NBA Live 2004

"Better than last year's, but mot by much."

The NBA Live franchise has been recovering from a series of bad games over the last couple of years. 2003 introduced new elements but many felt the game was too arcadey. 2004 is a step in the right direction, but still isn’t as good as the Lives from the late 90’s.

Gameplay 8/10
If you played 2003 there are some minor gameplay improvements, but nothing revolutionary. The Freestyle control is back, but is a little bit deeper. A center like Ben Wallace now won’t try the same moves a guard like Allen Iverson would. EA has also included separate buttons for dunks/lay-ups and jump shots. This can be quite effective if for example when you are close to the hoop you tap B to do a pump fake then quickly hit X to do a lay-up under the faked out defender. The computer A.I. has improved over last year’s game making the game less of a dunkfest and more of a simulation type game. But if you do like a fast paced game EA has included sliders this year to adjust gameplay settings.

Control 9/10
The control in this game is about as good as it gets. Freestyle moves are easily done with the right analog stick, and the separate buttons for dunk/lay-up and shots really open up the game. Plays are called on the fly with a simple press of direction on the D-pad.

Graphics 8/10
The graphics this year are an improvement over last year’s, but could still need some slight improvements. The animations in this game are done really well. You’ll notice that off-ball players move like they do in real life. This is thanks to what EA calls “10 man mo-cap”, meaning they used motion capture techniques to control the movement of the off-ball players. The player models aren’t especially great compared to the competition but they get the job done. Player faces are good especially for the stars in the NBA.

Sound 9/10
The sound in this game is as good as you’ll find in any other basketball title this year. The soundtrack of the game consists mainly of rap/hip-hop tracks, but even if you don’t like that type of music it fits the game really well. The crowd noise is also done well. They chant and cheer at all the right times and it really adds a level of realism to the game’s experience. The commentary this year is also done really well, the legendary Marv Albert provides the play-by-play and “The Czar” Mike Fratello does the color commentary.

Dynasty Mode 7/10
This is the one area that this game really falls short. The addition of “Dynasty Points”, which can be used to hire specialty coaches or improve player attributes, is nice but doesn’t hide the other shortcomings dynasty mode has. For example when the free agent period rolls around you NEVER have enough points to pick up any big name free agents. This makes a fairly frustrating experience if you’re trying to build a team such as the Clippers or Grizzlies.

Final Verdict
I suggest you rent this game first. The so-so dynasty mode makes the single-player experience somewhat thin and the lack of on-line play hurts multiplayer. But if you're a big basketball fan and enjoyed last year's game you may go straight for the buy.

Overall 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/22/03