It’s NBA time kids, and the first game to hit the market this season (perhaps to try and get a jump on the competition) is the latest title from EA Sports’ long running franchise, NBA Live 2004.  Though Live 2003 had great commercial success, it was maligned by some (myself included) as too concentrated on offense and fairly manic in its pace.  This year’s version adds all the bells and whistles you would expect from the latest version of an EA Sport’s game like improved details and graphics, but it’s really the change in gameplay that is the most marked improvement this year. 

Of course the most dynamic mode in NBA Live 2004 is the Dynasty mode, and EA has added a few gimmicks this year to slightly improve it.  While trudging through the regular season on your quest for the NBA championship, gamers will have several responsibilities including dealing with players’ contracts, accepting or instigating trades, and (new to this year) setting up training sessions.  By accomplishing certain feats (such as a single player scoring 20 points in a game) during the dynasty, Dynasty points are awarded to the owner to used for training sessions that may or may not help an individual player or team or hiring specific coaches to work with a team over the course of a set amount of time.  In the off-season, coaches must deal with resigning free agents, draft rookies in the NBA lottery, and say good-bye to retirees. 

Other game modes include schoolyard 1 on 1, individual practice (it’s exactly what it sounds like, one guy in a gym – big whoopee…), single Season play, and for the impatient, Playoff mode.  Of these modes, 1 on 1 is really the only mode that deserves a little bit of time.  Season is defunct with Dynasty mode, and individual practice is really only useful the very first time you put the game in.  It would have been nice to see some mini-games, like Madden and Tiger Woods offer, but as always, we may have to wait for next year. 

EA’s Freestyle mode has been marginally improved this year, as the controls seem to be a bit more fluid.  It’s tons of fun to take someone with handles like Stevie Franchise and do a little razzle dazzle at the top of the key before blowing by the defender for a highlight dizunk or fading away for the sweet J.  The controls seem to be a little more responsive on offense, with quick movements on the right analog stick resulting in quick crossover dribbles and long movements resulting in sweeping hesitation moves. 

Some of the new control features in the game add a little more depth to the game, but the casual NBA Live player may not find much use for them.  The most notable new feature is the implementation of two shooting buttons.  The B button is still a normal jumpshot, and can be used for fade away J’s or leaning J’s.  The X button is now the dunk/lay-up button, which can be double tapped to adjust a shot in case a brick wall like Ben Wallace is nearby.  While having two buttons to shoot gives players more control, it’s awfully frustrating to press the wrong button at the wrong time, which often ends in a one handed floater from three-point land.  The Y button now controls the Pro-hop (hop step), a move that is useful in traffic to get position for a lay-up.  Players can also click the right thumbstick to control a player off the ball.  This allows gamers to set up their own offense and make cuts or set screens by a player without the ball.  Calling specific plays is easy with the directional pad.  Both offense and defense have four plays they can run, and they come in handy for specific situations.  On offense, point guards can call for isolations, pick and rolls, and many more.  On defense, teams can bear down with double teams or try a variety of zone defenses.  While these additions add a bit more real basketball to the game, NBA Live 2004 is still very much an arcade sports game. 

Another new feature EA added is the NBA Store, where players can purchase duds for their players by earning points when certain tasks are accomplished.  After playing Tiger Woods 2004 and spending way too much time dressing my created player like a 7-year old girl does her Barbie, I was very interested in this option for NBA Live 2004.  Unfortunately, the lackluster NBA Store in NBA Live makes the PGA Store in Tiger Woods look like Rodeo Drive.  There’s very little of interest in the NBA Store unless you like to squint to see your player wearing some shoes that are red instead of black.  Throwback and practice jerseys are available for purchase, but too many of them are available only in 1 on 1 or practice modes, making them practically useless.  The ones that can be used in real games are nice, but they aren’t instrumental to the game at all.

The presentation of NBA Live is both hit and miss.  In game, the ticker delivering league news is great.  All sorts of league info such as league leaders, injury updates, or scores from around the league are awesome.  Stats and streaks show up during the game in TV-style presentation, and they really cover a lot of ground.  Navigating the menus is a mess.  Dynasty managers are going to have to do a lot of manual saving of profiles, dynasties, and settings, which is a huge pain. 

The graphics of NBA Live 2004 retain the same style of last year’s sharp looking game.  Each player in the game has a remarkable likeness to their living counterpart, so even that scrub who usually rides the pine (Melvin Ely, baby!) looks great.  On the court, the game looks pretty sharp, but occasionally the players glitch a little bit when they jump into their mo-cap moves or slide about when pivoting.  Aside from that, the fluidity of the graphics combined with the freestyle controls really lead to some impressive plays that elicit “Oooohs” and “Aaaaahs” and the occasional “Stick that back in your face you $&%^!!” from those watching the hardcourt battle.  The pre-game introductions of the other team’s star player in Dynasty mode are a plus, but the regular introductions for exhibition games are a bit of a letdown. 

The audio portion of the game sees little improvement from last year.  The most notable change is the new commentary team of Marv Albert and Mike Fratello, and the two do a fine job with the chatter.  Many of the on-court sounds are quite good, including situational player chatter.  For example, during a pick and roll, the defense may shout out “Don’t lose him!” or when the shot clock is running down, the bench may scream “Clock!” or “Check the time!”  It’s very cool to listen to and really delivers an NBA-type of atmosphere.  The soundtrack is pretty solid with songs from artists such as Outkast, Black Eyed Peas and some other hip-hop artists.  Even though it’s not as annoying as Madden’s soundtrack, it still would have been nice to have a custom soundtrack feature. 

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. 

Gameplay: 8.5

It’s fun, but it’s not technical basketball.  A lot of explosive dunks, long threes, and overpowering defense keep the game exciting and accessible to everyone, but big fans of the sport of basketball may be a little disappointed.

Graphics: 8.8

Faces have been improved, but otherwise, the game looks nearly identical to last year’s version. 

Sound: 8.7

Maybe I’m just sick of Marv Albert, but the commentary wears thin pretty quickly.  The on-court sounds and stadium sounds are awesome though. 

Difficulty: Easy

Most gamers will find the game easy to pick up immediately.  The basic buttons are simple enough to get a grip on, but learning the freestyle moves can be the difference between winning and losing.

Concept: 8.0

Not much added to the game this year that’s noteworthy.  Not a good thing, EA. 

Multiplayer: 8.9

The game is a lot of fun to play against other people, and they almost always seem to be nail-biters.   

Overall: 8.6

EA has put together a decent package here with NBA Live 2004, but it’s not too much different from NBA Live 2003.  If you are a big fan of last year’s game, and you just have to have Yao Ming, LeBron, and Carmelo in your game, then NBA Live 2004 is perfect for you.