NBA Live 2003

"PC gamers should get this one."

Sports games aren’t released intensively for the PC anymore; they are kept for consoles with flashy controllers. But EA Sports is one company loyal to the PC (or probably loyal to the money they gain, whatever!), updating it with the latest games of their well-known series: FIFA, NBA, and Madden to name a few. But for now, let’s talk about NBA Live 2003, a game that every PC fan and basketball fan should check out.

Once past the cool cinematic at the beginning, the first thing that grabs a veteran’s attention is the franchise mode. Choose a team and enter a series of seasons where you are the manager, the coach, the player… everything! You can trade players with other teams, and sign free agents, all within the point (money) limit set by the game. This mode shines most after a couple of seasons, when players’ stats and prices have changed (to the better or the worse) according to how you let them play. If somebody keeps shooting 3pts to eternity, he’ll become eventually good at it, right? Moreover, you have to renew some players’ contracts. And the moment you finally have the very strong player or team you have worked very hard on, is really fulfilling.

Other modes include your typical season mode, which is the exact same as the franchise except it’s only one season. There is also the ‘play now’ mode, where you just choose the teams and hop to the game. Oh, and did I mention the ‘1 on 1’? Where you play as one player against another (gasp!), it’s a good practice. Next is the multiplayer on the EA Sports site, but I haven’t tried it yet. Then, and after you leave the game for say, a couple of weeks; it becomes what I like to call the “COUNTER-STRIKE STATE”. You see, for FPS (First Person Shootars) fans, Counter-strike becomes an “I’m bored, I’ve nothin’ to do, let’s start pumpin’ some bullets!” game. NBA is the same case, but for a sport fan like me.

Enough babbling, get into the game and enjoy the realism! Both players and teams have close-to-the-reality ratings. Shaq never sinks 3pts as well as Ray Allen or Wally Sczerbiak, same as the Warriors never defeat the Lakers. And there is no god player who seems to score all the time. Even if you create a player in the “Create Player” mode with full stats, he will miss more than you’d expect. What adds another layer of realism to the game is that the ball acts according to the physics laws Newton had killed himself creating. You see, in the past basketball games, the shot was either a swish or out. To the contrary, now it might hit the rim and go in, or it might spin and slide and then roll out.

But what really sets this game apart from the crowd is that it’s fast-paced. You see, once you collect the rebound, you can start your counter-attack. Pass the ball once or twice and you’re under the ring. Also, players run relatively fast in comparison to other games, NBA 2K3 for example. Therefore, you are encouraged to counter with a swift attack, rather than ‘cool-down’, especially if you have two players attacking a lonely defender, because then, it’s alley-oop time! A well-performed alley-oop is really fun, and the excellent replays help emphasize that.

Now, for all that good you get, there is a little bad. Challenge is the first problem. I can’t say the game isn’t challenging at all; but it isn’t challenging enough. A suitable challenge is maintained until you reach the highest difficulty: the “SUPER Star”. Maybe it’s me, but I expected this difficulty to be like what I had seen in the past EA Sports games, such as FIFA 2001. The “World Class” in
FIFA is/was extremely hard, while in NBA, the “SUPER Star” can be won quite easily by a very good player. At least, you can strengthen your enemy by editing/creating god-like players. But that’s not the most practical solution, since you can’t keep creating players to each and every team.

Oh, and the keyboard controls aren’t the best if you want to master the ins and outs of the game. Don’t misunderstand me here; the controls are responsive, but it’s hard to master the quite big number of moves in the game with a keyboard. An analog controller is highly recommended, especially with the new “Freestyle” control system, where you can perform the exact move you want with the help of the stick. You see, on the keyboard, you have one key for 5 or 6 hesitation moves, but with the analog stick coupled with the corresponding button, you can perform the exact move you want.

The players resemble their real-life counterparts well; even those small details are paid attention to. Shaq is the big guy we all know, and Allen Iverson has that sleeve on his arm. The quick replays (shown after a ‘nice’ shot) rock, the dunk replays are particularly excellent. They show the player’s jump, and then the ring from above and SLAM! The 3pt replays’ perspective is a unique ‘flying in front of the ball and looking at it’ perspective. I know, it’s hard to describe, but it’s good.

The sound isn’t as good as the graphics are. The commentary is good, although it can get repetitive after a while. One of my favourite quotes is:

1st commenter (when either teams is losing): “This team has to work on his scoring.”
2nd commenter: “And his defense… and a few other things.”

The songs you hear after the classic “EA Sports… to the game!” are really good, some of the songs are for ‘real’ singers, a remix of Full Moon by Brandy for example. But the sad thing is, there is little (practically non-existent) music for you to hear while playing basketball; you hear this tune at the start of the match, then it’s gone for a long time, then you’ll hear it again, then it’s gone, and so on.

But screw the music! You want a game to play. NBA 2003 is a fast-paced, thrilling game that lasts for a long while. A bit of challenge would have been welcome though. But still, PC players who want a basketball game should buy this one. There are few choices on the market, but that doesn’t mean this is a bad one at all. Console players may want to try their console’s version, as they have other options to consider.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/23/03, Updated 04/23/03