Okay I picked up Live this year, and will be getting 2k4 also but after about 3 hours of playing time I figured I would post my thoughts on the game so far, this is on the second level of difficulty with default settings.
Gameplay: This gameplay is the biggest mixed bad of fun and frustration I have ever seen in a basketball game. The good things are the 10 man motion, the seperate shoot/dunk buttons, the prohop, the animations (Especially Dunks), the music is great, menus are easy to navigate. THe 10 man motion works pretty well but do to some framerate problems is not as good as it could be. I applaud EA for it though, the players move well and with some good passing the shot is there. It makes the game feel more sim like and more like real basketball, not a Dunk fest.
Now for the bad things, ERRATIC/UNBALANCED FRAMERATE ALL THE TIME, the Defense can be overpowering, the cpu fast break can be unstoppable, still feel like the players are skating on ice here. The framerate issue in this game is just such a slap to the gamers out there, it can really take away from the game. I believe the 10 man motion is a part of this, but it just should not happen and will turn many people away from Live even more. There is clipping, slowdown, freezing, everything you can think of and then some every game!! It feels like a rushed game, EA should have held off on the 10 man motion if that is the cause of this or they need to fire the development team!! As a gamer I do not ask much from my sports games, just make them realistic and fun to play while running smoothly. While I still have fun playing the game, I just have to prepare for the frustration of the poor framerate every time. EA needs to get it in gear here, if you fix the framerate you have a great game here, but right now it is too big of a problem to ignore.
Graphics: I have been playing the 2k series for while and got spoiled by it because these graphics are not what they should be, do not get me wrong they do the job and are decent, but not ont he level they should be. I find them to be very flat, not enough detail/polish and have this crayon type of look going on. When I look at screenshots of 2k4 I see where this game should be by now and then see this, I just shake my head and laugh. I think 2003 looked better than this, but only played that a few times. EA got lazy again here and it shows big time when compared to the other games out/coming out.
Sound: The sound is one area that this game really shines in, the on court sounds are great, the off court sounds are great also. The menu music is well done and the overall package is nicely done.
Fun Factor: With a smooth framerate this game would be 1/2, but as it stands I cannot give it that. The erractic framerate will stop you from making plays, mess your shot up, m
ke using freestyle tough to time, etc. While I do have fun with the game because of the animations, more than not I am frustrated. It is a sloppy product that I would not expect from EA or any other developer out there, except for a rookie developer. When you are in this business for as long as they have been there is no excuse for it though, other than pure laziness. I will post again after a good 20 hours, but as it stands now I reccomend a rental before you buy it.
Gameplay: This gameplay is the biggest mixed bad of fun and frustration I have ever seen in a basketball game. The good things are the 10 man motion, the seperate shoot/dunk buttons, the prohop, the animations (Especially Dunks), the music is great, menus are easy to navigate. THe 10 man motion works pretty well but do to some framerate problems is not as good as it could be. I applaud EA for it though, the players move well and with some good passing the shot is there. It makes the game feel more sim like and more like real basketball, not a Dunk fest.
Now for the bad things, ERRATIC/UNBALANCED FRAMERATE ALL THE TIME, the Defense can be overpowering, the cpu fast break can be unstoppable, still feel like the players are skating on ice here. The framerate issue in this game is just such a slap to the gamers out there, it can really take away from the game. I believe the 10 man motion is a part of this, but it just should not happen and will turn many people away from Live even more. There is clipping, slowdown, freezing, everything you can think of and then some every game!! It feels like a rushed game, EA should have held off on the 10 man motion if that is the cause of this or they need to fire the development team!! As a gamer I do not ask much from my sports games, just make them realistic and fun to play while running smoothly. While I still have fun playing the game, I just have to prepare for the frustration of the poor framerate every time. EA needs to get it in gear here, if you fix the framerate you have a great game here, but right now it is too big of a problem to ignore.
Graphics: I have been playing the 2k series for while and got spoiled by it because these graphics are not what they should be, do not get me wrong they do the job and are decent, but not ont he level they should be. I find them to be very flat, not enough detail/polish and have this crayon type of look going on. When I look at screenshots of 2k4 I see where this game should be by now and then see this, I just shake my head and laugh. I think 2003 looked better than this, but only played that a few times. EA got lazy again here and it shows big time when compared to the other games out/coming out.
Sound: The sound is one area that this game really shines in, the on court sounds are great, the off court sounds are great also. The menu music is well done and the overall package is nicely done.
Fun Factor: With a smooth framerate this game would be 1/2, but as it stands I cannot give it that. The erractic framerate will stop you from making plays, mess your shot up, m
ke using freestyle tough to time, etc. While I do have fun with the game because of the animations, more than not I am frustrated. It is a sloppy product that I would not expect from EA or any other developer out there, except for a rookie developer. When you are in this business for as long as they have been there is no excuse for it though, other than pure laziness. I will post again after a good 20 hours, but as it stands now I reccomend a rental before you buy it.
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