NBA Live 08: Hot Spots

IGN has detailed the new “Hot Spots” for NBA Live 08. This is the final in the series of four new features being unveiled for the game.

Hot Spots are a visual feature. On offense, you can hold down the Left Bumper or L1 to see a color-coded guide to a ball handlers strengths and weaknesses on the court. Depending on the player, you’ll see patches of purple for cold zones, red for hot spots and yellow for moderate areas. These are the spots the player has shown to have the most success. That doesn’t mean that if you shoot from a cold spot you will instantly brick, but it’s much more likely.

In the past, a player had just three shot ratings based on range: close, medium, and three point. Now there are fourteen ratings, all of which were compiled from NBA data over the past few years.

Check back as I’ll have my impressions of Hot Spots, Own the Paint, and Quick Strike Ball Handling. How did the Hot Spots change the way people played the game…or did they? I’ll have a full report on these aspects of the game once the embargo passes at midnight.