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> Results: NBA Live 07
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Sports games are something that many gamers love and many others just don't understand - how can someone possibly pay full price year after year for essentially the same game? Yet it is the small differences - the evolution of the game - that make all of the difference. Most are simple tweaks to existing play modes or controls - like the ability to stiff-arm in Madden or direct pass in this game. Some aren't so small - such as Freestyle Superstar mode in NBA Live 07. That mode brings excellent levels of control and fun to the game, but causes the star players to dominate every game. There is another problem with the Freestyle Superstar mode - it was added last year.
There is a ton of depth in this game, and everything has been added to the PSP which puts it on par with the console version - a greatly expanded Dynasty Mode that includes team dynamics, added unlockables for classic teams and outfits, and two PSP-exclusive mini-games. Surprisingly now the XBOX360 version has the fewest features, missing some parts of the dynasty mode and any of the extras - but it looks the best. The PSP also has the exclusive ability to use whatever music is on your memory stick as part of the soundtrack. What the game lacks is particularly solid 5-on-5 gameplay. Missed dunks, clanked jumpers from 6 feet away, passing to players out of bounds and so on - the game plays like an amateur! NBA Live 07 is a huge game with loads of options, but it double-dribbles on the fundamentals - the basic game of basketball. It is as though the developers have gotten so bogged down with an ever-expanding feature list that they have forgotten about making the core game work well. The overall impression is of a game that feels amateur-ish and half-baked, which belies some of the incredible depth elsewhere in the game. But as the saying goes, if you don't come to play on the court the rest doesn't matter - and NBA Live 07 doesn't bring its' 'A game' to the parquet, making it a tough game to recommend. My suggestion is to wait for the '08 games to arrive and see if they perform better - and if not this should be a bargain by then.  
There is nothing inappropriate at all here - just simple and plain basketball. Unlike many other games that inject loads of 'street cred' and 'trash talking', this is all about playing the game and the strategy of developing a team and taking them through the year. If your kids are interested in everything involved with basketball, this is a good way to show them how things run from both sides of the front office.
Other Platforms: PSP: Version reviewed. Decent game overall with a few PSP exclusives that make it the deepest version available. PC: Same as the console versions, meaning that it looks bad on the PC and the controls are inadequate. PS2: Decent game, but the visuals and gameplay feel clunky. XBOX: Same as the PS2 version, doesn't hold up well anymore. XBOX360: Looks good, but doesn't quite make it to feature parity with the other versions. Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: NBA Live 07 |
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