NBA Live

iTunes Link

NBA Live is a basketball game by Electronic Arts. $9.99

[This is a modified post from TheAppEra]

First of all I feel extremely privileged to even review this game, with James being perhaps the biggest Lakers fan of all time (Except this guy or even this guy). For a long long time we have been waiting for NBA Live, since Electronic Arts announced their 2009 line up back around March. Now it has arrived, and boy isn't it NOICE!

Being a long time fan and player of Basketball there was nothing more that I wanted on my iPod than this. First of all the game lets you use all NBA teams and players in the full 82 game season. The game itself are very fun and have good use of the touch screen by using a minimal number of buttons to play.

There is no better feeling than hitting down a big 3 pointer or dunking the ball over the top of another opponent and this game successfully recreates all of it. All aspects of the game are covered and plays almost like a real NBA game with no super skills or tricks possible. The Lakers are also a good team which isn't hard to believe ;)

The graphics probably aren't the best they could be, but as far as I know it is to keep the performance of the game at a respectable level on all devices. The players aren't up to the standard of their other games like Madden 10, but I found even without looking at the names I could successfully distinguish who was who on the court. Each of the courts have been personalized for each team with their logo's splattered all over the arena.

This game has managed to smash a heap of different controls into two buttons plus a D-Pad and tactics board. On the left side of the screen is a floating D-Pad which lets you control your player. There are two buttons, one blue and one red. While in offense one button lets you pass the ball and the other lets you shoot the ball. To pass the ball you can just touch it once and it will pass the ball to the nearest player or you can hold onto the button then touch whatever player you want to pass it to. To shoot the ball it is best to hold it down while you jump up and let go at the top of your flight for the best percentage shot.

To pump fake you just touch the shoot button quickly. When shooting free throws you get to tilt your device backwards to lift the ball and flick it forward to shoot the ball, kind of like SGN's free game iBasketball. The passing button can also be flicked up, down, left or right which let's you do or fake your opponent while dribbling the ball which can be handy to get around them. To dunk the ball all you have to do is press the shoot button when the player is near the ring, which can be known if their circle turns entirely green.

While in defense the buttons let you either try to steal the ball or block a shot. I found defense to be the least effective part of the game as your circle tells blue when you can successfully steal the ball and red when you can successfully block a shot. Apart from that it's a hit and miss thing that may or may not work. In each part of the game you can use tactics and plays to score or have a successful defense, these can be changed each play.

This game is just like playing basketball (surprise!). You can play in either exhibition mode, season mode or skip it all and go straight to the playoffs. Each of these games can be played with one of three difficulty levels and various quarter times.

I found the game quite a challenge while on medium, which is good to see that it isn't really easy to defeat. The game plays and feels like a basketball game which is good to see. Each of the players have different traits that represent their real life selves. For example when playing with the Lakers I found Kobe Bryant is more likely to hit a 3 pointer than say Pau Gasol in the same position because he is more often than not in the paint.

EA has done a great job on making this game as good as possible, but if I was to suggest anything I would love a more intense defense, not only on my side of the game but from the opposition as well. They seem to just sit and wait for me to make a play and I would like to see some more attacking defense. This game has loads of replayabilty for you as it will take days upon days to finish the 82 game season and the playoffs. While $9.99 may seem like a hefty price just think of all the game time you will get out of this.

This is a not to miss game for all basketball fans and should also provide enjoyment for the less unsporty. With the added incentive of unlockable legends of NBA teams' past, this should appeal to those who are fans of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James or even classics like Magic Johnson.

If I was you I wouldn't miss out on this game, it will be one of your favourites for months to come. Now I have better get back to the game otherwise Dwight Howard might blow me out of the water... Unlikely ;)

Gameplay- 10/10
Graphics- 9/10
Sound- 10/10
Overall- 9.5/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Streetball

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