I wanted to give some advance notice of a competition that will be held here at the site. Once the Online Team Play is released for NBA Live 08 there will be an event utilizing it on the Xbox 360. That should be out by the end of November, which would mean this will probably be held in early December. While it is publicized as allowing for a full five on five, it will actually open up the ability to play any combination up to it. In this case we’ll be going two on two.
Obviously this far out in advance it is difficult to nail down any details, but here are some of the tentative aspects that I have drawn up for the framework of it.
When the time nears for the update to be released, I will begin accepting applications for two man teams who would like to take part in this. The applications will need to be submitted with both people for the team, you’ll need to have that arranged for already as no one is going to just get placed with someone else. Much of the consideration will have to do with availability but other things will be considered as well. It will likely be four teams (of two) that will be taken. That will then make up the initial mini-tournament.
With two people on each side it will probably be left open so you don’t lock into an individual player and quarters will likely be extended, possibly to eight minutes.
The team that wins the mini-tournament will then face off against the team of myself and Vince (who does much of the behind the scenes work for the site). This will be either one game or a three game series. I may record the games or even live broadcast them.
If the challenging team is victorious over the PP team, the two winners will each receive a significant prize. This may be one participant taking a Kevin Durant signed basketball and the other a Gilbert Arenas signed ball, or it may be each receiving a copy of March Madness 08 upon release. However if the PP team comes out on top each participant will receive something along the lines of 1600 MS Marketplace points. The prizes will be locked in closer to the start of the event.
I think this is something that will be a lot of fun not only to take part in but also to follow along with. The OTP for Live will open up a lot of opportunities to play the game differently. It will be interesting to see how things change when there is a teammate to rely on. I know Vince and I will be practicing together and will be prepared to take on the tournament winner.
So keep an eye out for updates as we approach and following the release of the OTP update!