Xbox

NBA Live 2004

Like every game from EA, it's only online on the PS2, so if you have multiple systems, that's the one to get as other than that feature (or missing feature as your case may be) the game is pretty much identical across the board. Thanks to Live's controls and in-your-face gameplay, it's one of the better basketball games to hit the cyber court this year, even if it is more of a two-player arcade game, rather than a sim. Any way you look at it though, the game is fun, even if it does have some flaws that keep it from the top of the list.

NBA Live 2004 will satisfy many basketball fans, and sees a definite turn towards a simulation style game rather than high scoring affairs. Even with that change in gameplay, the game isn’t a whole lot better than it was last year. There are still too many steals and too many blocks (Corey Maggette has six blocks at the half as I write this), but at least the offense was curbed a bit from last year. From the looks I got at E3 this year, ESPN Basketball looks like it will be king of the court, but NBA Live runs a respectable second place.

Pas beaucoup de nouveaux choux à déguster, mais une pièce montée toujours aussi bonne. L'ajout d'un mode online pour la prochaine édition serait quand même le bienvenu.

Overall, NBA Live 2004 is a very strong showing and definitely a worthy contender in this year's basketball field. The only thing I wish I could change would be the inclusion of online play for the Xbox. It's a shame that if you want to play EA Sports games online you have to do so on the PS2. But if you're looking for a good offline hoops game, NBA Live 2004 stacks up nicely in the paint!

Unless you want to go online with the PS2 version, $50 is a lot to pay for a new roster each year. Add in sloppy, almost cheap, defense and a Dynasty mode that's not finely tuned and you have an update only the hardcore Live 2004 followers should pick up.

But even so, NBA Live 2004 offers a very good game of roundball. The bevy of new moves and increased difficulty will surely please fans, though more work could have been done polishing the graphics and smoothing out some of the gameplay quirks. As it is, this is a solid drive to the basket.

Despite these miscues, NBA Live 2004 delivers an excellent basketball experience. Hardcore players will appreciate the added control brought by the new features, like off-the-ball control and the jump stop. The separation of the dunk and shoot buttons is an especially great move that, we think, will be copied by many other games in time. Those who found last year's version to be too much of a track meet will appreciate the toned-down pace of Live 2004.

The atmosphere, presentation, AI and control make for a demanding experience, but the balance of the game rarely leads to frustration. The front end still needs improving, but the game itself is well crafted and as complete as could be expected.

NBA Live 2004 is just what you would expect from EA Sports – a slightly polished version of last year’s game, with some heed paid to criticisms of the previous version. This has the result that hardcore fans will rush out to buy it on release day, but those who bought last year’s version will need to consider how badly they need these tweaks.

NBA Live 2004 is making strides in the right direction to becoming the ultimate basketball video game. Some may say the game leans a little to the arcade-like feel. I say it’s a good balance between simulation and arcade game-play. This is a great looking, great sounding and great playing basketball game that every fan of the sport should have in their game collection.

The match-up between NBA Live 2004 and ESPN NBA Basketball 2K4 has never been as close as it is this year. Live offers a large selection of special features, online play for the PlayStation 2 version, and a healthy dose of fun. If the offensive and defensive balance were just a bit more fine-tuned, and the Xbox and GameCube versions had online support, NBA Live 2004 would have the legs for multiple plays through the Dynasty mode and a clear shot as the top hoops game. Still, GameCube owners don't have any other hoop sim choices this year, so it's the definitely the top game for them at least.

In the second year of its rebuilding process, NBA Live continues to look good. While the game's new button scheme may take a while to get used to, the amount of control it gives you over your entire team is impressive. Add to that the crazy-deep dynasty mode and some of the dead-on likenesses of the players, and it becomes clear that The House of Madden knows just as much about roundball as it does about pigskin, pucks, and left turns at Daytona.

So what do we have here? Well I think we have a decent to good game that could have been a great game, had it been cleaned up a little (maybe a lot). The lack of online support is also going to be a killer for quite a few gamers out there especially as its other two competitors have full online support. The developers have the right idea and are taking the game in the right direction, but I feel that 2004 may be the year that NBA LIVE truly shines. Here's hoping.

Kids not into the whole "run your franchise thing" probably won't notice the flaws in NBA Live 2004. They'll enjoy the pretty, pretty dunks and the hip-hop soundtrack. More advanced teens will tire of the game's control problems both on the court and in the dynasty mode.