Who would have thought my nearly decade long hiatus from basketball video gaming would end with me playing both major offering from a single season, back to back? I sure as hell didn't, but then NBA Live 10 showed up. As I mentioned in my review of NBA 2K10, NBA Live has never really been my cup of tea when it comes to professional basketball video games. Where the 2K series focused on simulation basketball, NBA Live always seemed a slight step below NBA Jam in the arcade-y department, and didn't even include playable versions of Bill Clinton or the Fresh Prince. But as Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic says in NBA Live 10's opening cinematic; the theme of this year's game is revival. So does it succeed?
With an entirely new development team, NBA Live 10 has returned with a much more authentic simulation experience. The entire game has been retooled to deliver a true-to-life game of hoops; ranging from the way the game controls, how responsive it is, how it's presented, and how balanced it is. Let's start with how the game looks. To cut right to the chase, NBA Live 10 doesn't measure up to NBA 2K10. That doesn't mean they are bad, they just don't look as good as the competition. The players look less realistic, with almost a cartoon-y appearance and glossy finish, and the uniforms don't sway as realistically when in motion. The crowds are also not as animated as in 2K10, still looking like the stock Nintendo 64-esque graphic models we've come to expect in sporting titles. Disappointing, considering NBA 2K10 has some great crowds that don't look like they're chanting in unison, really helping make the experience come alive.
However, everything else about Live 10's presentation is top notch. Between the pre-game lead-ins, the actual stadiums themselves, the updating "storylines" discussed by Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, and the injuries players play through including eye pokes, ankle turns, and hand/ finger jams, NBA Live 10 accurately resembles an NBA TV broadcast. For me, Marv Albert has always been the distinct voice of the NBA, much like the loony Dick Vitale is the voice of college ball, and it's great to hear him again, alongside Steve Kerr, who I was a big fan of during his days as the shooting guard for the Chicago Bulls. So that's win/win.
In the gameplay department, NBA Live 10 definitely feels a lot more natural and realistic, but still suffers from one nagging issue. It's still way to easy to drive the lane, no matter who you're controlling. You simply perform a crossover and slam down the turbo button, hitting shoot once in stride and you are pretty much guaranteed an aggressive lay-up or dunk for two points. While playing as the Celtics, I was able to slam dunk over Shaq as Rajon Rondo, the Celt's point-guard. I don't even think Rondo can dunk, let alone over Shaq. He would totally be Shaq-Fued right back down into the hardwood.
NBA Live 10 is also a much faster paced game than it's NBA 2K10 counterpart. Where it's nigh impossible to perform a breakaway in 2K10, NBA Live keeps the game moving, with fast-breaks that happen quite frequently. So for those looking to play a game where slowing down the action on court is actually beneficial, Live isn't really what you're looking for. I had a hard time calling plays on the fly outside of the standard pick. You're better off just turning off your brain and settling in for a twenty minute game of rapid fire back-and-forth with Live 10.
When it comes down to it, NBA Live 10 successfully does what it set out to do; revive a limping franchise. While this year's model teeters more towards producing a true-to-life NBA simulation experience, the arcade-y feel that Live as been known for over the last few years remains to keep the action heavy and the learning curve light. NBA Live 10 might not look as good as NBA 2K10, or play as realistically, but Live 10 is a huge first step towards seeing EA Sport's basketball series competing with 2K down the line. Should be exciting to see where they go from here.
CraveOnline Rating: 8.0 out of 10
