Customer Reviews

NBA Live 2006

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

A Sports' NBA Live 06 was unimpressive and felt dated on the current generation consoles. They decided to go for another shot with Live 06 on the Xbox 360, and I'm disappointed when I say that there's still a lot to desire with this version of the game.

When you read this, you're reading it correctly: there are two gameplay modes in NBA Live 06. Two. There's Play Now, where you play an exhibition-style game with an NBA team against any other NBA team. Then there's Season, where you play through a season with an NBA team. After a season, you're finished with the game. There's no Dynasty mode, so you can't even continue after a single season. Needless to say, this game is so lacking in features that it's difficult to care much for it. There aren't even Freestyle moves that were bragged about in the current-generation versions. There is absolutely nothing creative about this game, spare the interactive main menu.

At least the gameplay on-court isn't bad. The controls are tight on the Xbox 360 version, which is a problem I had with the current-gen editions. There's a good balance between three-pointers, mid-range shots, and lay-ups and/or dunks. There aren't any stupid fouls or questionable shots. I only have two gameplay-related gripes. The first is that the free throw system is far too difficult to get a feel for. In order to shoot a good shot, you have to slowly drag the right thumbstick down, then slowly move it up. If there is much movement inbetween the up/down motion, you'll almost always brick the shot. The second problem is the camera. I'm pretty disgusted with the camera, actually. It's no matter which camera configuration you choose, almost every one of them is too far away from the court. I can't count the number of fast breaks I had to slow down in order to let the camera catch up to the action. Also, there were many times where I was under the basket, fighting other players for a rebound, only to lose the battle because I couldn't see what was going on.

This camera problem goes alongside some of the graphic issues that I have. NBA Live 06 is a beautiful game, no dobut. The courts look great and the player models are fantastic. There is a ton of detail, from player faces to crowd animation. The only problem is that everything nice starts to look ugly when animation frames start dropping and the frame rate drops to a disgusting level. Not only that, but some of the animations are still very unrealistic--I've seen players go for layups when they were at least a dozen feet away from the basket. I've seen players run one way, magically turn around on a dime, and complete a windmill dunk. I'd have thought that in a basketball game where the visuals were obviously such a large focus that maybe the animation would have been a little smoother and realistic.

Overall, NBA Live 06 still isn't on par with other basketball games. The gameplay still needs a few touches, there obviously needs to be more to do in the game, the glitchy animations and stuttery frame rate both need to be fixed, and I hope I never see such bad camera angles again. Even with these gripes, if you liked NBA Live on other consoles, I'd recommend that you rent Live 06 for the Xbox 360 to see the beginning of the next generation for this franchise.

(NOTE: I also have this review posted on GameFreaks365.com, where I write reviews on a regular basis.)

When EA's biggest gimmick is a 30 second commercial of shaq sweating, you know you have problems. Without dynasty mode and various other features, Live stands incomplete leaving the user looking for their receipt. It's obvious that Live's transformation into the next-generation was rushed in hopes of getting the game out in time for the xbox 360 release. The gameplay is slow, there are major camera glitches (there are times when the camera completely loses sight of the game), to put it simply, the game is just boring. The one bright spot however is its graphics. Looking past the sweat, the player animations are extraordinary. Recognizing your favorite players are not a problem. In all, after playing Live 2006, you realize it actually offers less than its xbox and PS2 counterparts. If you're looking for a good basketball game, I suggest getting 2k6.

Well, I was looking for the best NBA game to play on my new Xbox 360 and I must say this one doesn't cut it. It's gameplay is sluggish and there is too much missing..

1.No Franchise mode???

How can you not have a franchise mode in today's basketball games? It's a strong building block for any basketball or football game now really.

2.No Dunk, 3pt, or any kind of special mode??

This isn't 1993 guys. This is 2006!

3.The game just feels robotic

The players, the court, the fans... It all has a robotic feel. I never once was fooled that an NBA game would be like this. I was playing as the Suns, and it's amazing how unfluid the game feels... I think part of the problem is that it wants to be half
sim and half arcade... The action is slowed down, but you're still able get a shot basically anytime you want with ease.

4.The players appear to skate around alittle bit. The NBA had this problem with games back in the NBA Shootout days. In fact, this NBA Live reminds me more of that 3rd party series than a game that EA sports should be producing.

5.The camera angles. I actually like to play from the side view, but the camera just can't keep up with the action and so you sometimes run out of bounds or get the ball stolen because you can't see were you are.

I give it 2 1/2 stars overall. The graphics are pretty good.. And
the broadcasters are good. The problem is the game falls apart once the game starts and with the lack of features.

EA said they're building from the ground up? Well, why did they charge people 60 bucks for a freakin demo game basically

I'm going to make this short. I was disappointed. The graphics are nice, but the game play is just average. NBA jam back in the early ninties is was more fun this game.

It's hard to give an honest review of NBA Live 06 (XB360) without including the expletives that capture the true essence of the game, but I am determined to make sure everyone knows the true disappointment that NBA Live turned out to be.

GRAPHICS: 2/5 - After all the articles I have read gushimg about this game being the one that really looks "next-gen" (see EGM, and just about every other online magazine), I have to say this: the graphics probably would look pretty good . . . if I could see them. Now, I don't have a huge tv, but it is definitely average compared to what most other people are probably running their 360s on; but I turned the camera magnification to the max and could still only barely make out the player names at their feet, or even the three-point line at times. The camera is so far away that it leaves you only imagining about all of details in the players (like sweating) that are supposedly in there. To make matters worse, the camera angles available are all highly unnatural to the game of basketball. Why they would leave out all of the good angles available in previous versions of Live is beyond me. The poor view makes rebounding and blocking, and even at times shooting, a nightmare. I am still playing with the camera controls to see if there is some better view hiding in there somewhere, but my hopes are at a lowpoint. If only I had the $10,000 to splurge on a 70-inch digital widescreen tv - maybe then this game would actually be viewable.

AUDIO: 4/5 -
EA Sports as really been putting more effort into their soundtracks the last few years, and it shows. The songs they decided to include - hip/hop, rap, a good mix - really mesh well with the game of basketball.

CONTROLS: 1/5 - though the control issues are really caused by the camera problems, they are issues and in the end reflect poorly on the controls nonetheless. As I said before, blocking shots and rebounding controls are so bad that it seems like even the easy A.I. is scoring on every possession. I wish I could say more, better things about this game's controls, but that's about it.

VALUE: 1/5 -
When a game costs $60 bucks and it stinks this bad, talking about value really seems pointless. NBA Live 06 has to be the worst case of "get-it-out-in-time-for-launch" syndrome that I've ever seen. Of course, I have heard that Tiger Woods only has six playable courses, so that one may take the cake. Live, then, would still be a close second - to last.

OVERALL: 2/5 -
I honestly wouldn't recommend this game to anyone if EA paid me to - well, maybe for a hundred million dollars (like that would ever happen). That's about how much it would take for me to even pretend to like this supposed basketball simulation. Bottom line, if you're waiting for a good sports game for your Xbox 360, buy Madden if you're really dying for something. Otherwise, you're better off waiting until next summer when the publishers start releasing games for next season, you know - the ones they are actually putting effor into. Sports launch titles are notorious for being mediocre, and believe me when I say that NBA Live 06 for Xbox360 is anything but an exception.

When I heard that NBA Live was going to be included in my Xbox360 package, I was really psyched. It was one of the first games I went to play when I got home. When I started the game however, I was disturbed by what I saw....

TWO GAMEPLAY OPTIONS?!?!

You either play an exhibition game, or a season. That was it?! I thought maybe I was jumping to conclusions, and that the gameplay would be out of this world. Unfortunately this was not the case, and the controls were just as bad as the menu. The graphics were nice, but that's worthless when you don't want to play the game. I tried giving the Live a chance and played it a for few days, but after beating the season and realizing that it was the end of the game...I promptly traded it in.

This game has absolutely ZERO replay value. If you're looking for a solid NBA game, go with 2k's NBA2k6. Somewhere along the line EA lost their touch, and 2k is where it's at. This game isn't even worth a rent, so don't bother. Trading it in was the easiest decision I ever made.

I have been a fan of live for a very long time beginning with live 2000. NBA Live 06 on current-gen consoles was a step down from 05, but wasn't bad, at least you could enjoy yourself. But this game takes home the prize for Worst NBA Live Game ever. To begin with, the graphics are amazing, the animations are so realistic my uncle thought I was watching TV while playing, its just that beautiful. But this game suffers from horrendous camera angles and absolutely horrible gameplay. This could be partially blamed on the camera angles which dont even follow the ball half of the time. Going on a fast break? Not so fast...Literally. The players sometimes run slower than turtles and the controls are clunky. This is not to mention the idiotic free-throw system, which has you moving the right stick up and down. You will miss 90% of the time, guaranteed. Then comes the fact you can only play exhibition or season, no franchise. This was the last straw until I returned this game back where it belongs, in the backroom in some game store. One other advantage of this game is that it made me realize how much better 2K6 is.

I can say, EA fails yet again, in making sports games. MAdden are all exactly the same. But i got to hand it to ya. Taking most of the game modes away does change the game much more then your over all year to year basis. 2k6 has been the best basketball developers since the dreamcast sports games. 2k6 shines 100% over this game. This game has great graphics dont get me wrong. But graphics dont make a game. A game is based on gameplay. dont get me wrong but 2k6 has amazing graphics also, the courts just need a little work. Everything else keeps to pace with live. But the gameplay is just plain horrible in live 2006. The players move like clay gumbys, and they all shoot the same way! EA has been making sports games for how long and still they Damn suck at making them! 2k6 i give you credit for making a better basketball game every year then EA, it may not sell as well, but it is much better. I work at a game store, and see more used nba lives, then i do cars on the streets. NBA live is just teh same as it was 10 years ago.

Its sad I have to get out my old XBOX and play my old NBA LIVE 2006 to enjoy a quality game. Other than the graphics this game is terrible. The camera angles are ridiculous. I tried every camera angle in the game and the game play was still hard to follow. There were times I slammed the ball and the camera wasnt even showing the basket. I just heard the dunk in the back ground and I'd be seeing some akward did not make sense camera picture. Also the players move A LOT slower. It definitely took fun away from the game. EA better get it together because the quality of this game sucks. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! If you are an EA Sports fan and those are the primary games you'll play on XBOX 360 don't even buy the system. SAD, SAD, SAD, EA should be ashamed!!!

If you see this one in a bargain bin for ten bucks, then you may want to pick it up. I wouldn't pay full price for this one.
There are a couple of things I liked: Creating a player is amazingly detailed. It would have been neat to create a team of superhuman players like I was able to do on my old Nintendo Baseball game.

Graphics are neat. The faces don't look perfect, but you can see who the players are. In fact, for me, the graphics is the only thing that save this clunker from being a one star game.

The music is terrible and annoying. I don't like rap, and all the music appears to be rap.

The menu controls are not intuitive. Game play is rather boring.

What I'd pay: Less than $3.00. Graphics can only go so far.