Customer Reviews

NBA Live 2005 for PlayStation 2

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

As an annual purchaser (some may say sucker) of the NBA Live and ESPN 2K series, I've found it interesting over the years how both franchises have gradually switched sides on the gaming spectrum. Once known for it's focus on arcade-like game play, NBA Live 2005 is now even more in tuned with an actual NBA game in which defense wins championships. On the other hand, ESPN 2K5 is now all about flash where highlight-reel dunks and high-scoring games are the norm. But that's for another review... However, if I'd have to choose between the two (geez, it's like choosing between Jessica Alba or Jessica Biel), I'd have to go with NBA Live 2005 over the other.

New to this year's edition is the All-Star Weekend mode which includes the Slam Dunk contest, 3-Point Shootout and the Rookie vs. Sophomores game. The Slam Dunk contest by itself is highly addicting. I have the blisters on my thumbs to prove it. Though it's quite difficult to pull off at first (thankfully there is a tutorial), once mastered, the different combination of dunks at your disposal are enormous. Some, obviously, are physically impossible such as banking the ball off the scoreboard, doing a cartwheel and catching the rock for a 360 between-the-legs jam. But it sure does looks neat. Alley-oops are by far the most difficult to accomplish because of the precise timing involved for it took me about an hour to finally pull one off.

What really sets NBA Live 2005 apart from ESPN 2K5 is it's "meat and potatoes" realism. Some prefer a more arcade-like approach where scoring is rampant, but I believe it's refreshing to have to work for a bucket. And boy do you have to work... I wouldn't say that the experience was outright frustrating, however, the AI will do you no favors. Out of the twenty or so games I've played, I have yet to score more than 62 points. Freestyle control, which is basically a set of crossover dribbles and spin moves is virtually useless because the defender will almost always recover. A new feature this year is called Freestyle Air which basically allows a you to adjust a shot in mid-air if you think it will be blocked a 'la Michael Jordan over Sam Perkins in the '92 Finals. However, it's rare that such a shot will go in the basket which really makes it more of a gimmick. Interestingly enough, the sheer amount of blocked shots in a game are astronomical. It's as if EA wanted you to utilize Freestyle Air as much as possible in order to avoid a stuff. Now if only the ball went in half the time... However, I did enjoy the newfound option to perform a tip in or a tip dunk if the ball rattles out of the basket. The hop step, which was introduced in last year's edition, is further refined this year-some may say for the worse. No longer will you be allowed to use it at will since it will most likely result in a turnover or an offensive foul. As a result, you'll hardly use it unless the lane is as wide as a freeway. But hey, that's how it is in real life. Furthermore, the defender will almost always catch up with you during a fast break on those rare occasions that your player will blow by him. And speaking of fast breaks, don't expect your teammates to help out because they ALWAYS STOP in mid-stride to catch a pass which kills whatever momentum you have towards the basket. The true way to win is to play a half court game by setting multiple picks to free your man and to memorize the money plays that will lead to an open shot. As boring as it may sound, this is how basketball is played. Obviously, the level of difficulty varies between settings. I had mine on the All-Star difficulty level as opposed to the default Starter level. However, the level of difficulty was so wide between these two settings that I felt I had no choice than to stick with the All-Star difficulty because it provided the most challenge without it being too easy.

The graphics in NBA Live 2005 are much better this year. Though it still doesn't hold a candle to the insane amount of detail in ESPN NBA 2K5, I felt the players looked more crisp and similar to their counterparts than last year's edition. EA also added some ambient lighting which looked like a fine powder of snow on the surface of the players which was rather nice. I still wished they added more cut scenes during the game other than the one during timeouts when the players are converged around the coach. It really would have added more personality to the game. Another gripe is that the game doesn't save the level of zoom from a camera angle. For instance, I play my games in the Press Box angle which, in my opinion, gives the best overall view of the action. However the default zoom level makes the players look like ants which makes it an annoyance to have to pause the game and manually adjust it every single time.

The franchise level has been tweaked a bit. The level of organization has been refined using a customizable PDA which breaks down all aspects of your franchise. Furthermore, players contracts now use real dollars rather than that ridiculous point system from past editions.

NBA Live 2005 is by far the best ever in the series. It's tough and gritty with just enough flash (NBA All-Star Weekend) to satisfy fans of new and old. Some may fault EA for ditching it's arcade roots in the series, however, I find it refreshing to have to work for a score. Kudos to EA for a great job.

This is a summary and my opinion of this game.

1. All-Star Weekend can be played in its entirety. The rookie game is fun, lots of freelance hoops. The dunk contest is hard to get used to, but there is a practice section in the game. This is a fun addition to the middle of the season and is very worthwhile to add.

2. Dynasty: Been revamped to be more like Madden. I especially like the rookie scouting on this. While not as comprehensive, it is an improvement. The only flaw I see is the PDA on trades. It is fun to see power rankings, e-mails, etc., but why do you have to wait for a response? Seems unnecessary.

3. The gameplay is improved. The graphics are tighter, and facial features can be made out. The "EA hands" are still there. The excessive bumping from last year is out of the game, but you need to adjust the foul settings to your liking. Also, there is some more realism involved. A player on the break will NOT get caught this year. Tony Parker will never get caught by Oostertag on the break like in 2004. I played, and he blew by Kirk Hinrich for an open layup. The quickness differential is emphasized more. Post moves are more difficult, because for some reason you can't zoom in as far, or else it could be just that the players are smaller. But, can't have everyting.

Summary: This is an improvement over previous versions of the game. I think the PDA thing should get fixed, it's a pain, but the rest lives up to NBA Live's high standards

Five stars doesn't do this game justice. The gameplay is awesome as usual, and they went even further to make it realistic when you drive into traffic, when you get bumped and have to force up a prayer, and so on. The motion is a little choppy at times, but you won't even notice it with all the detail put into the rest. I haven't really played full games yet, partly because now you can sim games quarter by quarter and only play the second half if you see your team getting beaten too bad. Also, the bulk of my time has been spent on the dunk contest feature. This is what I mean by revolutionary. There are more types of dunks to do than you can begin to count. This isn't Jordan vs. Bird. Pretty much any dunk you can think of is possible in this game. And they did a good job actually making it look good, and the controls get easy fast. Kenny Smith doing the commentary is icing on the cake. The dunk contest by itself would get 5 stars. I swear it's better than the real thing. I could go on for days, but you get the idea. If you really appreciate the art that goes into a good dunk, you'll appreciate the hell our of this game.

So far, I have bought every nba live game since 1998. Having been playing NBA Live 2004 for a long time, '05 was a real change in many aspects. First off, the graphics and gameplay are not better, not worse, not the same, but just plane different. It takes time to adapt to all the features of this game including graphics, etc.
If you want my real detailed info, here are all the stuff that really impressed me.
The graphics are really good, the game seems real, the All-Star Weekend (probably the greatest feature in the game) enables you to play in the dunk contest, three point shootout (like the good old NBA Live 1999), Rookie Challenge and East vs. West. Perhaps one of the greatest improvements were the fans. They cheer for a lot longer and get up on their feet. Plus, in all the other NBA Lives, every 5 fans out of 15 would be wearing the same thing. In this new and improved NBA game, Everyone is wearing different clothing. The only bad thing is the Dunking in a normal game. It is really really easy to dunk and, although the dunks are awesome yet unrealistic, on the defensive ends, it is literally impossible to stop a dunk.
All in all, this game has better features to offer than the other NBA Lives. Although it is quite difficult to adapt during the first 5 times you play it, it gets better and better and you soon find yourself in love with this game. Great improvement, EA Games!

Every year, I rent the latest installments in both the NBA Live and ESPN 2K series to help me decide which one to buy. Both are great games and the competition between them is hotter than every! Although ESPN 2K5 is a high quality game, NBA Live 2005 comes out ahead in the areas that really matter.

First of all, 2K5 wins in the graphics department hands down. As a matter of fact, the overall presentation in 2K5 is outstanding! From the detailed faces of the players to the way they move on the court, no game gives you the feeling of being courtside at a real NBA game like 2K5. However, NBA Live 2005 gives you a much more complete feeling of what it's like to actually play basketball. Unfortunately, the most innovative feature that 2K5 has is also the most frustrating: the Isomotion Control. The Isomotion control of 2K5 is not NEARLY as responsive as the far superior Freestyle Control of NBA Live 2005, which allows you to control just about every move your player performs. Using 2K5's control scheme is a frustrating experience that often gets in the way of the action on the court. For example, with Live's Freestyle control, tapping the right analog stick to one side will allow you to perform a very rapid crossover dribble move, allowing you to quickly change direction or execute another move if you so desire. Tapping in the same direction using the Isomotion Control forces you to execute an entire series of crossover dribble moves that you literally have to wait several seconds for them to complete before executing your next move. By the time the entire move is finished, the defender has already recovered from whatever effect it had on him, forcing you to lose the advantage of quickness. Furthermore, these unnecessary dribbling expeditions that you've waited to end often result in charging calls.

Finally, NBA Live 2005 has a much wider variety of dunks and layups around the basket, giving a true feeling of spontaneity when driving down the lane. Like the dribble moves, the dunks and layups in ESPN 2K5 are also very scripted and you will pretty much see all of the dunks and layups the game has to offer within the first half of play.

Most game review magazines and websites rated ESPN 2K5 higher than NBA Live 2005 mostly because it offers a fancy presentation but little else. But NBA Live stands head and shoulders over it in gameplay and a much better control scheme. Ultimately, NBA Live is more fun. Isn't that the whole point?

This game has a great dynasty mode where you control everything from the players you have to how good they can be with different attribute training. The graphics could be better with the faces looking more like the actual person but I still would give the graphics a B+. My favorite part of the game is the dunk and three point contests. In the dunk contests you can do thousands of different dunks which include giving yourself an alley-oop off of the backboard, the shot clock and even the big screen! My other favorite part is the opportunity you have to be old all star players from the 50's 60's 70's 80's 90's and multiple countries. The only bad part about all of those players is that you can't use them in dynasty mode, but otherwise you can use them in any other game mode.YOU MUST GO AND BUY THIS GAME!!!!!!!!!!

Over the years I have been playing E A Sports video games, but this one just wasn't the same. It was a lot like last years, and the only new feature that made the game worth the money was the all star weekend. With the all star weekend, you can do such things as the slam dunk contest, which by itself is worth getting. Also they have the three point contest, which is another great feature.
The cost of the game is a little much fifty bucks. I bought my copy used for twenty five so I feel like I got a good deal. I also have the ESPN 2K5 basketball game, and that is much better than NBA Live. Plus it only cost twenty dollars, so you even say money for a better game.
Another great feature on NBA Live is you are capable of playing against opponents online. This becomes really fun and challenging, because you are now able to play against people all across the world. Although playing against opponents online is nothing new, it still never gets old, and you can find yourself playing for hours at a time.
Everything is the same between NBA Live 2004, and NBA Live 2005, except the all star weekend. The graphics and the moves are the same, but also the franchise mode is the same. I really enjoy creating a team and being able to do an assortment of things. Such as letting the franchise go as far as it can, instead of the twenty-five years that the game gives you, before it restarts to the beginning, and you have to start a new franchise.
I am a die-hard sports fan, and I really enjoy playing the video games that make the game you are playing so much like the one that the pros are playing on television. NBA Live brings that realness off the NBA to me in this game. The game is worth buying, but only if you are really into the dunk contest like me. If you are not interested in the dunk contest, then steer clear of this game, you may want to buy ESPN 2K5. It is a very addicting game and if you are like me you already have this game as a part of your collection.

I have really enjoyed playing NBA Live 2005 ever since I have received it. I've probably played it for over 100 hours already, and I've enjoyed every second of it. The funny thing is, I don't even like NBA basketball that much, but I am much more interested in it now.

The computer AI is really amazing, I haven't learned any cheats or plays that work all the time. I am challenged every time I play (I'm in All-Star mode now), which makes it VERY engaging. I'm sure the online play would be even more challenging.

Learning the spin move is crucial to winning games at the All-Star level, where defense is a lot tougher.

I have heard good things about the slam dunk contest, but haven't figured it out yet.

The current price is well worth the money. If you like basketball games, and don't have this one, you should get it as soon as possible.

I hated this game. I have NBA Live 2003 and the graphics are twice as good in 2003. In 2005 the graphics are terrible. The slam dunk contest is pointless because the controlls are messed up because it doesn't respond quick enough. The only thing that is good on this game is the three point contest.

I just got this game and it is the best!

Things I've noticed about this game

*Controls are pretty much the same as Live 2004, now you can choose to tip, dunk or just get the ball when getting an offensive rebound.
*Players also dunk waaaaay more than on Live 2004

GOOD things about Live 2005

*Graphics are so much better on 2005, players actually look round-shaped instead of square-shaped
*There's tons ways to have fun besides the normal play.
*NEW TEAMS! Euro All stars, World All Stars, Rookies, Sophomores, what more could you ask for?
*The teams have a bunch of uniforms to choose from, but some have to be unlocked first.

BAD things about Live 2005

*Where's Michael Jordan?
*Where's Michael Jordan?
*Where's Michael Jordan?
*Where's Michael Jordan?
*Where's Michael Jordan?
*Where's Michael Jordan?
*Where's Michael Jordan?
*Where's Michael Jordan?

More Info


DUNK CONTEST is awesome! Hard to get the hang of, but once you do, there's so many dunks you can do.

3 POINT CONTEST is pretty much the same as compared to any other 3 Point contest on any other NBA game, but still adds some points to the overall rating of NBA Live 2005.

Now stop reading this and BUY this game!!!!