and 30 seconds per challenge. The challenges are also new, adding "shoot the ball with 17 seconds on the shot clock", and "make only mid-range jumpers" to the mix, among others. The rest of the mode looks pretty similar as you head out into the world and try to accumulate the most stuff by winning challenges and taking on the best ballers in the world. The street courts have been completely reworked and look a lot better than last year, with improved lighting, and just more artistic flair. When you take your 24/7 baller online, you'll need to seek out the best players and not just hide behind your record as you'll only get the best prizes, the most unique gear, by defeating players with equal or better skill. From team warm-ups (that you'll see in pregame cutscenes) to the coolest jerseys, you'll need to be a real online player to take the exclusive online items.

With so many new features, even new features within the new features, it's pretty staggering the amount of options gamers are going to have come October. And to think it's only going to be $19.99, well, even if you don't want Allen Iverson yelling at you, The Answer on whether or not this looks like a good value is still a resounding yes.
-- Jon Robinson




THE REAL WINNER BETWEEN LIVE & ESPN IS ALL OF US, GAMERS!!!

BOTH EA & V.C. deserves a big applause & thank you for bringing 2 great basketball games...

crap

Hey pals.. I am not here to solely promote ESPN nba 2k5.. Whether u believe it or not, I am getting nbalive05 also and that's what the topic says here.. I like nba live 2005 but just check this if it's a Big THREAT

surely a ESPN game developer have to play (or even buy) NBA LIVE because he/she have to know what's going on on his/her competitor.

You will buy Live 2005, so what?
All you do is absolutely promoting the ESPN !!

Same goes for your espn bunnies so both of you shut up and wait for the game to be released. ESPN's graphics arent perfect either. Notice the ball is hovering around the players hands and not touching?

You must be mistaking me for BigBen or Sho, because I don't go around here promoting ESPN. In fact, none of the ESPN fans here have even said that it will be better than Live 2005. Only the Live fans have jumped to conclusions, saying that their game is better -- when it hasn't even come out!

I could really care less about what I see in replay screenshots now. They're getting old, so it's nothing to get excited or disappoitned about. I'd prefer something like this by now:

Well, BigBen...

There seems to be much of stuff in the ESPN version, but so does live... The coaching drill system where you can coach Shaq to throw better free throws for a game or two is a total rip-off of NBA Live's dynasty extras. You can hire coaches to coach your players to a better performance. Increasing their ratings for a the time the coach is hired for.

This years Live will have some sort of an engine for Allen Iverson to get in your face as well... Through the PDA etc. This is probably one of the most difficult aspects to balance as you want the players to react to the way the team is doing, but in the mean time you don't want players to get swamped with low overall guys begging for playing time or your stars knocking on the door after every loss. If you can see what kinds of personalities the players are this feature will be quite bad... You really shouldn't know... And have some guys labeled as vocal complainers and some as the always content stars.

There is an extensive overhaul of the scouting engine on Live this year and I didn't see any mention of it in ESPN preview...

ESPN didn't start the franchise... Franchise mode was already in Live 2000 and before as a multi-season mode in Live. Names change not the game mode.

But still the bottom line is that EA has it's game coming out on the PC and ESPN does not... So it really doesn't matter what anyone says about the ESPN to me... It's got some features that I've been pushing on the wishlist for Live for years now, and I would be intrested on how they were implemented, but I'll have to wait for ESPN to come out on the PC.

BIGBEN how long has the ESPN 2K5 team been supplying u with strippers

enuff with your damn ESPN 2K5 .... its shitty !!!

I think it is becoming an "ESPN Screenshot post"...it shall disappear soon I think.

i got 2 things to add here.

first. i dont see what the big deal is over almost all these pics. every player looks like a damn ape. its not even funny. just look at those kidd pics, i swear he got a apes head.

second. the pic gloveguy posted is the kind of pic i would rather see. wtf cares what the game looks like in cut scenes and instant replay. you dont play a cutscene and you dont play a instant replay so wtf is the big deal. show me some actual in game shots if you wanna show me anything.


let me toss a third thing here. i am starting to feel bad for gloveguy as it seems like he is being clumped in with sho and ben, which is wrong. yes gloveguy has talked about and even promoted espn but he did it where he was supposed to do it. he also adds a bit to the site thats not about espn. i bet if i searched every post sho ever made it would say espn in it, and thats just sad.