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Rating: Average After years of little to no major gameplay innovations, the NBA Live series has finally started to feel outdated. The result is a game that's nowhere near as fun as its predecessors, but still more fun than NBA 2K. The graphics actually seem to look worse than they did last year. The best word I can use to describe them is "muddy." It's common for large groups of players that are close to each other to look like one big blob rather than individual players. While Madden 2000's graphics still seem solid after you've played NFL 2K, Live 2000 looks just plain silly after you've spent some time with NBA 2K. The gameplay is completely unchanged, with the exception of slightly better Artificial Intelligence. It's insulting that EA Sports didn't make any other noticeable changes despite their new and technologically superior competition. The new 1-on-1 mode is only fun for as long as it takes you to figure out a certain cheap trick that I won't mention here so that I don't ruin anyone's enjoyment of the game. The three-point shootout mode was fun when it was first introduced a few years ago, but it has gotten old after having no changes made to it for years. One of the areas in which NBA 2K eats Live 2000 for breakfast is in the individuality of the players. I'm not just talking about the huge difference in the graphics; I'm talking about the gameplay as well. NBA 2K feels a lot more like the real NBA in that certain players are a lot faster than others, certain players are a lot stronger than others, and certain players are a lot bigger than others. This never comes across in Live 2000's much more generic players. The two other big gripes I have with the gameplay are the blocking control and the crunch-time AI. There is a pathetically long amount of time between when you press the button for a block or rebound and when your player actually jumps. And once they are in the air, they float in slow- motion for several seconds rather than behaving realistically. As for the crunch-time AI, you'll realize that it still sucks when you're in the closing seconds of a game and the computer needs a three-pointer, but they go for two instead. Like NBA Live '99, Live 2000 lets you play multiple seasons in a row, but it doesn't offer any kind of full-fledged Franchise Mode like Madden does. The foundation is already there; all EA needed to do was adapt it to the NBA. It's a shame they didn't, because a Franchise Mode would have dramatically increased the game's depth. Why can't somebody make a basketball game that's fun and innovative instead of just one or the other? NBA 2K has bold, new, innovative concepts that are marred by poor execution and a complete lack of balance, while Live 2000 has horribly outdated gameplay that's still much more fun than NBA 2K's. Personally, I'm not going to buy either game, but if you feel like you have to have one of them, I recommend choosing fun over innovation and buying NBA Live 2000. Send your thoughts on this review to ivan@mastergamer.com
© 2001 ivan@mastergamer.com