Customer Reviews

NBA Live 2005

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I gave NBA Live 2004 3 Stars when I reviewed it, and this installment is a definite improvement over that effort, but still not quite perfect. Let me go ahead and pro-con this title for you:


'Pros'

- Much improved visuals. The difference between this year and last year is like night and day when it comes to graphics. Very nice, very smooth, although they may be a bit too shiny.

- Very good multi-player game. From the surprisingly fun dunk contest and 1 on 1 modes to the actual games, it's a blast to play with someone else or via the internet, I'd imagine.

- Improved gameplay. While still not as good as Madden or some other sports games out there, the gameplay seems a lot smoother, and the controls are less frustrating since I've learned to use last year's, which I hated.


'Cons'

- Lack of depth in Dynasty Mode. On Madden, you can actually have a great time managing, drafting and trading without playing an actual game, while that is not the case here. I do like this year's setup over last year's, although they're very, very similar. The college draft is atrocious, as is trading and what not. To their credit, they did change the fact that players are paid in dollars and not points this year.

- Lots of little stuff. The fact that you have to set your zoom level on your cameras every game gets annoying. The soundtrack sucks. Even though XBox allows you to put your own music into a game, NBA Live does not, which means you'll need a CD Player apart from your XBox, because the music is tremendously bad. No Michael Jordan isn't a huge deal, but I'd still like to see him.


So there you have it. A good, solid step-up from last year, but still a good, solid step away from being as good as they should be at this point.

This game is so much fun when you play with your friends, but when it comes to playing the computer, it becomes too unrealistic. Here's my point: if you play the computer on Starter or Rookie level, it will be way too easy for you. Averagely, I could win with 50 points margin against such opponents. You can do Alley-op continously during the game without worrying about dunk-outs.

However, when you decide to raise the bar a little bit by setting difficulty level to Allstar, it's a completely different ball game. The difference between Allstar and Starter mode are way too huge. In Allstar mode, you practically can't do any penetration for inside shooting or layup. The AI works so precisely sticking up with your player in every move. Whenever you shoot, they block, and the only way you can get away with the block is by adjusting the shot or find an uncomparative matchup (for example: Kevin Garnett on Earl Boykins). Either way, the chance of making the shot is usually quite small.

After the halftime, the AI usually becomes better and better, their field goal will soar up to 60% despite your players challenge the shooter every-time. Ironically, your players will struggle to make any shot after the half-time.

This is the things that I hate about all EA Games. You can't have a challenging but beatable AI. Same applies to FIFA Soccer 2005, and I'm pretty happy to switch to Winning Eleven 8 from Konami now. As for NBA games, I don't have any other choice at the moment.

EA Didn't spend much time on this one. The Commentary is old and Stale. The stadium court has too much light. The reflections bounces off the players. Replay is worthless. I also don't like the way the put up the team logo for every cut scene. (or maybe they're hiding something) It's also hard to see the rim and tell who's got the ball @ times. The did twaek the AI.( not as easy to score). No user profiles. Also They removed the stats for the Players Career. The only reason why I like got this game is because I don't like ESPN's button Configuration. Other than that save $20 bucks and purchase ESPN. Much more complete. I am a huge live fan. Kinda Disappointed

This is definetely by far the best NBA game to ever hit any game system up to date, made by EA Sports, NBA Live 2005 is definetely a hit sports game and always will be. I will now break down my review in terms of graphics, gameplay, audio, and online play.

Graphics: The graphics in this game aren't actually all that great. They look very similar to those of NBA Live 2004 which is very dissapointing considering the how good the graphics could have been, or at least a little bit better then 2004. I'm not saying however that the graphics are bad, i'm just saying they should have been better. The player models are pretty good as well as the court designs, they look exactly the same as the real arenas especially the Key Arena and Madison Square Garden Arena, they did a wonderful job with those.

One problem though with the graphics is that the players don't show that much emotion when they foul out/injure themselves/(they just hop around like kangaroos when they hurt their legs or they bend down a little bit and walk when they hurt their upper body or back)or miss a really important shot. I think they could have done a little bit of a better job with that aspect of the game.

Another problem with the game is that the team coaches look exactly the same, the only difference being whether they are black or white. Also the coach movements are exactly the same everytime he is talking to the team which can get very repetitive and g@y to watch once youve already seen it.

Overall though, the graphics in NBA Live 2005 are amazing and definetely not ones that you should complain to much about.

Gameplay: The gameplay in NBA Live 2005 is definetely the best out of all the NBA games up to date. There are way more moves that you can perform, more dunks and by far way more realistic. You can set your plays anytime you want which make this game very easy to work your way around.

One new feature about NBA Live 2005 is the all star weekend feature. It includes the following.

Dunk competition- A tournament to see who can bust out the best dunk. The better the dunk, the higher the scores will be that the judges give you. This can be complicated though, as you have to sometimes press a long sequence of buttons if you want a full 10/10 points for the round. The A.I actually plays extremely well in terms of difficulty, its not like their are consistently performing the same dunks over and over. Overall, a super fun gameplay mode to play.

Three point shootout- Another fun gameplay mode to play. where you basically take turns shooting three point shots from each angle at the three point line. Whoever makes the most three point shots in a minute wins. The only problem with this is that it is extremely easy to make the shots, you have to just release the shoot button just as your player reaches the height of his jump, not that hard, but definetely worth playing.

Rookie challenge- I personally hate this kind of mode. You basically just play normal five on five with rookies that can hardly anything. You minus well just play a normal 5 on 5 exhibition with real teams and real players, thats much more fun. Not recommended.

One problem with the gameplay i find in exhibition modes is that the A.I is quite stupid, frequently running out of bounds and not driving when they have the perfect chance to. Also, the teams aren't really balanced in terms of statistics. When it comes to the highest rated team, would you think of the Memphis Grizzlies? Didn't think so.

But overall, the gameplay is really fun except for issues with the A.I and that the rookie challenge is a waste of your time.

Audio: The audio in NBA Live 2005 is all rap. I guess that if you like rap, you will like the audio, but for those of you who don't, you will definetely play the game on mute. Also, the rapstars are very untalented and half of them i didn't even know about. For example, has anyone here ever heard of 5pound? Didn't think so. But stars like Young Buck make the audio listenable, but not great. Another issue with the audio is that most of the time when you first get into the game, it is the same song playing every time by Young Buck which i thought was retarded considering that he has no talent whatsoever in the rapping business, sort of like Chingy, but maybe just a little bit better then him.

Online play: The online play for NBA Live 2005 is amazing. The only problem with it is that you can only play online on a normal exhibition mode, not a three point shootout/rookie challenge/dunk competition.

But besides that its great. You can choose whether it is ranked or not, you can create your own private rooms inviting all stars or rookies, there are downloadable rosters, (sometimes to many) and you are able to use your communicator headset to trash talk your opponents when your winning which is really fun.

One other problem though with the online play is that it frequently lags which can definetely affect the game if your trying to get the most accurate of shots or shoot your free throws, where you have to be completely accurate. You also get disconnected quite frequently, but no where near the amount of disconnects that you get with Mortal Kombat Deception thankfully.

In conclusion though, the online play and the entire game is a huge success and definetely worth playing for all of you NBA fans out their, or even some of you that don't even like basketball, it is still an incredibly fun game to play when your talking about any terms, whether its the new features or the old.

Nba live 2005 is a good game, it is a more realistic game, the animations are smooth and the graphics are good. The all star mode is very addictive, but the dunk contest is very challenging, and take careful timing n precision to pull off dunks. Overall the game is ok, but if your looking for a more realistic basketball game goget espn nba 2k5.

First let me start by saying that while i do think this is the best basketball game to come out i didn't give it 5 starts cause i think there's always room for improvement....like where is MJ on the 80's and 90's all stars?

But seriously this game is too much fun. The live series gets better EVERY year. The thing that sticks out the most in this game to me is the realism of it. It shows everywhere from the momentum shifts in the game (good luck trying to beat a team by 40 on a decent difficulty level) to the player rankings. Gone are the days where all the big money NBA palayers sink threes and dunk on the entire team.

Which brings me to the next thing i like about it so much: the ability to adjust the game play to what you want. Remeber live 2003? you could pretty much just hold turbo all game and fast break your way to victory. 2005 doesn't let you do that with the default settings but you have the ability to change say... the frequency of mid air collisions and the like. You are in complete control you can make the game as real or as unreal as you like.

Lastly i wanna mention the dynasty mode..too much fun. The difficulty setting in this game are competitive which makes for great 1 player action and even better dynasty mode. From checking your PDA too see if charlotte will give up okafor...to sending dwanye wade into training to get his 3 point shooting on point this is the most fun ive had with dynasty mode. Also the simulations run quarter by quarter so if your like me and you just want to play the championship you can sim the games until the fourth quarter and jump in if your losing!

oh yeah ya'll know theres a slam dunk contest right?

Everything talked about in the review is all good, but the main thing about this game that is missing is when people talk about the AI as far as trades and stuff. The one thing not talked about is the AI when playing the game. On offensive fast breaks nobody runs for it. Its like they wait for you. It takes forever to inbound the ball. Also I understand having to tone down the ISO motion thing but make they did it just a little too much. I gave 2K5 a better rating than this because of the offense going to the hole. I have played both of them and if I am driving to the hole and get cut off my player will try to get the ball in the basket at least on 2K5. On Live the same thing happens, but the player just throws the ball up. I ain't seen nothing like that since JR High School. And I was the same player on the same team in both games (Allen Iverson). Iverson will do a crazy move only if somebody there in front of him on 2K5, but on live it does even matter. On defense, its like the players are stuck on stupid. The move out of the way and let the offense score. I switch to a zone defense just to keep the center from trying to guard my guard. When I try to switch to the player closer to the ball it switches to somebody else and the I get scored on. Yeah the dunk contest and All-Star weekend are good but they do get real old after a minute. Once you get used to how to hit the 3, it becomes too easy. Dunk contest is so hard to master, but it can be done. But it does get boring too. I know people ain't gonna buy it for the dunk contest. I'm glad that I only spent $5 for it. My choice is 2K5. Why? BEcause if you have an open lane, you can make your player drive for it for a layup or dunk if your lucky.