NBA Live 2005 // review

[Eric.]

title // NBA Live 2005
developer // EA Sports
console // Xbox, Gamecube, PS2
reviewed by // Eric Fredrickson


Introduction

NBA Live is one of the few basketball series that has consistantly brought a solid game each year. Fresh with new features, more control, and more style than ever, NBA Live 2005 is no disapointment, but it still doesn't live up to the expectations I had.


Gameplay

One of the great things about NBA Live 2005, is the ability to control you players to the maximum. Now, Freestyle control is nothing new to the Live series, since it was first introduced in 2003. But, Live 05' brings it to a whole new level, a level of realism. While playing a game, you can do all the things that you see the players do on TV. Pivot fake, jump stop, anything you can think of (with the acception of the streetball moves). Also, while you in the air going for a dunk, you can switch to a layup to avoid the block, or you can dish it off to an open teamate. All of this is great, but there are some flaws. While doing the jump stop, you press Y, but as quick as you press that button, you will usually lose the ball, or will be called for a charge, making this feature nearly impossible to do. Another thing I thought was cool, was the ability to make an alley-oop pass to an open teamate by pressing Z. But, make sure you have an open player before deciding to make a lob, because if no one is open, it will go to a player who is along to perimeter, giving you no chance of scoring, and possible getting a turnover.

EA Sports decided to add more features to make Live 05' more appealing. One of them is the Slam Dunk Contest, which I have waited for since I played NBA Shootout 98'. You can choose from any player, and you can decide whether you want 2 players, or 4 players to competer with. You will need to perform many special combos, using all the buttons. Also, alley-oops can be used as a dunk. You use to C-Stick to make a lob, and pushing it in different directions will give you different lobs. With the alley-oops, it's all about timing. It will take you at least 30 minutes to be able to get it down to perfection. If you want to get some practice in, you can either go to slam dunk school, or go head-to-head with one of you buddys and see who can reach the set score first. As usual, you can find the All-Star Game, 3-Point Shootout, and Season modes also.

The best feature in my opinion, is the Dynasty mode. Here, you choose a team to manage. You can play with them for up to 25 seasons. You are in charge of making trades, managing money (or points), training, and of course playing in the actual game. When winning games, you obtain dynasty points, which can be used to have training sessions. If you increase certain aspects of your teams game, you can win several things including a new locker room and a team trainer. Also, these points can be used in the NBA Store where you can buy shoes, jerseys, headbands and more.


Graphics

The graphics are very good. They are realistic during gameplay, and players have been designed to perfection from the facial structure to there tatoos. One of the things I felt put a dent in how realistic NBA Live is, is the crowd. It's still the same pixelated fans with the same colored shirts on, making the same movements. I find this annoying, although it may not matter to some of you other gamers. The graphics are pretty solid, but there is still room for improvement.


Sound

During gameplay, the EA staff decided to put in a little extra when it comes to sound. For example, while playing with the Lakers, if you at home, fans will begin to chant "Kobe, Kobe, Kobe", just like in the actual games. Or, if you play with the Sacramento Kings, you will hear the signature cowbells coming from the crowd. This is a very minor addition, but makes the experience much more realistic. Play-by-Play announcements will be done by the TNT crew, which is a major network in the U.S. when it comes to live, national games. Also, Kenny 'The Jet' Smith is featured in All-Star Weekend. The soundtrack was solid to me. It featured artists such as Murphy Lee, Jazzy Pha, Nomb, and many more. Although I find the soundtrack to be good, many may not because it is all hip-hop music. So fans of other music genres wont be pleased from that aspect.


Overall

This is a solid game, but it isn't a big step up from NBA Live 2004. It has new features, but after about a month of gameplay itself gets a bit dull. The NBA Store is cool, because you can buy signature player shoes along with jerseys. NBA All-Star weekend is also a fun thing, but the only thing that is really new is the Slam Dunk Contest. NBA Live 2005 is solid, but could have been much better.



Scores:

Graphics 9.0
Gameplay 8.5
Sound 8.0
Lifespan 7.0

Final Score 8.7

[sledgehammer]

I really like this game...but reading your review and looking at the ratings you gave it for each of the aspects, I pretty much agree with all of them.

[ShadowyOne]

Sounds good, I've always wanted to play it. How many blocks does it take up?

[Aaron]

Can I add this review to DarkGamer?

[Eric.]

Yeah, no problem. If you want my Baten Kaitos one too go ahead.

[Aaron]

Alright thanks, I'll do it later today =]