Review: NBA Live 10 (X360)

Ever since I was a kid I've been pestered with the question 'Do you play basketball?' I suppose that's what comes of being extraordinarily tall, it doesn't half get boring though. My answer over the years has always been a resounding 'no', I'm just not the sporting type, video games based on sports is a different matter though. I'm quite partial to various sports in virtual form, and basketball is one of them, even though it's been a fair few years since I played one. So, it's a nice surprise to get Electronic Arts' latest NBA game to review, especially as it plays a very good game of basketball.

Play Ball

Now, I'm no expert, but as far as I can tell NBA Live plays a very realistic game of basketball, Electronic Arts has put its usual top notch effort in to making everything as authentic as possible. Player models are realistic, if perhaps a little on the shiny side, and the courts all look the part, with plenty of movement in the crowds, and even cheerleader shows when time outs are called.

Add the EA Sports broadcast style presentation and there's not much to differentiate this from a real game appearance wise, but the authenticity doesn't stop there. Controls are nice and simple, and handle very well; passing the ball up court, taking a shot at the basket, switching between players, and stealing from an opponent are all a breeze. Or at least they would be if it wasn't for the other team wanting to win as well and the game's default AI play a pretty competitive game, if a little inconsistent at times. But I guess you could argue that just makes things more realistic as the real players have off days sometimes,

Dodgy Defence

Some of the inconsistencies in the game's AI also seem to be dependent on which team they are on, players on the opposition team are certainly better players than your own team mates. They will often make shots that you can't, no matter what, and their defence seems to be a bit better than your own. In fact one of my major niggles with the gameplay was with how aggressive your team mates defend, often fouling the opposing team, leaving you the possibility of losing up to three points to them. This invariably seems to happen towards the end of a game, and needless to say it can be quite frustrating to start a games final quarter with a comfortable lead only to lose through no fault of your own.

That's not to say the opposition don't make the same mistakes, they just don't appear to make them as often, it just feels like your team is a bit of a liability sometimes and that you are playing at a bit of a handicap. Of course the game's multiplayer takes that handicap away, especially if you play four player, two per team, giving you much more control, or you could always just alter the game's settings, but that's a bit of a cop out really.

Plenty of Options

There's a lot more on offer than just playing a game of basketball though, you get the obligatory career mode, renamed her as Dynasty mode. This is the usual set up for sporting games really, play through a season, train when you need to and do your best to win as many games as possible/ There are quite a few options available to you though, especially when it comes to which direction you want your team to go in. You can aim for nurturing new talent, signing star players, or just go out there to win, the options are quite a bit more diverse than that, and it's up to you what you want to do. If you find career modes a little long winded though you can always opt to play in a tournament instead, here you can go outside the NBA and play as FIBA teams, this is the basketball equivalent to FIFA, so the whole world is represented and wherever you come from your home team will be on offer.

You can play as multiple teams though, and with multiple players, so if you want to stretch things out a bit you can. On top of these there are a couple of online extras, first the Adidas Live play offs, this is online only and you and your friends can pick any player to make up your own dream team. Then there's the game's dynamic DNA mode, from what I can tell this is meant to make the game more realistic by altering players stats to reflect their real world performance, but unfortunately EA neglected to supply a code to enable it that is found in the games manual, so I really can't comment on it.

Slam Dunk?

To be honest there's not a lot of competition when it comes to basketball games, but that doesn't mean a developer can take the audience for granted. Electronic Arts have delivered a pretty good package here for the fans, it looks the part, plays well, and has a good selection of game modes to keep most people happy. There are some minor niggles with the defensive AI in game, but it's not a deal breaker, if you are a basketball fan then this is definitely worth picking up.