NBA Live '95

"This is one of the few basketball games I find fun, when I have NBA 2K2 right by me."

EA Sports we now know usually makes the years best sports games. EA Sport's NBA Live series started in 1995 and evolved into much more over their long line of quality basketball simulations.

Gameplay: 10/10

This game plays beautifully for it's time. You can take jump shots (including fade-aways and leaners), dunks are usually razzle-dazzle type, and unless you turn the option off, are performed in slow-motion.
The controls are pretty simple. A activates a turbo, B passes and C shoots. The controls cannot be customized, but almost everything else can. You can't create players, but you can assemble custom teams from real NBA Players.
The difficulty is customizable, and so allows you time to adjust to playing the game.
Overall, the gameplay is great, it totally deserves a 10. This was a big ''Hey, over here! This is real basketball!'' type of game in regards to gameplay.

Graphics and Sound: 8/10

These graphics aren't the world's best, but they're a lot better then some I've seen. the players are identifiable by the numbers on their backs, or their position.
For sound and music, I can't get the theme song out of my head, I love it. the sound effects are actually pretty good for this game, the swishes of the basket, and the bounce sound real.
Overall, the sound is above average, but I have seen better on the semi-early Genesis. The graphics and sound get an 8 out of 10.

Replayability 10/10

With all team sports games, you can set up numerous combinations of teams against each other, just to see the result. This gives replayability a big boost. The other part which completes the category is the Season mode. You can play numerous times with numerous teams. If you're good, you can make the playoffs. Whether you make them or not, you'll probably be ready for another season right away.
Replayability receives a ten because at the end of the season, you'll likely be comin' back for more.

Options: 9/10
You can change almost anything and choose from a number of modes including season, playoffs and tournament. You can change what affects your shot, quarter time, difficulty, almost anything you could think of. But what? No practice mode? That's what lowered Options to a nine. Practice helps so much and to not have that really makes me lower the score.
Overall, options gets a nine because of a bunch of options, but no practice.

Buy or Rent?: Buy.

At max this game is a dollar at funcoland/gamestop. This is a great game for a buck, and is the type of game I have a lot of fun playing when I have NBA 2K2 right next to me on my Dreamcast.
It's the bottom line, this game rocks, even today, at the end of 2001 it deserves every decimal point to the thousandth of it's 10 points. This is a true basketball classic.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/02/01, Updated 12/02/01