Apparently there's also some images from the game, so if anyone has the magazine and can take a scan/picture and put it up, it'd be great.
- The Players:
Players now break a sweat(some more than others) throughout four quarters. Players will also portray true emotion. For instance, a defender will grimace after taking a charge, and loudmouths such as the Pacers' Ron Artest will argue calls. Hopefully he won't be too emotional and get into a brouhaha with unruly fans.
The Camera:
Even the perspective from how you play the game is receiving some tweaks. NBA Live 06 will offer roughly 20 different(and fully customizable) camera options, and the overall system will be more dynamic. "It may start as your basic low camera." says Tschirner."But if you're at the top of the key an you pass the ball to an open guy in the corner, the camera is going to then cut to behind that particular player."
The Arenas:
Another next-gen bonus is the crazy amount of detail that's going into each team's digs. "We've rebuilt all the arenas from scratch." This equates into scenery like fully functioning Jumbotrons that display game footage,a scorer's table, and even those ever-changing billboards that wrap around several NBA homes.
The Crowds:
Usually, those in the seats go neglected. Not in how they look, per se, but in their reactions. In NBA Live 06 crowds will respond with a thunderous roar if, say the home team has just sunk a go-ahead free throw in the waning second of overtime. They'll recognize momentum changes, too. Fans will get all pumped and start cheering louder as the home squad starts mounting a comeback. The increased emphasis on audio is also tickling down to the players, as u will now hear teammates call for the ball and bark at you to shoot the rock.
The Courts:
Attend any real pro basketball game and you'll see the courts surrounded with spandex-clad cheerleaders, cameramen, security guards, and annoying team mascots. The sidelines are coming to life. You can collide with these people too. The plan is that if u dive for the ball and crash into one of the cameramen the game will show an instant replay from that camera.
The Gameplay:
Due to technical limitations, physical play, such as applying pressure D or contesting a layup, has never looked very pretty on today's consoles. Either it seems like there's a thin invisible wall between the 2 players, or even worse, one will literally go through the other's torso or stretched-out arms. We are now using real physics to determine collisions. This means players can really get tangled up. If body parts hit, it will interrupt the offensive player's fight path to the basket. So definently expect a rougher brand of basketball in the next generation.
