We don't think this was what the fans were expecting when they were clamoring for improvements to the game. Jay-Z will be an unlockable character for EA's NBA Live 07 on the Xbox 360 and PS3. To get him, however, you have to go grab yourself a new pair of shoes.

Unlocking him requires you to buy some rubber shoes. Specifically, you have to pick up Reebok's S. Carter Basketball IV. Doing so will net you a code you can input in the game to receive your prize. The code not only unlocks Jay-Z, but gets you two other perks: the basketball team known as the S. Carter All-Stars, and the Reebok/S. Carter Arena.

No offense meant to Jay-Z, because he's great and all, but someone's not going to be pleased with this development after the NBA Live community's letter to Electronic Arts. That, and getting an all-star team and arena named after you in a basketball game is a lot of product placement for a video game archetype that carries a ton of product placement as-is. Keep checking our blog to see if EA does something remotely close to a gameplay fix.

One last thing before we go, though. When he said "H to the izzo" and "V to the izzay," what was he talking about?

Buy: [NBA Live 07 for the Xbox 360]