EA Sports ...E 'in the game The boys are back important. Jordan, Chamberlain, Bird, Cousy and the role of Dr. J. Court Street office.
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GameSpot Review
Like clockwork, EA Sports has brought the magic of the NBA Live series to the PlayStation for another year. Like any good sports series, a slew of new touches has been added, the most notable of which is the inclusion of Michael Jordan in the game's lineup. Yes, along with all the actual players, teams, and arenas of the NBA, the game also includes all-star teams composed of players from the last five decades, letting you play as some of the greatest players ever to set foot on the court. While the game includes several modes of play, such as an arcade mode with exaggerated dunks and flaming basketballs, a three-point shootout, and a one-on-one street-ball mode, the game's main focus is still happily on season mode and actual NBA basketball with actual NBA rules. NBA Live 2000's easy-to-use control scheme lets you jump right in and start taking the ball to the hoop. Once you've got the basics down, you can start experimenting with the game's more-advanced control scheme, which not only lets you pull off more maneuvers on the court, but also lets you set up offensive and defensive formations. The computer AI ranges from easy to hard (unless you're playing the one-on-one mode against Jordan, who always seems difficult to beat), depending on what difficulty setting you have the game set on. The computer teams set up plays and run them at the appropriate time. For instance, you'll see the computer kill the clock in the closing seconds of a game if it has the advantage, forcing you to put on a little full-court press. Visually, the game looks quite nice. The players are good representations of their real-life counterparts. Their animation and moves are smooth and look quite natural. The game features multiple camera angles and zoom settings, letting you see the action from just about anywhere you like. The game also features an instant replay that shows dramatic points in a game, like big dunks. During the replays you can catch a glimpse of the players up close and actually see the expressions on their faces change. In the audio department, NBA Live 2000 does a decent job of re-creating the sounds of the NBA experience. The game's sneaker squeaks, dribbling, and various other sound effects are accurate. The play-by-play calls along with the roar of the crowd really draws you into the game. One nice audio touch happens when you use created players. If you enter a last name for your created player, and that name is the same as that of one of the players from the NBA, such as Anderson or Miller, the game will recognize it, and the announcer will call out the name during play. In the end, NBA Live 2000 is a good basketball game for the PlayStation. While it doesn't offer anything spectacular in graphics, control, or any one category, the game's overall feel and look is quite good. Fans of the NBA Live series will undoubtedly see it as the best iteration of the series yet for the PlayStation. The extras - like the arcade mode, one-on-one, and three-point contest - are nice and add to the game's value. Fans of previous versions of Live will have a good time.--Ryan Mac Donald--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.
Customer Reviews
Still the best game in town but could be better
EA Sports continues to dominate the b-ball gaming market with yet another strong title in this well-established franchise. It's rather surprising to see just how inferior its competitors are. Take, for example, Fox Sports Basketball 2000. It contains some nice features but overall produces amateurish gameplay. This is not the case with NBA Live. Gameplay is as smooth as ever. And the addition of the legends adds another attractive dimension to the game, sure to be a hit with basketball purists and fans everywhere. My only criticism is that certain features seemed to have been overlooked. What happened to the TNT and TBS licenses with the game? And though the game lauds the new addition of Reggie Theus bringing color commentary, he might as well not be there. He chimes in usually between quarters and adds nothing at all. Really disappointing there. That's where LIVE could actually learn something from the Fox Sports game. Doc Rivers provided lengthy color commentary which, though sometimes repetitive, was much more interseting and substantial than Reggie's poor offering.
The best NBA Live yet!
OK, let's get the first question answered right away. Is NBA Live 2000 better than NBA Live 99? The answer is YES. Amazingly, Electronic Arts continues to push the Playstation chipset harder than ever. While the graphics are certainly watered down when compared to the PC version, you forget all of that when you get a group of trash-talking friends to gather around a big TV set, each holding a Dual Shock controller. And yes, His Airness, Michael Jordan, has returned to video hoops. NBA Live 2000 contains All Star teams from the 50's through the 90's. A number of legends from the past can be accessed including Wilt Chamberlin, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, and Bill Russel. Once one of these greats is unlocked he can be activated to be a part of a free agent pool and available to join your team. NBA Live 2000 may not be the eye candy that is NBA 2K on the Dreamcast, but there's no denying that the game plays very well and contains a ton of features not available anywhere else. For example, in the General Manager mode you can build your team into a dynasty over as many as ten seasons. What I found astounding is that a player's attributes will build up and decline as the years progress. Don Poier and Reggie Theus provide the play-by-play and color commentary, respectively. I thought Theus' performance was pretty weak. EA, well-known for its excellent use of audio in its games, should have done better here. On the positive side, the crowd reacts as expected, adding excitement to the game. A solid and feature-packed hoops game. Highly recommended.
NBA Live 2000
EA didn't miss a shot while creating this game! Without a doubt their best basketball game for the PlayStation. Even when I try, it is hard to find a thing that is wrong with the game.
The 1-on-1 vs MJ is a great new feature. Not only do you just play 1-on-1 vs Big Mikey, but you can also play against any other player in the game. (However you cannot be MJ himself unless you beat him in superstar mode. You must also unlock players from the past before you can be them. (Such as Dr. J, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bob Cousy.))
The new "Unlocking Ledgends" feature was cool, although I hardly ever use it. You can get some great old timers to play with. I don't use it much but if I'm ever bored with the game (which I never am) then it's just another little extra that I can go to.
The NBA Season Draft is also cool as well as the Create-a-player feature. (Both were also included in Live '99 and other games) but they're still cool.
The gameplay is about the same as Live '99 but the graphics stand out much more. There are also plenty of moves to keep you interested such as alley-oops whenever you want, new dribbling moves and passing fakes, and high-quality realistic-looking in-your-face dunks. (Just pick Tim Duncan or Antoine Walker and you'll understand what I mean about the dunking part) This game has enough moves to keep your hands full for a while.
One minor problem that I had with the game: The Arcade mode is unreal and just plain flat out boring. But that wasn't much of a problem since you can toggle between Arcade and Simulation. Always pick Simulation.
This game is without a doubt the best NBA (or College) Basketball game I have ever played.
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