Found out yesterday that EA Sports made available a demo on Xbox Live for NBA Live 09. Now for this particular person the NBA Live series has been a joke for quite some time. I have not enjoyed a NBA Live release since the Sega Genesis days, so the next statement is a true testament as to where the franchise is heading. I was pleasantly surprised by the demo and will be picking NBA Live 09 up when it releases.

Immediately upon the start of the demo is a video showcasing the NBA Live 365 and Dynamic DNA features. A completely changing game universe sounds extremely intriguing, it will be interesting to see how it actually unfolds as people play the game, and not turn into a gimmick that could potentially cause havoc to a users franchise or season play. Innovative features have been a highlight this year from the EA Sports line-up, but delivery of the gameplay will be the bigger key to the success of NBA Live 09 versus NBA 2k9.

Gameplay on the demo impressed me. For the first time in ages on any EA Sports basketball game I actually felt a semblance of control and execution. Gone is the floaty feel from the past, and smooth responsive gameplay makes an astounding appearance. The Celtics and Lakers are the only playable teams in the demo, and you only get a short half of gameplay, but you do get to adjust the difficulty level, which made for a solid experience in getting a true feel for the game. The visuals are much improved from what I have seen in the past, and the initial presentation was solid, except for the announcing which was extremely lower in volume than the rest of the game.

2k Sports better watch this closely, as their running crown of being the fan favorite basketball game could be in serious jeopardy. Should be interesting to watch this unfold. Have a good day, and be sure to check out the demo.