NBA Live 2005

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• Amazing new Freestyle controls let players create their own dribble moves, highlight-reel dunks and unstoppable defensive plays
• Powerful graphics engine bring new heights of realism to your game improved body types with higher-resolution textures used for faces
• Exciting new player animations give you more realistic player movement and crazy new in-air stunts
• Deeper Dyansty Mode makes General Manager/player interactions more realistic than ever
• Go online and compete with the best players from around the country
• It also has uniforms, tattoos and accessories

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002ILSJM
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches ; 3.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: September 28, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,569 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Platform: Xbox

From the Manufacturer

Elevate your game and dominate the court with NBA Live 2005!

Key Features:

• EA Sports Freestyle Air: Become an offensive All-Star with new moves including all-new jams, jaw-dropping alley-oops, and adjustable mid-air lay-ups and dunks. New user-controlled put-back and tip-in technologies reward players who box out, wipe the glass, and go back up for a quick bucket. On defense, own the paint by taking more control over shot blocking.
• NBA All-Star Weekend: From slam-dunk competitions where you take complete control of every dunk to 3-point shootouts against the clutch shooters in the league, prove yourself in each electrifying All-Star event. You can even take on All-Stars around the country in the worldÕs greatest online tournament.
• New Graphics Engine: With increased resolution of player faces, jerseys, shorts, skins, and tattoos, NBA Live 2005 raises the bar and offers the most visually immersive NBA game to date.
• EA Sports Freestyle Control: Hit the court runninÕ with a collection of brand new moves that puts even more control in your hands. With further player differentiation and more signature moves, your game has been personalized.
• 10-man Freestyle: The innovative 10-man motion-capture technology yields authentic plant-and-cut animations, backdoor cut scenarios, new in-air collisions and box-out scenarios, and off-ball animations that offer new spacing and eliminate on-court crowding.
• Comprehensive Dynasty Mode: Become the architect of your own unstoppable dynasty and watch your franchise flourish for up to 25 seasons. Jump into games with simulation intervention, enjoy all-new free agency logic that puts your contract negotiating and salary cap managerial skills to the test, and use the customizable PDA to stay up to date with important league news, team information, special announcements and more.
• 'Ball' Coast-to-Coast: Go Freestyle against opponents anywhere in North America. Meet, greet, chat, set up tournaments, download roster updates, and play head-to-head from the online lobby and see if you can maintain your place as the best gamer--anywhere, anytime. (Internet connection required.)
• The NBAÕs Top Announcing Team: The voice of NBA basketball, Marv Albert, teams with on-air TV partner Mike Fratello--these two veterans dish out the most authentic commentary available.

Product Description

Elevate your game on both ends of the court with NBA LIVE 2005. With EA SPORTS Freestyle Control create awe-inspiring dribble moves highlight-reel dunks and tenacious defensive plays that express your individual playing style. All new 10-man Freestyle adds individual player movements and spacing creating a realistic feel like never before. Enhanced player graphics that vividly reproduce each NBA player reach new heights while multiple game modes including EA SPORTS Dynasty Mode(tm) put you in the middle of the action. Levitate and create with NBA LIVE 2005. EA SPORTS™ FREESTYLE AIR Become an offensive force with all-new jams user-controlled tip-ins and putbacks and adjustable mid-air-lay-ups and dunks.NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND From the electrifying Slam Dunk Contest where you take complete control of every dunk to the 3 Point Shootout steal the show during the NBA All-Star Weekend.BUILD THE GREATEST DYNASTY With all-new interactive Rookie scouting and an always-at-your-fingertips PDA lead your franchise for multiple seasons as you become the architect of an unstoppable Dynasty.EA SPORTS™ FREESTYLE CONTROL Hit the count runnin' with a collection of brand new moves that put even more control in your hands. With further player differentiation and more signature moves your game has been personalized.FREESTYLE FROM COAST-TO-COAST Go Freestyle against opponents anywhere in North America. See if you can earn and maintain your place as basketball's best-anywhere anytime.Format: XBOX Genre: SPORTS/GAMES Rating: E - Everyone UPC: 014633148060 Manufacturer No: 14806

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NBA Live 2005: Like a Jordan reverse lay-up...so sweet..., October 12, 2004

By 

D.L. "generasian" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: NBA Live 2005 (Video Game)

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.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best NBA LIVE Game To Date, September 29, 2004

By 

Jw Tucker "Jim T." (FISHERS, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: NBA Live 2005 (Video Game)

NBA Live 2005 for the Xbox is beyond good--it's an amazing basketball simulation with tons of extras. Those extras being the "NBA All-STAR WEEKEND" packed with the Rookie/Sophomores game, the Slam-Dunk contest, and the 3-point Shootout. Also, you can now play "online" against real competition via Xbox Live.

There has already been reviews on the dunk contest and All-Star Weekend from various Web sites, so I don't want to water it all down and PR it to death as it has been lately.

Let me just say, when you get the timing of your dunks right, it's a lot of fun. Practice, practice. Even watching the computer perform the dunks, it's fun.

I want to say something about the actual game play and Dynasty mode. EA has totally revamped their Dynasty mode (and finally tweaked the arcade-ish play of previous versions of NBA Live). The actual dunks in a game are realistic, sounding real for once. The motion of the players are better, too. Last year, the players bumped into each other in 10-Man Freestyle. But not this year! EA has put together a realistic version of an actual NBA game. I am totally amazed! In Dynasty mode, you work from a better designed calendar and your PDA. There, you can locate player injuries, contracts, and e-mails by teams who may be interested in one of your star players. Players now respond with agents, which makes the game very realistic.

And when your season is over, the calendar continues throughout the summer where training and working out rookies you've scouted at the beginning of your season. But the game play is what I still love about NBA LIVE.

For example, my second game playing with the Lakers at Detroit, Brian Grant stole a pass from Rip Hamilton. As he tried to lay the ball off the glass, Tayshaun Price out of nowhere swats the ball (almost like his block against Reggie Miller in last season's playoff game). And in another game, LeBron James steals the ball and excels down the court for a two-handed windmill dunk! It looked very realistic. In Live 04 the dunks were choppy, sounding like a bomb had gone off under the hoop.

There are a few issues in NBA LIVE 2005 I found annoying. First, I hated going back and changing the zoom-in feature in the camera selection (I still think Press Box zoomed-in is the best angle). For some reason when you start a new game it doesn't adjust or save it. ESPN'S 2K5 has the right idea on the broadcast camera view. EA needs to implement that into NBA Live next year, or do a similar view. And the instant replay system is awful. It's very confusing and awkward. I found it hard just to find the original angle of my play. Other signifcant glitches as I play the game more is that EA totally blocked out the fastbreak. If you're lucky you may get one or two in a game, but you won't be able to pass it off to the wingman for a layup or dunk. However, I think LIVE 05 is a lot better than last's years. Still needs fine-tuning, though.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even with the flaws, you'll still have a blast., December 2, 2004

By 

John M Spangler (Bryan, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: NBA Live 2005 (Video Game)

Just like the guy reviewed the game below, he's pretty spot on, although I think it's more fun than what he was describing. In a nutshell, if you want an NBA game this year, spend the 30 bucks and go with Live.

The Good
+ Tight, challenging gameplay. One of the best 2-player games I've ever played, get a friend and you'll have a ball.
+ Graphics are great. Wide array of dunks, player animations and great player likenesses. Stadiums are stunning.
+ Great sound. Bone crushing dunks, screaming crowds. Marv Albert sounds like he's in your living room announcing the game, best commentary I've heard in a sports game in awhile. Only ESPN competes.
+ The difference of playing on the road and at home is amazing, it's a whole different experience each and everytime you pick up the controller.

- Online play a bit choppy, especially during peak hours.
- Needs for more fast breaks, the computer seems to stop every break you attempt.
- No wide screen support.


Sure, ESPN NBA 2k5 is $20 bucks, but it's all about fun when it comes to games, and I simply have more fun with NBA Live. My buddy and I have been playing this game for months, we battle it out every weekend and the game never gets old. It's amazing how the game varies from game to game, and how playing at home and on the road affects the game greatly. You'll run into games getting beat by 40 points and then blast the road team by 20 on the next. The realistic momentum algorhythm really makes for realistic play and a must for NBA fans.

The game is incredibly fast paced, and NBA fans that know the players will catch on quickly to Live's realistic gameplay. The gameplay is very tight, graphics are spot on, sweet animations, incredible dunks, signature moves, and crazy action. People that complain it doesn't look that good are nuts, because I find it every bit as good as ESPN and almost better in other ways. I was a bit disappointed it doesn't support wide screen tv's, but even on a wide screen tv, you really don't noticed it's stretched out too much. The animations, player headbands, socks, tatoos, create a player, all loaded. Of course playing with someone else is the most fun with NBA live, don't think playing the computer will bore you, because within my season mode I'm up to 30 games and still can't get enough.When it comes down to ESPN and NBA live, it' boils down to fun, and although ESPN can hold it's own, Live still beats it because it's simply more fun to play, and that is what is important.

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