I received a copy of NBA 2K11 (Xbox of course) in the mail the other day. I have some preconceived notions about non-arcade-style basketball video games that typically deter me from playing, and I worship at the altar of the EA Sports NCAA Football franchise (the latest entry in the series is literally the only game I buy, year in and year out), but I decided to give this a try what with the cover athlete being Michael Jordan and the rumor being that his shoes make more than just a cameo appearance.

Well to get it out of the way: yes, Air Jordan and Jordan Brand shoes are quite prevalent in the game, as seen in the image above. And that’s just a sample of the J’s you can unlock, each providing their own special boost to the wearer. And yeah, Michael Jordan is filthy. But you probably could have guessed that.

What I didn’t expect was for a basketball video game striving for realism (ie not NBA Jam, NBA Street or Arch Rivals) to accomplish that goal so well. I can praise the graphics, which are probably as close to the real thing as a basketball game has ever featured. But you can easily see that for yourself on Google images, YouTube or 2ksports.com. The real point, and what I really want to extol, are the virtues of the actual gameplay; the engine the game is built on and the fluidity of motion are superlative. The control you have over not just one character, but the entire team, the pace of play and the tone of the offense or defense are, so far as I have seen, unmatched in the realm of hoops games.

And then comes the true highlight of the game, the Jordan Challenges. MJ’s greatest games are basically part of sports lore at this point, but how hard did MJ truly have it? In Jordan Challenges, you play as Jordan in his most memorable games (Flu Game, anyone?) and attempt to equal his legendary performances. Succeed in all 10 challenges and unlock Jordan for My Player career mode, enabling you to bring him into the current NBA landscape as a rookie, play out his career, and finally answer that nagging question: Kobe or MJ?

Has NBA 2K11 revolutionized sports gaming? Maybe not, in the same sense that Goldeneye revolutionized the first-person shooter or Madden forever changed football games. However, since that original arcade NBA Jam in the mid 90′s, NBA 2K11 is the only great basketball game I’ve played and, beside that, an excellent video game in its own right.

I’m always intrigued by the relationship between consumer and creator, as well as the advertising and marketing efforts that go into facilitating the exchange between those two, so I occasionally like to share various advertising materials here, frequently in video form. Today however, I’m putting up some print images created for soccer shops in order to push the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II, Nike’s new $400 soccer boot with a groundbreaking adaptive traction system. And it’s that new technology that Nike is eager to pitch in these ads, as the pictures show the shoe preparing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as he goes for the kick, as well as literally digging into the turf to stabilize. While the shoe obviously doesn’t have six-inch blades coming out the bottom, the imagery created is pretty memorable and clearly gets the intended point across. Thoughts? Check out a couple more photos after the jump.

So at some point in the very near future I’m going to start doing a newsletter. This is a good thing because all media is good, and media that is delivered to you for free is better. Everyone knows this. It’s why RSS feeds get us all warm and tingly. Also, I’ll be conveniently summing up information for you in a small space, and will have an easier format for reminding you of release dates or amending/updating information, as well as a good method to run some contests when I decide to do so in the near future. And emails are easier to deal with from a mobile device than is a not-so-mobile-friendly blog. (Depending on what kind of phone you have of course.) And you can marvel at my stunning rhetoric and the superior vernacular unique to NikeBlog.com. So point being: you should sign up for the newsletter. I’ll wait to send it out until I have enough enrollments to necessitate it, but it doesn’t look like that will take too long. And feel free to comment below or drop me a line if there’s a particular type of information or feature you’d like to see included in the newsletter. You can always click on the little image to the left to sign up, or click here if you’re averse to scrolling over six inches.

Jordan Brand is one of America’s Hottest Brands for 2009, according to the ad journal Advertising Age. Citing the leadership of Jordan Brand president Keith Houlemard, the family-business way the brand is run as well as the specific advertising strategies used—including social methods like the “Leroy Smith: The Man Who Motivated Michael Jordan” website in addition to traditional marketing campaigns such as the third season of the “Become Legendary” commercials—Advertising Age quotes footwear analyst Matt Powell in calling Jordan Brand “the premiere[sic] designer brand in athletic footwear” and credits the brand’s willingness to make their products intentionally scarce—creating an artificial demand—with driving double digit gains in 2009, a year in which the entire footwear industry has seen a downward financial trend. The complete list is available at Advertising Age’s website.

Leo Chang, lead designer on the Nike Zoom LBJ Ambassador II, a shoe targeted to the Asian market for outdoor play, talks about the shoe. If you’re like me, you’re always interested in the background on a subject and the story behind the story, so it might be worth a few minutes of your time.

Air Max LeBron VII Tech Specs

Another day, another Air Max LeBron VII picture, this time complete with design specifications. Check out yesterday’s post regarding the media unveiling of the Air Max LeBron VII here, or any of the other fifty posts here. The Air Max LeBron VII release is set for October 24.

Lacoste Cabestan Cup LA 2 black/Pink

I only really write about Lacoste occasionally, typically when they do something remarkable in the footwear space such as the Crocodile Mythology Collection and the accompanying rad commercials, but it seems more and more like Lacoste is really dropping some tight shoes lately. Photos have just leaked from their Summer Stealth Collection and it’s basically all hits and no misses. I’m not a huge fan of Lacoste’s penchant for putting a front-of-the-shoe velcro strap on their kicks a la the Nike Air Trainers, but here they only make that mistake on the Missouri 85 Mid which is otherwise a fantastic shoe, perfectly combining a white upper with spots of salmon and grey throughout.

Also, the Sakado St looks really nice in all three colors. It’s reminiscent of an Adidas Stan Smith silhouette but with a glossy pattern over the entire upper. If you look closely I think it’s each letter from “LACOSTE.” The Sakado St. comes in a sky blue, white, or black.

Finally we have Lacoste’s version of a boat shoe. I’m not a huge fan in general, but the Cabestan Cup LA 1 (that’s the black/grey and white/yellow) and 2 (the black/pink) transcend the standard term, combining elements of an athletic sneaker with the traditional boat shoe and introduce vibrant new colors to the shoe as well.

All the shoes from Lacoste’s Stealth Summer Collection are available on Flauge right now, but should hit stores stateside in the next few months.

I don’t know how this happened, but I guess some photogs snapped shots of me when I was out trying on my different outfits today. How dope are these? My favorite one is probably the tiger print from head to toe, with a picture of an actual tiger on the chest in case the pattern wasn’t clear enough for you. Also please notice the winged shoes on that same outfit. While you won’t actually flutter off the ground, it probably shaves a quarter second off your 40 time.

Tiger Costume by Jeremy Scott for Adidas, Originals by Originals

The cloak is pretty sick too, although disappointingly it doesn’t make you fly as initial pictures led me to believe. But the freedom that the dress-like features give you is unparalleled. You haven’t lived until you’ve pranced in a man-gown.

Printed Cloak by Jeremy Scott for Adidas, Originals by Originals

The snow leopard outfit is pretty handy, primarily because if your bedtime onesie is in the laundry, this will do in a pinch. Also, as indicated by the basketball on the chest of the “shirt,” this is really a functional athletic outfit. I heard some envious whispering when I wore it to the Pearl 24 Hour Fitness courts. And my ankles remained unbroken in the accompanying high-tops; I don’t know why all basketball shoes aren’t made this way.

Snow Leopard Ensemble by Jeremy Scott for Adidas, Originals for Originals

Last but not least is the “Winged Attitude” jacket/pant ensemble. It’s very important to keep in mind that these clothes are designed by Jeremy Scott for Adidas, for a program called Originals by Originals. Not Winged Attitude. Meaning Jeremy just decided on a whim to put that on the back of the jacket. And I couldn’t agree with him more. The thing is, you embody winged attitude when sporting this stuff. And yes, you will get a little tired high-stepping and doing the No-Limit-Run elbows (pictured) while rocking the outfit, but it’s a small price to pay for Winged Attitude. Plus these shoe also have wings, so the high-stepping is much easier than one would think.

Winged Attitude Ensemble by Jeremy Scott for Adidas, Originals by Originals

God Bless Jeremy Scott. Thanks to TheClones.eu for the pictures.

Nike Zoom Soldier III Triple Black

Man that triple black colorway must be really popular these days because they’re dropping it on EVERY shoe. Next up is LeBron’s Nike Zoom Soldier III “triple black.” The Zoom Soldier III in general is LBJ’s lightest shoe yet, and the one he’s currently rocking in the playoffs. The Triple black is exactly what you’d think: The Nike Zoom Soldier III, but completely black. Like no other colors at all. Just black … yeah.

OK, is it just me, or are the triple black colorways really um … less than appealing? It’s just a completely black shoe. I guess if you’re playing for a basketball team that wears black uniforms that’s one thing, but who in their right mind would wear this off the court? You know how white/white Air Force 1′s are sick and black/black Air Force 1′s are awful and look like something the checker at Safeway should be wearing? Same thing. Are the triple blacks popular? Are people buying them? Would you wear it?

The Nike Zoom Soldier III Triple Black hits stores in the next few weeks. Pictures via NiceKicks.com

Nike LunarGlide+ with the new Dynamic Support System

Sunday, April 19th Nike introduced the Nike LunarGlide+, the first shoe to use the new Dynamic Support system. The concept of the Lunar Glide: use new Dynamic Support tech, flywire, and LunarLite foam to create a shoe that has elite cushioning and stability, breaking away from the age-old conception that a runner must choose footwear that has one or the other, but not both. The Dynamic Support technology creates a midsole that responds to the wearer’s stride and style not just over time, but on every single step to ensure maximum cushioning and stability customized to each individuals foot. Says Nike’s Phil McCartney:

”The new Nike LunarGlide+ featuring the Dynamic Support system responds with cushioning and stability so runners will no longer have to compromise. Runners will experience a ride which is specific to them and how they run, even as their gait changes throughout a run.”

The Nike LunarGlide+ will be available worldwide on July 1, 2009. Yes, there already exists a “Nike Glide.” No, it looks nothing like this.

Nike Air Yeezy Black/Grey-Fire Red

While a new Nike boutique opening up is always exciting news, the recent debut of TPE 6543 in Taipei was doubly exciting as it also marked the unveiling of a fourth Air Yeezy colorway, the Air Yeezy Black/Grey-Fire Red. Actually I think this colorway is the very first Air Yeezy of which I posted a picture way back in 2008 when we were just learning that the shoe would see a public release. Anyway, we’ve all assumed that three Air Yeezy colorways would be released, but the black/grey-fire red Yeezy’s presence at the TPE 6543 opening seems to indicate that this fourth color will see the light of day.

Not that I need to say anything to get people more excited about the Air Yeezy, but this colorway is really hot. While the other combinations look like their very own creations, this colorway—obviously taking some Air Jordan inspiration—hearkens back to other classic Nike kicks; it looks like it could have been something MJ wore in the eighties.

Well now that I’ve gotten you sufficiently pumped for this shoe, I should let you know that release details have not been shared yet, although we only got a couple of weeks of notice for the Zen Greys, so that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Pics via FreshnessMag.com. And remember, Air Yeezy Black/Pink May 2nd.

Nike Air Yeezy Black/Grey-Fire Red

I don’t usually do write-ups of sites as I think we’re all basically reading the same ones, but I wanted to quickly mention an up-and-comer, Sole Sirius. I’ve been checking them out lately and they seem to pick up/break stories as quickly as anyone, and I really like their simple, easy-to-follow layout. Also, they had a table at SneakerCon and had some pretty cool stuff. Check them out at SoleSirius.com if you have a chance.

Nike Silver-Green Camo Pack

I mentioned a few days ago that Nike was dropping a new silver/green camo pack, which I quite cleverly dubbed the “elephari” pack: not quite elephant print, not quite safari, get it? I think you had to be there. Anyway, I just shared the Terminators a couple of days ago but now I’m posting the third part of the set, the Air Revaderchi Silver/Green Camo (or Elephari, for us sophisticates). The Air Revaderchi gets basically the same treatment as the Terminators, but looks a little ACG-ized with a black outsole and rubber heel.

All in all this pack is really … paltry. I don’t know man, I like elephant print and I like safari, but the point is moderation. You can’t throw it all over the shoe and call it good. Pictures from NiceKicks.com

Fall 2009 Collection of Nike Blazers

I always like dropping pictures of an entire season worth of one shoe, so today is joyous. Here is the fall line of Nike Blazers, a shoe that’s been getting a lot of attention from Nike lately, both in Sportswear and Nike SB, and it looks like that will continue until the end of the year as we have 11 total here. With the exception of the two “animal” Blazers (one with reptile skin, the other with cat scratches on the side), they all share in common a color stripe just above the midsole that circles the entire shoe and matches the tongue. The other theme here seems to be simple, monochromatic color schemes. All of these have a predominantly single-colored upper (with the exception of that stripe and tongue) sitting on top of a white midsole (with the exception of one Blazer that is completely burgundy, from upper to midsole). There are two that stand out in spite of similarities however, as they sport not only a perf Swoosh (rather than an attached fabric Swoosh), but they also have moccasin-style stitching attaching the upper to the midsole. The perf-Swoosh, moccasin-stitched Blazer comes in White/Black and Black/Red.

After the five mentioned above, the Blazers start to run together a bit. There are three black ones, one stands out as it has a very slick appearance and has slight green accents with a silver stripe/tongue combo. The other two black Blazers look to be suede and are a black/pink/blue high and black/pink low. Finally, there are a couple of Blazer mesh highs, one university blue/purple and one red/blue. Last but not least is another metallic high, very similar to the black/green/silver, but this one is silver/black/yellow.

This ran on for a really long time. Congratulations if you read all the way through. Expect these as fall approaches wherever Blazers are sold. Pictures from ChajinYoung.com

Well now that my flight is delayed a solid three hours due to a disastrous snowstorm (coming from Oregon I had no idea snow existed past January 5th) this seems like as good a time as any to put together my SneakerCon wrap-up article.

As I said yesterday, it definitely had its good and bad aspects. All in all, it was a great success with certainly a thousand visitors if not more (and probably rather profitable as well, at ten bucks a head plus whatever they charged vendors). My main criticism is basically just that it’s a swap meet by another name. While it’s great to have a place to go meet up with other sneakerheads, do some exchanging, buying and selling, there’s definitely room for expansion. Something along the line of a keynote speaker from Nike or Adidas or whomever (DJ Clark Kent dropped by btw) or a panel of people in the know about some upcoming events/releases/whatever.

All that being said, the SneakerCon folks definitely did a lot with the small space and the slight window of time they had and wound up putting on a pretty successful Con. I would not have anticipated the throngs of people willing to wait outside in the chilling cold just to get in and make moves. The shoes there ranged anywhere from easily achievable to extremely rare and from “meh” to A1. All the vendors with whom I spoke seemed genuinely excited to be there and chat, even when not making sales. SoleSirius.com had a table— nice guys—and were slanging wetnaps for your shoes which seems like a pretty good idea. They had some pretty tight shoes as well. They slang online also, at SoleSiriusStore.com, check them out. Kicks and Chicks had a chick wearing kicks. SneakerNews.com had a pretty impressive layout. As did some other guys that got the award for worst marketing: they had branding tags in each shoe identifying the company/website, but the font was incomprehensible. Anyway, all in all, it was a pretty good way to spend a Sunday afternoon, but I’m definitely looking forward to see how these change and become more competitive as more and more companies start their own shows.