EA Ships NBA Live 2001 For The Playstation

REDWOOD CITY, CA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- 10/12/00 -- Electronic Arts ("EA") announced it is shipping NBA LIVE 2001 for the PlayStation(R), the latest offering in the most successful basketball series of all-time. The seventh edition in the ultra-realistic series, EA SPORTS(TM) NBA LIVE 2001 allows gamers to control the post or fly high above the rim with many new moves and features. NBA LIVE 2001 goes hard to the rack, delivering more emotion and atmosphere for a complete NBA experience.

"I am proud to be associated with a product like NBA LIVE 2001 and it's really nice to be featured on the cover," said Minnesota Timberwolves star forward Kevin Garnett. "I've been playing this game since way back and I think with the new inside game and the hot new NBA Challenge, LIVE 2001 may be my favorite yet."

NBA LIVE 2001 features the all new NBA Challenge that invites gamers to take on numerous gameplay contests such as, win by ten, record a triple double or drill three consecutive treys. Points are recorded upon completion of each challenge, with these points going towards a huge inventory of awards including, a West Coast one-on-one court, create-a-player features and player rating bonuses. NBA Challenge adds a whole new wrinkle to each game and gives users something to strive for in addition to a "W".

Ever wanted to do an "up and under" move on Tim Duncan and throw one down with authority? With NBA Live 2001 it's totally possible, at least on the PlayStation. An all new inside game, with new animations and motion capture done by Kevin Garnett, give gamers a realistic feeling of contact and battling for position in the post. Basic turn around jumpers will become just one move in an arsenal of "go to" post moves including spin moves, hook shots and fade away jumpers. New inside moves make finishing the offense in the post more fun and more realistic than ever!

"Gameplay and feature-wise we think NBA LIVE 2001 is the most complete basketball game ever," said executive producer Stan Chow. "We think that users will love the new inside moves and the NBA Challenge. We are also very happy with the new transitions, color commentary and play-by-play and think this give users the sensation of being not only at an NBA game, but on the court firing jumpers with the pros."

NBA LIVE 2001 Features

New Transitions enhance in-game sequences and add to the drama of being on-court and part of the action. See player's personalities and emotions come out on the court as they interact with each other, encourage teammates, and debate calls with the referees. Improved speech and sound effects capture the essence of the interaction between the play-by-play and color commentators. Bob Elliott adds new in-depth play analysis. All new color commentary provides for more intelligent and relevant interaction with game play-by-play done once again by veteran Don Poier. NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medallist Kevin Garnett was motion-captured performing a series of high-flying dunks and post moves that are featured in the game. A cutting-edge soundtrack with the widest array of hip-hop and rap songs ever available in the LIVE series, including Universal recording artist Montell Jordan who wrote and performed the games title track, "Unstoppable," spice up the LIVE 2001 soundtrack. More than 50 of the greatest NBA legends. Gamers can compete against five All-Star teams from the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's to find out just how well today's young superstars match-up against the stars of yesteryear. Users can also play one-on-one on an outdoor court using current NBA players or legendary players. The classic match-ups are endless. Create-a-Player allows gamers the ability to create custom players with individual features including player attributes, skill ratings and appearance.

NBA LIVE 2001 is rated "E" (Everyone) and will ship October 10. LIVE 2001 is analog controller compatible and supports up to eight players. Consumers may purchase the game directly at the EA Store(SM) (www.eastore.ea.com), or by calling EA Direct Sales at 1.877.324.2637, for a suggested retail price of $39.95.

EA SPORTS (www.easports.com) is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world. Its top-selling franchises and games include FIFA Soccer, John Madden Football(TM), NHL(R) Hockey, Knockout Kings(TM), NBA LIVE Basketball, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R) Golf, Triple Play Baseball(TM) and NASCAR(R).

Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of more than $1.4 billion for fiscal 2000. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for the Internet, personal computers and video game systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under three brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA GAMES(TM) and EA.COMSM. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at www.ea.com.

Press Website: www.ea.com/press Game Website: www.easports.com

Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, EA GAMES, EA Store, Knockout Kings, John Madden Football and Triple Play Baseball are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA.COM is a service mark of EA.com Inc. The NBA and individual NBA Team identifications used on or in this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs and other forms of intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective Teams and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc.(C) 2000 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. FIFA, Tiger Woods, PGA TOUR, NHL and NASCAR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.