NBA Elite 11…pushed back…or cancelled?

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So, it was announced today that EA Sports rebirth of NBA Live, dubbed “NBA Elite 11″ would be pushed back. While sports games normally stick to their release dates, a game getting pushed back is no biggie. EA also announced that they would be releasing NBA Jam, originally slated to be packed on with NBA Elite for Xbox 360, and PS3, and released by itself for Wii, for the Xbox 360 and PS3 by itself by the holidays. This makes me wonder…why are they releasing NBA Jam by itself near the holidays…could it be, because you WON’T be able to get it packed on with NBA Elite prior to then? After playing the demo for myself, I’ve determined the game is officially Garbello Anthony. The “revolutionary” new control scheme EA has touted is retarded, in which you shoot, lay-up, dunk, and dribble with the right stick. The lay-ups look sloppy…think Glenn Davis…not George Gervin. The graphics look more Xbox than Xbox 360. With the NBA 2k series being the perennial champion of basketball video games, you have to wonder why they would push their game back PAST  the release of NBA 2k11, leaving true hoop fans with one choice…which just so happens to be the better choice. Who’s gonna wait around for Liv….I mean Elite to drop?

If “NBA Elite 11″ isn’t getting cancelled…there is always the other option. With no clear reason as to why the game was getting pushed back (other than the fact that overall it sucks) there was one that came to mind quickly. EA acknowledges that 2k sports has them beat when it comes to basketball. An attempt to outsell 2k straight up would have been like Lebron leading the Cavs to a championship..it wasn’t gonna happen. In an attempt to reach a different audience, EA pushed Elite back with the intention of releasing it near, or after the release of Microsoft’s Kinnect, a motion control, control-less camera accessory for Xbox 360. With PS3′s “Move” already released, EA could use the Move and Kinnect to market NBA Elite as the top basketball experience for the more “casual audience”. The same casual audience that has propelled the Nintendo Wii to be the top selling console of this generation…while it’s games remain on shelves. Imagine it, while the NBA season is starting, Lebron James hype machine is up 100 thousand million, in between the Miami Heat pulverizing some weak team during commercial break, your hit with NBA Elite commercials, with people playing using Microsoft’s Kinnect. This would lead to more sales than Elite could get any other way….and even help the buzz of Microsoft’s Kinnect. When it happens…remember who told you first.

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