The animations are still a little clunky and they probably repeat more than you would like them too but the TV-style camera angles and production values really give it that pizzazz that b-ball is known for.
In the looks department there has been an overall improvement that, while not as impressive as something like Madden or FIFA, still manages to come off looking quite swanky. The crowd looks a little goofy and the players get a little too shiny for their own good but I still give it respect for providing pretty nice graphics when you consider all the variables that are going on at any given time.
While the presentation is above par this year I’m pleased to report that the gameplay is a lot tighter than I remember it being from last year. Instead of slam dunks and shots using two different buttons, there is only one button to do both and will largely depend on where you are on the court and how hard you press the button. There are moments when things don’t go quite the way you planned them and it can be pretty frustrating when that happens because of a dodgy animation but at least it’s better than the last two years efforts. At least this year it actually works more than it fails. I also think there are moments when it felt like the computer was taking things out of my hands a little bit too much because I tried repeating some of the dunks and it was nigh on impossible to get the same result twice.
The dynamic season mode allows actual data from the NBA to update your stats and results which is pretty clever and it’s always nice to feel like you’re always up to date with the latest happenings whether or not it actually changes the gameplay I’m not entirely sure, probably depends on how big a fan of basketball you are and if you would even notice such a thing. It’s pretty obscure and like many things, NBA Live 10 is fairly quiet with how far reaching this option is, not to mention how you actually play the game as I couldn’t find a tutorial mode anywhere. Luckily I remembered back to last year and kinda worked it out from there.
The commentary is also a lot better than last year but it’s still not up to the same level of polish that you will find in Madden. I managed to hear the same lines repeated over and over again, sometimes up to three or four times in the same match (I do like to play more realistic longer matches) and when it was promised that the commentary would vary depending on how your team was playing and how it doesn’t quite work that way, it’s a little disappointing. At least it is informative and fun to listen to, but if you find it starting to repeat too often, just turn it off…if only I could do the same for that squeaky sneaker sound effect. Worst noise ever!
NBA Live 10 is a great effort from EA Sports to recapture the Basketball market. They have done a fairly good job this year and I hope things keep going in this direction. You can tell that it doesn’t have the same budget as something like Madden or FIFA but it still is a must have if basketball is your game. I haven’t played 2K’s version of this game so I’m unable to compare results but I’m going to give this one three and a half stars out of five. I can’t wait to see what they end up doing next year.
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