Looking for:
NBA Live PC Game - Free Download Full Version. |
- NBA Live Download | GameFabrique
Team sets like the pick-and-roll or triangle can be switched at the press of a button, and the defense has been addressed to make it as crucial a part of the game as the offense. New computer AI, animations, and rebounding controls are designed to help balance out the gameplay on both sides of the court.
As in previous installments, players will be able to choose from 30 NBA teams, albeit with new 3D player models and more detailed stadiums complete with championship banners, retired jerseys, and sideline activity.
Marv Albert handles the play-by-play announcing for this version, while Mike Fratello provides the color commentary and analysis. An enhanced Dynasty Mode lets players take inexperienced college athletes and turn them into NBA superstars over consecutive seasons. Each facet of the in-game action, from the frequency of turnovers to a team's blocking ability, can be tweaked using a series of AI sliders that help customize the experience according to a player's preferences.
Players can also take the action online for one-on-one competition against a friend, with user statistics and worldwide rankings saved for posterity.
NBA Live is the kind of game that you love one minute and hate the next. For every innovative new feature, there's a gameplay gaffe or design flaw that drags it down; it's certainly better than last year's hyperactive NBA Live , but it's still a year away from being something truly special.
There are a lot of little annoyances in this version-some of which will not make a difference to you unless you want Live to play like real NBA basketball. For example, there are various gameplay sliders that should have a huge impact on how the game plays, but it doesn't work out that way.
Regardless of what you do to the sliders, teams shoot the lights out nearly every game. The reason for this is twofold: it's way too easy to get the ball down low in the post and score, regardless of the player involved. When Boston's Raef Lafrentz can easily back down other centers and turn around and dunk with ease, you know there is a problem. With a real stud like Shaq -- the defense literally has no chance.
The other factor is that the CPU completely ignores the mid-range game. The vast majority of its shots are lay-ups, dunks, or three pointers. The lay-up problem is compounded by the "Pro Hop" move.
A new feature in Live , the Pro Hop is used to help get your player into the lane. You press a button and the player begins an animation that takes him from the foul line to underneath the basket. The Pro Hop is a real move that many players in the league use, but it is vastly overpowered in Live Great players can use this move to devastating effect; in fact, it is possible to easily score 30 points a game with players like Paul Pierce and Allen Iverson by using nothing but the Pro Hop and the computer defenders can do nothing about it.
As NBA Live moves into its "" season, the gameplay above the rim takes center stage. The game's new "Freestyle Air" features allow gamers to take control of their NBA players in mid-flight, to block shots, score tip-in rebounds, and perform stylish dunks. The last ability helps support the game's new "All-Star Weekend" mode, which allows players to take part in a virtual re-creation of the league's annual, mid-season celebration, which is highlighted by the slam-dunk contest and three-point shot competition.
Offering far more than a weekend of stunts and tricks, however, NBA Live still presents a full-featured simulation of the entire NBA season, or even as many as 25 seasons, in the returning Dynasty Mode.
Gamers who decide to take complete control of their teams in this mode will manage a great variety of franchise functions, from game plans and scheduling to salary requirements and trades. One of the sport's most famous announcers, Marv Albert, resumes his place behind the NBA Live mic, joined by his regular play-calling partner, Mike Fratello. It's easy to declare EA the undisputed king of basketball simulations on the PC. So that leaves the few remaining PC enthusiasts who also happen to be basketball fans with pretty much one option.
Fortunately, that option turns out to be pretty good. NBA Live picks right up where left off. The graphics are moderately improved but still somewhat lacking, the multiplayer is still quite functional although there are surprisingly few people online to play it with , and the basic mechanics of the basketball simulation itself are largely unchanged.
Players have the option to choose from several offensive patterns, including pick-and-rolls, isolation setups, post-ups, and more. There's full keyboard support, but as with most PC sports titles, we definitely recommend a dual analog gamepad. You're also free to choose between various full-court, half-court, and zone defenses.
Players will fight for position down low, jump into the lane to take charges, feint to throw their man off balance, and in general perform very well. This is all stuff that appeared in 's entry and has been left untouched or only slightly refined for example, collision detection is somewhat improved.
There are only a few real differences. First: Stealing is much more realistic. In , it was possible to rack up a ridiculous number of steals per game simply by double-teaming whoever had the ball at any given time. In , a player is required to really keep an eye on the passing lanes and move to intercept. Tying players up in a double almost always results in a quick outlet pass to the open man.
Second: The power-hop is no longer the most devastating move in the history of video sports right up there with the post-combo uppercut from Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Opponents now have a much higher success rate of tying a player up during the hop. This is a good thing, as it means you can only use the hop in situations where real players would employ it: an open or only partially clogged lane. Unfortunately, because the actual simulation engine remains largely the same, it also features a couple of the same frustrating issues that last year's title did.
For one thing, your computer-controlled teammates still play some of the worst defense around. Players leap to take charges when there's no point, and then step out of the way when a charge would be handy. It's also rare to see any sort of weak-side help should a man get beaten off the dribble on the plus side, attacking a defense's strong side results in blocks and misses, as it should. Additionally, it's still altogether way too easy to make long-distance passes, particularly on the break.
Most of these issues are minor annoyances though, and won't detract from your enjoyment too much. The real improvements in NBA Live come in two main areas: dynasty mode, and the NBA All-Star Weekend, and it's on these two subjects that we're going to focus, because they effectively make or break the game.
It's hard to understand how one EA Sports title Madden can be so far ahead of the others. NBA Live begins to close the gap, but it's still not really even close. That said, it's a massive leap over 's mode, which didn't even feature real dollars for salaries using a confusing point system instead. The Good: Instant feedback has largely been removed.
No longer can you make an offer to a free agent or a player in the last year of their contract and find out instantly if it was approved or not. The entire NBA off-season is simulated in a vastly superior manner to , with specific days laid out for events like the draft lottery, rookie workouts, the NBA draft, and more. Player agents are willing to negotiate, and you can sometimes nab a player with a "the ring's the thing" mentality for a bit below market value simply if your team has a history of being well-managed.
Dynasty points are harder to acquire, which is also a plus, since in you could nearly guarantee a first-place finish once every three years simply by storing up points and then going berserk with them. Training means something, and player ratings -- even for your starters -- will degrade if you don't employ it.
They also removed the obnoxious feature where training on offense had the chance of removing defensive points, and vice versa. The depth and ability of your bench also seems to factor more heavily into winning this year.
The Bad: While the overall interface changes are drastically superior to , there are some issues.
No comments:
Post a Comment