NBA Live 2005

Basketball season is just around the corner and EA has released NBA Live 2005 just in time to get you primed and ready. New this year is a revamped franchise mode and a full implementation of All-Star Weekend to go along with the already solid gameplay. It isn’t radically different than Live 2004, but it has one key addition that makes it worth a purchase: online play via Xbox Live.

All-Star Weekend

The most obvious addition to Live 2005 is the All-Star Weekend. You can compete in the Rookies vs. Sophomores game and the All-Star Game along with the three-point contest and dunk contest. The three-point contest is pretty easy as it only requires you to press one button to pick up the ball and then another one to shoot. It isn’t too difficult to get a perfect score, so this mode gets boring pretty fast. The slam dunk contest errs on the other side of the fence by being really difficult rather than really easy. Each button on the controller represents a different takeoff and then once you are in the air you press another button to perform different tricks. There are hundreds of possible dunks you can do, which is all well and good if you can actually get the timing down. You have to be very precise in every area of the dunk contest and if you screw up your dunk is aborted and the crowd rains boos down on you. It is frustrating and not really all that fun. I would say a majority of gamers will be turned off by the difficulty, which is a shame. If you are good at it, the dunk contest is really a great addition. Most people won’t have the patience for it, though.

You Got Game

The actual basketball in Live 2005 is as solid as ever, but there are a lot of little flaws that prevent it from really representing the actual NBA game. The important stuff is all there and it is solid. Shooting, dunking, passing, dribbling – all that good stuff. It is the little things such as the fact that players stop to catch a pass rather than catching it on the run or how defensive players recover way too quickly on the fast break. Also, the game is weighted very heavily towards dunking and flash instead of shooting and simply playing solid basketball. The game is still fun, though, don’t get me wrong. Freestyle control is back this year and it is as satisfying as ever to fake a defender out of his Nikes on your way to the basket. You also have a lot more options when rebounding and can press different buttons to tip-in, dunk, or perform a regular rebound. NBA Live 2005 is a good game of basketball that fans will be able to really sink their teeth into. With a few tweaks it could be perfect.

Dynasty Mode

Like any sports game worth the disc it is printed on these days, Live 2005 has a full-featured dynasty mode. Since only crazy obsessed people will play every game in multiple 82 game seasons, simulating games is the easiest way to get through a season. Unlike NHL 2005, you are constantly updated on injuries and important news throughout the season which is a big help. You also have full control over your scouting team so you can research players you may want to draft and you are even given a chance to play as the little college drop outs before you actually pick them on draft day. The dynasty mode is very solid and really where the meat of the gameplay lies in Live 2005.