NBA Live 2005 Hands-On (Xbox)

Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Canada
Genre: Sports Simulation
Release Date: October 5, 2004
ESRB: Everyone
By Will Tuttle | Sept. 16, 2004

We go hands-on with Live' s streamlined Dynasty Mode and take a look at the players' moves.

Streamlined Dynasty Mode is much easier to use than last year; player models look and move just like the real thing. Will it be able to take the hoop crown from the ESPN series?

Yesterday, we brought you a preview of NBA Live 2005' s innovative new dunking system, featured in the game' s All-Star Weekend mode. While the spectacular dunks will no doubt garner a lot of press, we' re here to tell you that the game features a lot more than just fancy aerial acrobatics. In fact, the additions to this year' s iteration are guaranteed to make the game deeper than ever, as EA tries to take the NBA crown back from the ESPN 2K series.

Deeper is actually the perfect way to describe the new Dynasty Mode, which has been rebuilt from the ground up to create a more streamlined, user-friendly experience. When starting the mode, you' ll have to choose your team, with a series of gauges telling you what type of game they play. The info is broken into four different categories, with each one offering a glimpse at the type of play to expect. You can see the kind of offense they' ll be running (fast break or half court), what style of play they prefer (physical or finesse), their defensive set up (man to man or zone), as well as whether they like to pound the ball into their big men or rely on outside jumpers to rack up the points.

After a brief Training Camp segment in which you decide what elements of the game to focus on to prepare for the upcoming season, you' ll jump to the team calendar in order to see what' s coming up. The calendar is one of the most important parts of the dynasty mode, as you' ll rely on it to see what games are on tap, as well as any trading or signing deadlines that are looming in the future. As in the dynasty modes in many other games, you can pick a day on the calendar and simulate all of the action up until that point. However, in a nice new addition, when you simulate your team' s games you can watch the score change from quarter to quarter, and hop in at the end of any quarter. This can come in very handy if your team is in a close game after three quarters, as you can take over and carry them to victory.

While the calendar is important, you' ll probably spend most of your time on your in-game PDA, which allows you to receive emails from just about everyone that' s important to you, from the team Owner to the Scouting Staff. The Owner will give you advice and guidance, in addition to letting you know how he feels about your efforts in the form of a GM rating. Emails from the Medical Staff give you updates on the health of your players, while the Coaching Staff will tell you everything you need to know about the players, including what kind of training they' d benefit from.

Two of the biggest changes in the game are the trading and signing processes. First of all, you now have to worry about dollars and cents, rather than the slightly abstract points system that was used in previous versions. Secondly, the timing of the whole thing has changed. Before, if you made a trade offer, you' d find out immediately if it had been accepted or rejected, which isn' t how it happens in the real world. Deals involving millions of dollars don' t just happen without some serious thought, so you' re forced to wait a few days as the other team (or the player' s agent, in the case of free agent signings) mull over your proposal. This injects a nice dose of realism into the game, as you now must think twice before making an offer, since you can get in trouble if you' ve got multiple deals on the table.

The scouting process has changed quite a bit, as well. When entering the scouting page, you must choose from a few different regions (Asia, Africa, Europe, and parts of the US) then take a look at all of the available players. Some info, such as height, weight, and age, are presented right off the bat, but you' re going to have to pay if you want to find out how good they are. Using Dynasty Points that are awarded throughout the game (for things like allowing less than 20 points in a half or getting more than 10 offensive boards in a game), you can pay to have one of your scouts judge a player using one of three types of criteria: offense, defense, or athleticism. After a few days (these things take time, you know?), you' ll get a report back that scores the potential rookie using an A to F system, at which point you can have him judged on the other criteria.

After the season ends, you' ll have to deal with the usual offseason duties of the GM, including re-signing your players, finding out your draft position, and continuing to scout potential rookies. After the draft rolls around, it' s time to make trades and sign free agents. If your owner is reasonably happy with your efforts, you' ll get to do the whole thing over again. Repeat 25 times, and you' ve got a Dynasty!

But what about the changes that affect the gamers who would rather spend their time on the court instead of in the front office? Well, there' s plenty of new stuff for all of the armchair shooting guards out there. EA has implemented what they are calling a " Freestyle Air" system, which allows you to alter your actions in mid-air. While it comes into a play little bit when shooting, the biggest change is in the rebounding mechanics. Rather than simply grabbing a rebound or arbitrarily trying to tip the ball in, you can now tell your player what to do with the board. While you' re in the air, simply hit the corresponding button to make your man grab the rebound, tap it in, or attempt a ferocious follow-up dunk.

A few other gameplay elements have been tweaked, as well. The pro hop move, which was nearly impossible to stop last year, has been toned down quite a bit, and will only work in optimal situations. If you try to do it in a crowded lane, there' s a good chance you' ll get called for a charge. This year' s player models move much more realistically, especially when compared to their real-life counterparts. While most of the league' s role players move in more or less the same fashion, stars like T-Mac and Stevie Franchise dribble and drive in the same way they would on the real parquet.

So far, NBA Live 2005 is shaping up to be the best game in the series to date. The dynasty mode is deeper than ever, and it' s finally a breeze to use, even for players who have never tried their hand at running a team. Upgraded visuals and controls add to the realism. While it remains to be seen if it will be the best hoop sim of the year, NBA Live 2005 is certainly a leap in the right direction for the franchise.