Electronic Arts announces recall, delayed release of NBA Live ‘09

REDWOOD CITY, CA — Electronic Arts, maker of the EA Sports line of video games, announced today that they are pushing back the release of this year’s version of their popular NBA Live game, citing several apparent anomalies in the game-play experience.

“Obviously, we’re upset,” said John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts. “While we pride ourselves on the skill of our programmers, they seem to know a lot more about computer code than they do about basketball.”

NBA Live ‘09, originally scheduled for a fall release, will now be pushed back to January 2009 – well into the NBA season whose popularity it hopes to capitalize on.

“I’m afraid that this game, while ground-breaking and unparalleled in user interface and general player animation, displays a fundamental lack of knowledge regarding the actual NBA in some key areas,” Riccitiello lamented. “Unfortunately, we didn’t catch this until the game was in the testing phase and some actual basketball fans played it, so we’ve got some work to do.”

Among the glitches that have forced the recall are Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal’s free throw skill listing – an astonishing sixty-eight out of one hundred, and even a novice can consistently make jump shots with Shaq on Easy difficulty.

When playing as Kobe Bryant, players in this year’s version are now able to pass the ball to an open teammate. In the re-release, software will force the player to make an awkward shot while double-teamed, thus providing a more realistic experience.

In the recalled version, Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson was actually available in Practice Mode, breaking a long-standing tradition between the game developer and the controversial All-Star.

In Playoff Mode, the recalled version allowed for fouls to be called fairly and equitably, denying players the true-to-life experience of pressures from the league office, TV networks and Las Vegas oddsmakers.

While this version of the game – which will never be released – had these and several other issues, some welcome new features were added, and are expected to be retained in the re-release. For instance, the new General Manager mode carried four adjustable difficulty levels: Hard, Medium, Easy, and Isiah Thomas.

Also, a special hidden mini-game was added in honor of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Code-named “Mortal Kuban,” players can play as the brash entrepreneur as he fights to the death against characters such as disgraced ex-referee Tim Donaghy, ESPN reporter Stephen A. Smith, Dallas center Dirk Nowitski’s mother, and – as the “big boss” at the end – NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Riccitiello had one favorable point to make on the failed venture. “At least they got one thing right: in Playoff Mode, the Houston Rockets always lose in the first round.”