NBA Live 2001

"Technically perfect"

Ok, I just got a playstation 2 and really, I'm a cheap guy. So I went over to a used game place and got two games for $20 ($10 bucks a pop). One of them was NBA Live 2001. Looking at the price tag and the year, I really didn't expect much. Once I started playing it however, I was really blown away by the way the game is played. I am very critical of sports games but NBA Live 2001 delivers almost everything needed in a techinically solid basketball game. Keep in mind that this review is after playing NBA 2K3 so yes, I know the competition out there.

Gameplay 10- This was really the strong point of this game. The gameplay is absolutely fantastic. It is far more difficult now to put in 150-200 points in a full game(If you have the time). The fouls are almost always good calls and the solo effort is far less effective than balanced team play. There are some great fake out moves particularly if you are posting up. The low post system is also THE BEST I have seen in any Basketball game. 2 player is also smooth and extremely fun. Kodos to EA for getting the most important part of the game down.

Sound 6- Wow. Talk about going from the high to the low. The announcing seems ok at the beginning, but gets really annoying afterwards. Some of the music in the menus are good but some are just played so often, they get incredibly annoying(That seems to be the best word to describe this section.) The music in the arena is even worse as there is no variation. The in-game SFX are pretty strong however. But overall, this is obviously the crappiest part of the game.

Graphics 9- I gave them a bit of leeway here since this is a relatively old game. Still, the graphics are fundamentally sound and the movements of the players are quite smooth and give the air of authenticity. The courts are nicely detailed, as are the fans.

Replay Value 9- In other words fun value. I can certainly say that this is a very good game in this category if you have two controllers. If you only try the single-player game, you will find it is a bit slim since there is no Franchise mode. However, the two-player game is extremely strong and skill is truly required to master all the moves and strategies. This works best if you play the game with another solid gamer.

Overall 9- This is just a fundamentally superb game when it comes to the actual basketball. If you want eye-candy or crazy, over-the-top moves, go for NBA Street. If you want a simulation but a bit of arcade style and a quicker paced basketball game, go Sega's 2K series. But if you are like me and demand I good simulation of the actual sport, look for EA and you'll usually find what you want.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/02, Updated 12/05/02