NBA Live 99
Review by EZE
"WHAT?! I did NOT do that!"
NBA Live series... probably the best basketball game(s) ever made for any system... just one problem... the player intelligence has never been that good, and probably never will be. Although Live 99 surpasses any other basketball game with player AI, even the player AI in Live 99 is a little sloppy. Given the fact that the players do react quite well in certain game situations (i.e. when down 7, the losing team will nail a three, foul you, and repeat) the bad "reffing" in that game still lingers. You could swear that Tim Hardaway made a clean steal, and they'll call a foul. A clean block by Antonio Davis... foul. It gets very frustrating, but otherwise, it's a major improvement from previous successes.
The graphics in this game are unreal. The player animations after a bad-ass dunk or after a cheap foul is awesome (Never seen Alonzo Mourning get so mad!) Even the dunks look real (ok, ok, except for the occasional "NBA JAM" like dunk... but that's ok), and the way the players shoot the ball even looks great (an obvious improvement from past Live games). Only one bad aspect from the graphics/video cinema, is that they do not have the individual team Halftime Shows, only divisional shows... which is only a minor flaw.
Gameplay has always been untouchable when it comes to the Live series, but now no game surpasses the deke/spin moves, the different crossovers, fakes, shoulder fakes, dribble steps and alike. No other basketball simulation comes close to the intriguing gameplay and movement this game blows you away with. Nuff said there.
The extras in this game just make it better than ever. Not only can you create players, but you have more facial options, even an option to set their gameplay style (aggressive, passive). The "at a glance" feature during a season blows you away, with news and stats on hot and not players. Now even the CPU will try to do trades with you! No more trying to haggle with the Sonics for Payton when Portland is offering you Stoudamire!! It can't get any better!
All in all, if you like Basketball simulations, this is the game to go for... EA SPORTS "It's in the game" (They ain't lyin!)
Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99
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