EA Sports’ basketball simulation reboot is having a harder time getting onto the court than oft-injured Portland Trail Blazers draft pick Greg Oden.

Mixed in with EA’s press release about NBA Jam On Fire Edition was a “we hope you don’t notice this” quote about EA’s basketball simulation franchise. EA Sports President Peter Moore confirmed that EA will release its next basketball sim in 2012. That means EA is taking a two-year hiatus from releasing an NBA sim.

It’s almost time for one of the most dreaded parts of the year. Lots of students are heading back to school this month which means there’s going to be some grumpy scholastic types out there. Let EA Mobile refill the joy in your hearts by offering you up to 80% off on some iPhone/iPod Touch games.

The sports gaming world is watching as EA Sports reinvents its basketball title as NBA Elite. More details about the new face of EA basketball are coming out, including a Be A Pro mode allowing you to play out an NBA career. EA dabbled with this NBA Live 09, but this sounds as if going’s to be more complex with character progression.

After years of living in the LeBron James-sized shadow of the NBA 2K series, EA is overhauling its NBA Live basketball simulation. The first step is a farewell to the “NBA Live” moniker that dates back to the 16-bit console generation. Starting with its upcoming installment, EA Sports’ basketball series is now NBA Elite.

This isn’t the first time EA Sports has tried to spur excitement with a name change…

Professional basketball players are getting a little help on the court from their video games. Advanced motion capture and artificial intelligence allow them to apply what they see on their consoles to the real world.

In a recent interview various NBA players talked about the ways video games including NBA2K10 and NBA Live help improve their game. The fact that most of the players in the game are motion captured to the last detail helps deliver a truly realistic experience, allowing players to experience the game from a different perspective.

NBA Live lead designer Mike Wang said the first patch for the basketball sim should hit the first week in November 2009.

Confirmed in the update are some changes to the manual backdown mechanic to make post play feel more authentic. Wang said player feedback is being taken into account so if you’re tweeting, let him know what you think of the game.

If you’ve been into the big-label EA sports games (the Madden’s, the FIFA’s, the NBA Live’s, etc.) of the last few years, you’ve surely noticed that the music has gone from a fairly low priority (hovering somewhere between crowd animation and the title screen design) to a major part of the game. Up-and-comers and big name musicians alike have started to dot the aural landscape as much as the shouts and grunts of the players – and the games are all the more immersive and fun for it.

Ladytron is one of the most kick-ass electronic bands to grace the virtual fields (and courts!) of some of this year’s biggest jockfests. Featured in NBA Live 2009 and FIFA 09, the band’s distinctive electro-pop will finally hit the ears of mass audiences – check out “Runaway” in FIFA, and a very cool Blestanation remix of “Ghost” in NBA Live.

EA has announced that it will be discontinuing online support for older sports games effective September 1, 2007. These older sports titles would be rendered redundant, at least, as far as online gameplay is concerned, beginning September 1, 2007. Major sports titles including NHL 06, NBA LIVE 06, FIFA 06, NCAA FOOTBALL 06 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 will go offline.

Racing games Burnout Revenge and Need for Speed Most Wanted will have their online wings clipped from November 1. It will be a complete withdrawal of online support and all versions, both PC and console, will be affected.

At first glance, it seems to be a…