NBA Live 98

by Playstation

Product Features

• 1-8 Players
• Multi Tap Adaptable
• Rated "K-A"

Product Details

• ASIN: B00002STRX
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,709 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

NBA Live 98 is an improvement over Live 97 in almost every category - with graphics and sound being the most predominant - from the electrifying full motion video intro to the incredible motion capture technology that gives the players their lifelike movement on the court. Overall, NBA Live 98 looks polished - from its interface to the play on the court. The only problem graphically that has somewhat plagued the entire series is that the games aren't as smooth as Sony's Shoot Out 97 or Konami's In the Zone 97. The problem is minor, however, given the extreme level of detail given to each individual player. All of the virtual players on the court have the real NBA players' faces modeled on them. So each and every one of the players looks like the real thing.

NBA Live 98 is filled with a ton of new options and fixes for the old. One of the most notable options that fans of the series will notice is the create-a-player option, similar to before, but this time you can create an entire team as well. Gameplay options include icon passing that allows you to pass the ball to any player at anytime, and direct dunking, a new feature that allows you to actually choose the dunk you want to perform. These give the game a level of control that was sorely needed.

As far as game modes go, Live 98 features exhibition games, season mode, playoffs, and a new three-point shootout mode. The three-point shootout is superfun and allows you to go head-to-head. In the exhibition mode you will experience the usual knockdown - there's no such thing as a foul or out of bound - arcade style of play. In season mode, you can play a 28, 56, or full 82-game season, delivering a more true-to-life experience. You are allowed to choose from tons of offensive and defensive plays that can be implemented on the fly; although, as with most basketball games, defensive play is still a bit of an issue. The steal button seems to get you a foul more often than it gets you the ball.

The sound is noticeably good. It features some of the best sneaker squeaks and basketball bounce samples in a basketball game. The play-by-play announcing (done by TNT's Verne Lundquist) is also some of the best in the basketball business. It tends to be slightly less annoying than the NBA Shootout voice work.

In the end, NBA Live 98 has more of what players liked about the previous NBA Live titles and less of what they didn't. NBA live 98 is truly the first 32-bit Live that will make die-hard fans of the 16-bit versions happy. --Ryan Mac Donald
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Product Description

NBA Officially Liscensed Product. The soul of Hoops brings the Power.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for '98, January 2, 2002

By 

L. Link (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NBA Live 98 (Video Game)

Obviously this game doesn't have the overall quality of the newer games, but i've had it since it came out and never get tired of playing it. It's graphics are much better than any other 1998 game I've played before, and if you're more interested in saving a few bucks over getting the very best this game will do that and satisfy you at the same time. It's a great buy, don't miss out!

4.0 out of 5 stars NBA Live 98 - Pretty Darn Good!, November 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: NBA Live 98 (Video Game)

Yes NBA Live 98 is Pretty Darn Good! It is that because the player movements are realistic, the audio is great and I also love the versatility of creating your games during the seasons. Simply put, I do truly believe that NBA Live 98 should have been, get this: The foundation of all the future NBA Live games,
with all of the new added improvements and perks of the later games, and still maintaining that NBA Live 98 foundation. I used to exaggerate to myself that if only EA Sports developers could retrieve my copy of NBA Live 98, and reprogram the new additions
and functions of NBA Live 99 and 2000 and with the new reprogramming of the NBA teams as well(But not at all the difficult shooting functions of NBA Live 99.) Anyway, I still play NBA Live 98 as if it is new.

3.0 out of 5 stars Fine but no NBA Live 2000, September 13, 2000

By 

Gunnar Mar Gunnarson (Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NBA Live 98 (Video Game)

This game was great back in '98 but there are many much better games now, such as NBA Live 2000. Don't try to safe few bucks if you know your not going to be happy with anything less than the best.