Electronic Arts came out with guns a’blazing at their super-sized E3 Media Briefing on Monday stregthened by the on-stage collaboration of Peter Moore and always entertaining and unpredictable NBA Hall of Famer/Broadcaster Bill Walton to announce the next evolution in sports gaming.
It has become customary in the age of Xbox Live and the Playstation Network to offer roster updates at the beginning of each season in all major sports games. These updates provide only superficial stats that don’t affect gameplay beyond what was already determined and programmed in by the developers.
EA’s new innovation, dubbed “DynamicDNA” and currently exclusive to NBA Live 09 for PS3 and Xbox 360, evolves the concept of downloadable player attributes into a true next-generation feature. Forget what either EA or 2K Sports has touted as “next-gen” in the past. DynamicDNA is the first step towards players having control over athletes in-tune with their real-life counterparts.
EA’s Dynamic DNA will grab new player and team statisics on a daily basis during every day of the NBA season. These statistics are comprised of the exact same player tendencies and behaviors as used by the NBA as compiled by Synergy Sports Technology.
The best way to describe how DynamicDNA impacts a game in NBA Live 09 is by example which is precisely what Peter Moore offered. Imagine Tony Parker shows a tendency towards driving left on his opponents versus right. You would see a statisic next to Tony’s name showing which move he’s most likely to make in any given situation.
While manning the Parker, a “Hot Zone” grid can be called up onto the screen. This grid breaks the half court into sections with a percentage showing the ball handlers best chance of making a shot by percentage as well as the best move to make based on the unit on the floor at that time. This all ties into an enhanced signature playcalling system. Again, these stats are updated daily and based on real-NBA data so the numbers can change from day-to-day.
Players can choose to ignore DynanicDNA and play NBA Live 09 as previous years have been played. But why? DynamicDNA provides the first viable bridge between real-time statisic tracking enjoyed by fantasy players and the act of playing a simulation game on a console. It’s one of the most encouraging revolutions in sports gaming we’ve witnessed in the past several years.
Other features you’ll find in NBA Live 09 for PS3 and Xbox 360 include 24 international FIBA teams, Quickstrike AnkleBreaker moves, a new risk-reward system for defense, Be a Pro mode providing feedback, the NBA Academy with a practice facility, pick-and-roll control allowing control of the ball handler and the screen setter, and a Rewind mode to play a previous game using the exact same condition.
