So it’s been a while and so apologies to Isaac Forman (of HoopsSA) for the delay in writing this.

I was given a copy of NBA 2K10 by Isaac and he asked that I write a review so here it is.

I have had NBA 2K10 for a month or so now on Xbox 360 and have had a fair amount of game time to write this review. I’ll just start by saying that I really like my basketball games to be as realistic as possible, and that I have been playing NBA Live and the 2K series since 2003 for 2K and well before that for the Live series.

The first noticeable difference I found was the way the IsoMotion works. In previous versions you could sprint down the court and use the IsoMotion to blow by a defender without breaking stride, this year however I have found that you need to release sprint in order to perform the IsoMotion well. This severely inhibits your ability to run fast breaks and allows the CPU to stop you.

The new IsoMotion has it’s upsides though, it allows you to determine down to the finest details what you want to do with the ball, you can do things like determine which way and where a crossover is going to finish and even which leg you want to jump of for a hop step. It is extremely intricate and takes a bit of working out with very little on screen help it just requires a lot of practice, however once you can master it – boy does it help!

There has been a big improvement in the way help defence occurs, however it can also be a hindrance. I have found that the help defenders come significantly more than in previous versions but if you are using a Artest type defender in the post and don’t require help it still comes and can cause you too give up a significant amount of 3-point shots (which they seem to always hit).

Graphics wise it is pretty good but I do think that Live 10 just beats it on this front, there is still a lack of crispness in the models in my opinion but overall the graphics and gameplay are fluent and quite well done.

The new and the mode that really keeps the game interesting is the My Player mode. It starts with you creating a player (height, position etc) and you are then thrown into Summer Camp with a team, which is where you begin your career. Your career path depends on your performance in the Summer League – from where you are either end up on an NBA roster or in the D-League. Everything you do in My Player mode games you are scored on, whether it be shot selection, getting beaten off the dribble, successfully double-teaming an opponent, EVERYTHING! This can be a bit frustrating as it seemed like every missed shot was bad shot selection even on wide open looks. It is a fairly addictive mode with the I NEED to make the NBA mindset kicking in.

Overall NBA 2K10 is an improvement over 2K9 and if you are after a realistic style NBA game then 2K10 is for you. While there are still areas for improvement as with any game, I think it is definitely worth purchasing.

Have just installed a twitter plugin so that my blog posts are automatically posted to my twitter. Just testing to see if it works.

Update: Testing the edit function.

Just a quick note – I will be posting my NBA 2K10 review later this afternoon.

Also wanted to let everyone know how I went in my exams for Uni. I ended up with:

- Advanced GIS – Distinction
- Spatial Stats – Distinction
- Sustainable Environments Project 2 – Distinction
- Engineering Maths – Credit

I was extremely pleased to see these results, especially my maths it meant that I did well in the exam – as it was basically our exam result was our final result. This only leaves me with Physics to complete through Open University (being run by Murdoch Uni) over the summer, and then I am 6 topics away from beginning the Masters degree.

On a social note, we finished third in my Monday night social basketball team but were knocked out in the Tuesday comp in the first round of finals after some extremely dubious calls.

Just in finishing I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S CHRISTMAS in a week.

So yesterday was a day that had a great high and then an extreme low.

It started with myself and 7 friends including my brother (it was for his 21st) heading out for some paintballing action. We went to a newish paintball place at Elizabeth (Paintball Park). It was only the second time I had ever gone paintballing at is was AWESOME!! Have numerous welts on my body, but welts well worth it for the fun.

Then came the low part of the day – I went to the Sixers game to see the return of Julius Hodge (an ex-Sixer who left on bad terms and has returned to the NBL with the Melbourne Tigers. It was all going well in the beginning, the crowd booing Hodge, Hodge trying to lap it up like it wasn’t effecting him. Was a fairly even game, Sixers offence wasn’t flowing that well but our defence was pretty stingy. Hodge was playing a pretty shocking game which was fantastic and he could barely hit a free throw.

We were up 7 points with about 1 minute to play – then steps in Mark Worthington who hit two MASSIVE threes and single single handedly got the Tigers back into the game and had a chance to win it with a free throw at the end but missed it. So the game went into overtime and the Tigers clinched the game. So I was pretty shattered that we lost the game, but then came the really bad part. Julius Hodge began to stomp on the name of Sixers Champion Brett Maher. This sent the crowd into a rage and also Sixers GM Ben Fitz who rushed up to Hodge and told him to stop being an idiot – this caused a small scuffle involving a bit of push and shove between Sixers and the Tigers.

Since what has now been called the Stop there has been a lot of backlash towards Hodge on an SA Basketball forum HoopsSA. To me what Hodge did was the biggest show of a lack of sportsmanship I have ever seen, Hodge personally knows Brett Maher and what a champion player and person he is, so to show such a lack of respect is completely uncalled for.

So there it is, the best and worst day I’ve had in a loooong time.

So tonight I have my first final for our social league at 6:30pm. Should be a good game, we ended up finishing fourth so this is a knockout final.

I am currently getting stuck into playing NBA 2K10 – thanks to Isaac Forman (owner of TripleZero) providing me with a review copy. As the name states it is a review copy and I will be doing a review by the end of the week so stay tuned.

So yesterday was the first day of my new (still deciding if I will stay) part time position with a company called Eng Surveys. An engineering surveying firm. My first day was out on the new TramLine extension. Was interesting work, did some setout, levels and a few other things. Was required to do a drug and alcohol test before they would let me on site.

If you’re interested in some of the work that this firm undertakes check out their website here. I’m still yet to decide which direction I really want to head in the surveying area, so I’m taking this as some experience in a field other than cadastral.

On a sadder note, I had to put my cat Oscar down today – he suffered a blood clot and was paralysed from the waist down – very sad, he was only 3 years old. Life goes on though.

Well must be off the Sixers (Adelaide 36ers) are playing in Townsville and I am going to stream the game.

Welcome to the first post on my blog – Feel the Vibes. As I mentioned on my about page which can be viewed here, I am a University student based in Adelaide, Australia. You can follow me on twitter by clicking the link on the sidebar or here.

What’s the point of my blog you might ask? I hope to discuss anything and everything – music, movies, sport, news, interesting information and will try and discuss some ways of becoming more sustainable in your home. So pretty much expect anything.

I will be trying to update this blog at best daily at worst every 2-3 days so please do come back regularly.

Well enough for now – have just arrived home from basketball and really do need a shower.