"Looks like Overall, NBA Live has lost in this Generation of Basketball Games. =("

Introduction - NBA Live 06 will more than likely be the Final Live game of this Generation new features. Do the New Features and gameplay changes help Live to be better than Last years version?? Lets find out.

Gameplay - The best part of any sports game, and Live is no different. EA has made great leaps to make the game more Sim like. The game plays close to Live 04 than Live 05 which is a plus for all of us who hated 05 and loved 04. The game speed is much closer to actual NBA action.

The best new feature is the addition of Freestyle Super Stars. Which these new controls Super Star players actually play more like there Real Life counter parts. So my boy Tim Duncan can call the bank when ever you like, or Kobe and dunk on someone so hard that he will have his ..... you know all around the defenders head. This is really a great feature because it add more control over your players. You get to choose what shot is needed for what situation. But its not all rose. First the Freestyle Super Star moves even on the highest difficulty appear to be an instant 2 points. You never miss except for when your players get tired and even then you still make 7/10. Also the defensive Inside Stopper appears to be worthless. I mean Shaq or Amare can easily get 20 points in one quarter even against a team of Inside Stoppers i.e. the Pistons.

Another problem is the Difficulty level, the game isn't actually hard on Superstar but rather Cheap. I mean every time you get up but 5-10 the computer will become unstoppable until they get up but 10-15. At that time you are able to once again do the most basic things with your players that were not possible during the computers run. There are times when ever time down the court your Superstar level PG will turn the ball over. Its incredible annoying, when you are beaten by cheapness and not skill.

Dynasty and CAP - Well it looks like Live didn't learn anything from last year. First you can now hire assistant coaches and trainers, but you still can hire or fire head coaches so Larry Brown will be coaching for the next 25 years, I know very realist. Another problem and this relates to the CAP mode is the fact the game doesn't contain Name Recognition. I mean whats going on?? Madden, NCAA FootBall, MVP, March Madness, and even LIVE FREAKING 99 on the PS1 all have are had Name Recognition. The lack of this feature pretty much makes playing the dynasty mode more than 5 years worthless because at that time all you will hear is Number 5 shots the three.

The CAP mode is just like last year and even worst actually because now it is INCREDIBLE SLOW. It takes 5 seconds just load the next set of eyes. You also still can't see the overall rating of your player with out closing out which is annoying because most of us like to make small changes to get everything just right.

Also where are the Players Emotions and Team Chemistry, these features have been in Madden and MVP for the last few years not to mention the competition, so why haven't they been added into Live??

Graphics/Sound - The Graphics.... Ah what can I say.... In a word they are subpar at best. After the terrible looking graphics of Live 05, I was really hoping they would step up to the level of 2K5 or at least 2K1. The player's bodies are complete out of proportion in most cases the players look WAY to skinny and look like there heads are too big for there bodies.

The sound is always excellent, but the commentary can get a little annoying especially when you hear the same phrase 5 times a game for each in your season. Also sometimes you will hear silly things, Like "If they kept this up they will be out of the game" this can be hear with a score of 2-0.... Yeah I know.

Play Time/Replayability - As it should Live 06 pretty much has infinite replay value for the true basketball fan. With Improved Gameplay and the addition of Online All-Star weekend there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Final Recommendation- While I did enjoy Live some of the missing features and overpowered new features kept me from fully enjoyment. Personally I believe Live 06 is worth a rental, but sadly there is a better Sim basketball game out this year in 2K6.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/04/05, Updated 10/05/05