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A Starting Guide for Being a Better Teammate in NBA Live Pro-Am

When it comes to NBA Live Pro-Am, I’m not the greatest. I shoot just over 30% from beyond the arc and I’m pretty bad at defending the perimeter. However, I take pride in the fact that I’m a low maintenance teammate. On offence, I always look for good shots and generally pass the ball when they’re not there for me, and I always run back on defence and contest shots to the best of my ability. I might not be the most skilled, but I like to think my general awareness of my surroundings makes up for that. The same cannot be said about some of the people I’ve had to share a team with.

Teammates in Pro-Am can make or break a game. Sometimes you can get a good mix of people who are both skilled and are willing to play the game in the right spirit. Then you get those who may be one, but not necessarily the other. In light of this, I’ve decided to come up with a few suggestions on how to be a better teammate in NBA Live Pro-Am.

Please note that while I’m having a rant against people who are generally bad teammates, I’m by no means perfect. I’ve been guilty of all these annoyances at least once, and it’s okay to slip up every now and then. These suggestions are directed to those who are repeat offenders.

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Details on NBA Live 16 Ultimate Team, Title Update; Available on EA Access

NBA Live 16 Ultimate Team

The full version of NBA Live 16 is out now for Xbox One gamers with an EA Access subscription. For everyone else, the game will drop on September 29th. NBA Live 16 Executive Producer Sean O’Brien has posted an open letter to the basketball gaming community discussing the impending launch of the game, mentioning that the demo will continue to be available post-launch.

Sean also addresses a couple of bugs that are in the demo, noting that the development team is well aware of them, and that they will be resolved before launch. Sean also encourages gamers to keep reporting any issues and providing feedback on the NBA Live 16 demo.

Speaking of updates, EA has posted information on the first official patch for NBA Live 16. The patch addresses some stability issues, adds the ability to pump fake on inside shots (a vital gameplay fix), and includes a few other tweaks and enhancements. See below for more patch notes.

Finally, a new developer blog has been posted, discussing Ultimate Team in NBA Live 16. In this year’s LUT, there are new Specialist cards, with boosted ratings based on the ability a player is best known for. Specialists are available in regular packs, as well as in the new Master Fantasy Challenges. There are also some significant rewards available in the harder challenges, including items worth up to 50,000 and 75,000 coins each. NBA Live 16 Ultimate Team also includes Short Term players that you can “test drive”, throwback and Legend cards, and a GM checklist. The top five shooting guards and point guards in Ultimate Team have also been revealed, and are posted below.

Any thoughts on the first title update for NBA Live 16, and the information drop on Ultimate Team? Have your say in the comments section below, and as always, feel free to join in the discussion in the NBA Live 16 section of the Forum!

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NBA Live 16 Offensive Tips: Score Like a Pro

EA Sports has posted an article offering up some tips on how to score like a pro in NBA Live 16. It includes videos demonstrating how to create space for jumpshots, using the step back, pro hop, and Euro step.

Additionally, EA has posted a couple of tutorial videos on the official NBA Live Facebook page: how to push off of defenders to create space, and how to perform various dribbling moves. The videos are taken from the LEARN Live in-game tutorials, which are available in the NBA Live 16 demo.

If you’ve been playing the NBA Live 16 demo, feel free to share your opinions here in the NLSC Forum. Additionally, if you haven’t caught it yet, we spoke to NBA Live 16 Executive Producer Sean O’Brien in Episode #129 of the NLSC Podcast; tune in for more insights into this year’s game, and the future of the NBA Live series.

NBA Live 16 News: Signature Animations & Ultimate Team Ratings

NBA Live 16 Signature Animations

A couple of NBA Live 16 news stories have been posted over the weekend. EA Sports posted a blog discussing signature animations in this year’s game, specifically which animations you can select for your Rising Star/LIVE Pro-Am player. It also features a list of signature animations that are available in NBA Live 16, which you can check out below.

EA has also tipped off another ratings reveal, unveiling player ratings for Live Ultimate Team in NBA Live 16. So far, the top five centers (or if you prefer, centres), power forwards, and small forwards in LUT have been revealed, along with some of their individual ratings. You’ll notice that there are some slight differences to the versions of the players that appear in the regular rosters. Check out the blog posts for more details, and see below for the three top five lists that have been revealed so far.

Recapping a couple of other big NBA Live 16 stories from the past week, the demo is of course now available. If you check it out, be sure to leave some impressions in this thread. Also, in case you missed it, I interviewed NBA Live 16 Executive Producer Sean O’Brien in last week’s episode of the NLSC Podcast. Tune in here if you haven’t caught it yet.

As always, feel free to share your opinions in the comments section below, and join in the discussion that’s taking place in the NBA Live 16 section of the NLSC Forum!

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NBA Live 16 Demo Out Now

The NBA Live 16 demo is out now for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. If you’d like to get some hands-on impressions of this year’s game from EA Sports, now’s your chance. The NBA Live 16 demo is compatible with the newly released Companion App, and any progress you make in the demo will carry over to the full version if you pick it up.

Key features of the NBA Live 16 demo are as follows:

  • Play online with friends in LIVE Pro-Am – including LIVE Run and Summer Circuit
  • Personalize your character – exclusive GameFaceHD technology and more
  • Tip Off – play against the CPU with six different NBA teams
  •  Learn LIVE Tutorials – practice drills to build your skill set

If you download the NBA Live 16 demo, be sure to share any impressions in the comments section below, as well as in this thread in our NBA Live 16 Forum. I’ll be posting my own impressions after I’ve had a chance to play it, and will compare it to my experiences at the NBA Live 16 Community Event back in July.

Also, for those who may have missed it, we had an opportunity to talk with NBA Live 16 Executive Producer Sean O’Brien in Episode #129 of the NLSC Podcast. Be sure to tune in for some insights into NBA Live 16 and the future of the series, as well as some reflections on the 20th Anniversary of NBA Live!

Top 5 Western Conference Teams in NBA Live 16

Top 5 Western Conference Teams in NBA Live 16

The Top 5 Western Conference Teams wrap up the ratings reveals for NBA Live 16, and they are as follows:

  1. Los Angeles Clippers (97 Overall)
  2. San Antonio Spurs (95 Overall)
  3. Golden State Warriors (94 Overall)
  4. Memphis Grizzlies (94 Overall)
  5. Oklahoma City Thunder (94 Overall)

As with the reveal of the Top 5 Eastern Conference teams, the overall ratings for key players on those Western Conference teams have also been posted:

  • Clippers: Chris Paul (95 OVR), Blake Griffin (95 OVR), DeAndre Jordan (90 OVR), Paul Pierce (82 OVR), Lance Stephenson (82 OVR)
  • Spurs: LaMarcus Aldridge (94 OVR), David West (83 OVR), Tim Duncan (89 OVR), Kawhi Leonard (89 OVR), Danny Green (83 OVR), Tony Parker (87 OVR), Manu Ginobili (82 OVR)
  • Warriors: Steph Curry (94 OVR), Klay Thompson (91 OVR), Andre Iguodala (85 OVR), Draymond Green (82 OVR), Harrison Barnes (82 OVR), Andrew Bogut (84 OVR)
  • Grizzlies: Marc Gasol (95 OVR), Zach Randolph (91 OVR), Matt Barnes (80 OVR), Courtney Lee (81 OVR), Michael Conley (87 OVR), Jeff Green (83 OVR)
  • Thunder: Russell Westbrook (94 OVR), Kevin Durant (96 OVR), Enes Kanter (83 OVR), Serge Ibaka (86 OVR), Dion Waiters (78 OVR)

Once again, that’s all for the NBA Live 16 ratings reveals. Needless to say, player ratings (and thus team ratings, to some extent) will fluctuate somewhat throughout the season, as transactions occur and individual ratings are updated in the official rosters. Any thoughts? Sound off in the comments below, and join in the discussion here in the NBA Live 16 section of the Forum.

Top 5 Eastern Conference Teams in NBA Live 16

Top 5 Eastern Conference Teams in NBA Live 16

I’m a little behind in posting this, but the overall ratings for the top five Eastern Conference Teams in NBA Live 16 have been revealed:

  1. Cleveland Cavaliers (96 Overall)
  2. Chicago Bulls (94 Overall)
  3. Toronto Raptors (89 Overall)
  4. Indiana Pacers (88 Overall)
  5. Atlanta Hawks (88 Overall)

Additionally, the article reveals the overall ratings for some of the key players on each of those five teams:

  • Cavaliers: LeBron James (97 OVR), Kyrie Irving (90 OVR), Kevin Love (89 OVR), Timofey Mozgov (84 OVR), J.R. Smith (81 OVR), Matthew Dellavedova (75 OVR)
  • Bulls: Derrick Rose (86 OVR), Jimmy Butler (89 OVR), Joakim Noah (88 OVR), Pau Gasol (91 OVR), Taj Gibson (85 OVR), Mike Dunleavy Jr. (74 OVR)
  • Raptors: DeMar Derozan (85 OVR), Jonas Valanciunas (88 OVR), Kyle Lowry (87 OVR), Cory Joseph (76 OVR), DeMarre Carroll (81 OVR)
  • Pacers: Paul George (90 OVR), George Hill (84 OVR), Monta Ellis (84 OVR), Jordan Hill (82 OVR), Ian Mahinmi (75 OVR)
  • Hawks: Al Horford (88 OVR), Paul Millsap (86 OVR), Jeff Teague (86 OVR), Kyle Korver (78 OVR)

Any thoughts on the latest ratings reveal for NBA Live 16? Do you feel these are the top five teams in the Eastern Conference? What do you make of some of the newly revealed player overall ratings? Have your say in the comments section below, and join in the discussion here in the NBA Live 16 section of the NLSC Forum.

NBA Live 16 Companion App Out Now

Hoop Gawd in NBA Live 16

The NBA Live 16 Companion App featuring GameFace HD is out now, on both Google Play and iTunes. The app is used to scan your face into NBA Live 16 for your Rising Star, and will be compatible with the demo, slated for release very soon.

Google Play Description
Play with you, as you, with unprecedented quality. Exclusive to NBA LIVE 16, GameFace HD allows you to scan your face using your mobile device to create a high-definition 3D model to use on your created player in game. Now for the first time, the same cutting-edge technology used to process and scan NBA players is available to you!

iTunes Description
Rooted in self-expression, the NBA LIVE Companion App takes player customization to another level. Get in the game like never before with the all-new GameFaceHD.

The app requires Android 4.4 or later, or iOS 8.0 or later. Be warned that it is not compatible with a lot of older devices. Several users are sharing their face scans as they get ready for the NBA Live 16 demo to drop, which EA Sports are re-Tweeting over on the official NBA Live Twitter account.

For those who’d like more information on how to use the NBA Live 16 companion app with GameFace HD, TicoisTocory has posted an overview and walkthrough video, which you can check out below. As always, feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section, as well as join in the discussion here in our NBA Live 16 Forum.

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NLSC Podcast – Episode #129 (Chat with NBA Live 16 EP Sean O’Brien)

NLSC Podcast Logo

Episode #129 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! We have another special episode this week, as I chatted with NBA Live 16 Executive Producer Sean O’Brien about this year’s game. Some of the topics we covered include:

  • The development team’s confidence in NBA Live 16, with the early gameplay footage and blogs at E3 2015.
  • Sean talks about the key gameplay improvements, in terms of controls, animations, responsiveness, and artificial intelligence.
  • LIVE Pro-Am, featuring the Summer Circuit and LIVE Run, has been the main focus as far as modes in NBA Live 16 are concerned. Sean discusses a couple of the improvements that have gone into the game since the community event back in July.
  • Sean comments on the status of Dynasty Mode and Rising Star in NBA Live 16, and talks a little about plans to improve them in NBA Live 17 and beyond.
  • Likewise, Sean gives a candid answer about the status of roster editing in future games, and the situation with player customisation in NBA Live 16.
  • Since he goes a long way back with EA Sports and the NBA Live series, Sean offers up some recollections as part of our 20th Anniversary of NBA Live celebrations.
  • Turning our attention back to this year’s game to close out the show, Sean provides us with a few more tidbits about NBA Live 16, including the status of the GameFace HD app.

Click Play to listen to the show!

A big thanks to Sean once again for coming on the show! Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

NBA Live 16 Videos (Shacknews)

EA Sports held an NBA Live 16 event at Terminal 23 over the weekend, attended by cover player Russell Westbrook, MICK, Jadakiss, and members of the gaming media. The game was on display, and as such, a few NBA Live 16 videos are making the rounds today.

Shacknews has posted three NBA Live 16 videos, demonstrating gameplay from the first game in Rising Star mode, previewing the creation process of your Rising Star player, and showcasing the various shoes that your player can wear. You can watch all three NBA Live 16 videos below.

For those who may have missed it, EA released a few new NBA Live 16 videos of their own over the weekend, showing off some raw gameplay in Pro-Am and Tip-Off. If you haven’t seen them yet, you can check them out here.

We’ll have more insights into NBA Live 16 to share with you very soon, as we chatted to Executive Producer Sean O’Brien for the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, which we’ll be posting as soon as we get the green light. It won’t be long before everyone will have the opportunity for some hands-on time with the game itself, as the NBA Live 16 demo will be out on September 15th. The full version of course will be released on September 29th.

In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts on the three NBA Live 16 videos from Shacknews in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion here in the Forum.

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NBA Live 16 Pro-Am Courts: Real Life vs. The Game

NBA Live 16 Pro-Am Courts

EA Sports has posted another blog over on the official NBA Live website, providing side-by-side comparisons of the Pro-Am courts in NBA Live 16, and their real life counterparts.

The new LIVE Pro-Am experience is about proving yourself and playing team basketball. The venues in Pro-Am are just as iconic as the players who played there. You’ll find authentic courts that were laser-scanned with the same technology used to create NBA arenas.

This attention to detail can be seen in every aspect of the game, from player likenesses, shoes, tats, and gear to these historic, real-world courts.

Take a look at side-by-side comparisons of real-life versus in-game for the venues of LIVE Pro-Am that you can enjoy in the newest mode of NBA LIVE 16.

You can check out the side-by-side comparisons below, as well as over in our NBA Live 16 screenshots gallery. If you haven’t caught my hands-on impressions of Pro-Am, featuring LIVE Run and the Summer Circuit, be sure to check them out here.

Are you looking forward to playing LIVE Pro-Am? What do you think of all the courts? Sound off in the comments below, and as always, feel free to join in the discussion in the Forum!

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Top 5 Centers in NBA Live 16

Top 5 Centers in NBA Live 16

The NBA Live 16 ratings reveals continue today, as EA Sports has posted a list of the top five centers (or if you prefer, centres) in this year’s game. They are as follows:

  1. Marc Gasol (95 Overall)
  2. DeMarcus Cousins (94 Overall)
  3. Dwight Howard (92 Overall)
  4. Andre Drummond (91 Overall)
  5. DeAndre Jordan (90 Overall)

As with the previous NBA Live 16 ratings reveals, the article goes into detail about some of their individual ratings. Marc Gasol has some of the highest post offense and post defense ratings in the game, DeMarcus Cousins’ ratings make him adept at scoring around the basket, and Dwight Howard is one of the strongest players in NBA Live 16, capable of finishing in the paint and throwing down dunks despite contact. As you would expect, Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan both have beastly rebounding ratings.

Screenshots of all five players have also been posted; you can check those out below, or over in our NBA Live 16 screenshots gallery. For more information on their individual ratings, be sure to read the blog post over on the official website, linked above.

What are your thoughts on the latest NBA Live 16 ratings reveals? Any noteworthy snubs? Are you concerned about the number of 90+ overall players? Have your say in the comments section below, and join in the discussion in this thread over in the NBA Live 16 section of the NLSC Forum.

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NBA Live 16 Raw Gameplay Videos, Arena Screenshots

EA Sports has posted three raw gameplay videos of NBA Live 16. The videos spotlight the beginning and end of a couple of games in Summer Circuit, and the opening of a Tip Off game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers.

As you’ll notice in the Tip Off gameplay video, NBA Live 16 includes new on-court playcalling diagrams, providing you with additional instructions and prompts to help you run plays. I was definitely impressed by that feature when I played NBA Live 16 back at the community event in July, and it’s a step up over the onboarding in previous games.

All in all, I would have to say that the gameplay in NBA Live 16 is looking great, and I can attest to it being a huge step up over NBA Live 15; not only in the way it looks, but in the way it feels on the sticks. Hopefully, I can go into more detail on that soon, as we’re lining up a chat with NBA Live 16 Executive Producer Sean O’Brien. Stay tuned for that interview, and more insights into this year’s game!

In the meantime, you can check out all three of the NBA Live 16 gameplay videos embedded below. Additionally, EA has posted screenshots of all 30 NBA arenas, which you can check out here. As you can probably guess from the screens, that’s what you see when gameplay is loading in NBA Live 16.

What are your thoughts on the first raw gameplay videos of NBA Live 16, and the arena screenshots? Have your say in the comments below, and as always, we invite you to join in the discussion in the NBA Live 16 section of the NLSC Forum!

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Top 5 Power Forwards in NBA Live 16

Top 5 Power Forwards in NBA Live 16

The ratings reveals for NBA Live 16 continue today, as EA has posted a list of the top five power forwards in this year’s game:

  • Blake Griffin (95 Overall)
  • Anthony Davis (95 Overall)
  • LaMarcus Aldridge (94 Overall)
  • Pau Gasol (91 Overall)
  • Zach Randolph (90 Overall)

Once again, EA Sports has posted some player screenshots to accompany the reveal of the five best power forwards in NBA Live 16. Check them out below, as well as over in our NBA Live 16 screenshots gallery. Since Anthony Davis is one of the NBA 2K16 cover players, there’s no screenshot of him in the article.

The next ratings reveal will be the top five centres (or if you prefer, centers) in NBA Live 16, followed by an Eastern and Western Conference ratings reveal. In the meantime, what are your thoughts on the ratings for the top five power forwards in this year’s game? Sound off in the comments section below, and join in the discussion here in the NBA Live 16 section of the NLSC Forum.

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NBA Live 16 Developer Blog: Defense & Playcalling

NBA Live 16: Playcalling

A new NBA Live 16 developer blog has been posted over on the official website, detailing improvements to the defense and playcalling in this year’s game.

The blog describes the new playcalling system, which takes the form of the Play Wheel, accessed by holding LB/L1. More plays have been added for each team in NBA Live 16, all of which can be accessed via the Play Wheel. Alternatively, you can tap LB/L1 as you bring the ball up court to run a quick play. An on-screen prompt will let you know which play has been selected, should you wish to run it.

Improvements on the other side of the ball in NBA Live 16 include better help defense, ball denial on the perimeter, and screen defense. Players are challenged more often at the rim, with help defense collapsing into the paint when players drive to the basket. On the perimeter, good off-ball defenders will make it tougher for you to get an open shot, or make the pass to your best shooters. You can also do this yourself by pressing LT/L2 when you get near your opponent.

Finally, the defensive AI on screens has been improved, so that you can’t just call screens and score every time down the floor. A few new screenshots have been added in the blog, demonstrating some of the new features and improvements to playcalling and defense in NBA Live 16. Check them out below, as well as here in our NBA Live 16 screenshots section.

What are your thoughts on the latest NBA Live 16 gameplay blog? Add your thoughts in the comments below, and join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum.

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