Review of NBA Live 10

I really don't know what happened this year.Reports claim that a lead game designer for NBA 2K left the company and is now with EA.That may or may not be true, but it doesn't matter...what matters is that EA got it right this year.NBA Live 10 is easily the best Live in the series, and I personally think the on-court gameplay is smoother and more exciting than the NBA 2K series...and this is coming from a HUGE fan of 2K's basketball mechanics.

There are so many great looking dunks, steals, fadeaway jumpers, etc, etc...the animations in this game are just awesome.The game is super-fluid and feels like it's running at 60FPS (not 100% sure though).I've witnessed a couple of awkward transition animations and some slight clipping here and there, but I can't recall one single framerate drop (and I notice those types of things immediately in most games).The tempo of the game feels just right, all the players movements are EXTEREMELY detailed and lifelike, the graphics are amazing, the sounds...WOW.I promise you haven't heard arena noise like this in a basketball game before.The crowd goes absolutely nuts during key moments, they explode during clutch moments when you hit a major shot, they chant "MVP, MVP" when your superstar is on a roll, they boo loudly if you attempt an ugly shot and miss, or when you on the receiving end of an ugly foul.

NBA 2K might have more player-specific animations, but I think Live is catching up quickly, plus Live's animations LOOK better in my opinion.The presentation is great, too.The pre-game warmups are all there, the highlights are slick and they're presented at the right times, the crowd and sideline animations are nearly as good as 2K's, the arenas are incredibly detailed, the players (for the most part) look like their real-life counterparts, and they even included the TNT Playoffs/Finals music.The game keeps you immersed the entire time and makes you feel like you're truly watching an NBA broadcast.The soundtrack is decent, just typical EA basketball stuff with some random forgettable hip-hop tracks.

The AI is actually pretty smart IMO, I see my AI teammates consistently running good plays, setting up nice picks, getting open when they need to, passing to the open man, etc on both ends of the court.That was one of my biggest problems w/ 2K basketball; many times the AI would just stand there until you actually called a specific play, instead of rotating positions and/or trying to get open.My only gripe is that CPU-controlled players will still randomly step out of bounds, but it only happens occasionally and it effects your team and the CPU, so it doesn't necessarily put you at a disadvantage.I'm also not a huge fan of Live's free throw shooting, since you have to hold down X until a meter fills and release it at the right time.It's okay, just not as cool as 2K's "signature shot" mechanics.

The typical EA modes are included, like dynasty, season, etc.There's actually a mode called Dynamic Season this year where you can literally play along w/ the real NBA season and update scores, team stats, etc.Also the Dynamic DNA is back so the individual player stats and tendencies will be updated daily throughout the season.It's basically a virtual NBA that you are controlling, and it has me pretty stoked.NBA 2K10 still has Live beat as far as game modes and options are concerned, especially since Live doesn't have a mode similar to 2K's "My Player", where you can create a new baller, enter the draft, join the pros and continue your path to greatness.I haven't tried Live 10's online yet, so I can't comment on that.

I bought NBA 2K games exclusively from 2K6 to 2K9.I haven't bought Live since Live 05, because I thought 2K nailed the look and feel of real basketball.I'm not saying 2K's game is bad at all this year, because it's still brilliantly designed and well executed.I'm just growing tired of NBA 2K in general, it's starting to become the next "Madden"...basically the same game every year w/ a few more polygons, new menus, some new animations, maybe a new career mode or season mode, etc.

This year I played both demos numerous times, and only one of them was making me jump to my feet, scream out loud, and pump my fist in excitement... in other words, this year's edition of Live had me totally immersed.It looks and feels like a brand new hoops game, and 2K10 felt like more of the same, just slightly more polished and refined.Some people will be totally fine with that, but I was looking for something different after becoming bored w/ 2K9 last year.For me, Live 10 delivered in a big way, so I bought it on release day and have no regrets.The game isn't perfect and some hardcore fans might still prefer 2K's style, but Live definitely took major steps in the right direction this year and unless 2K does something amazing with NBA 2K11, then I might have found my new basketball franchise.





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