i need comments on 2004 before i buy it

[yukon2k]

i'd like any comments, good and bad, about 2004 compared to 2003.

i'm getting very gunshy about this series because i think it's going downhill every year. i think i started with live '97 and haven't seen any improvements since. i've been using 2000 because it was a lot better than 2001. i heard 2003 make quite a few improvements, so i've now been using 2003. i don't think 2003 is any better than 2000 and in some cases has taken a step backward.

in 2000, i could turn off all of the player cut sequences and just play the game. in 2003, there's no way to get rid of the players coming out of the tunnel, the players clowning around before the game, the center clowning around with the ref on every opening tip-off, the camera panning to the bench to the player/coach sequences on every substitution, the camera panning to the bench to see the players gripe on every foul call, etc

in 2000, you could hear the swish of the ball and see the net move when the ball went through it. in 2003, the net looks like an old atari game goal and doesn't make a sound or move when the ball goes through - most of the time, the only way that you know a fg has been made is the other team is taking the ball out of bounds.

the speed of the game has always been too fast and ea sports has never improved this over the years to make the game more realistic and playable. i think it's even worse with 2003 than 2000. i'm not talking about the players' speed and quickness (i've turned them down in the editor and it doesn't make a difference on the general speed of the game - passing, etc.). in 2003, the player can shoot 2 free throws in a second or less, i've seen 3 or 4 passes in a second, players rebound and throw a pass full court in a second, sometime there can be 2 or 3 passes covering the length of the court in a second, players can make 3 passes in their half court in a second or so fast you can't read the player's name. this is the game speed i hope ea sports will correct.

in the loading of 2000, you could uncheck the movies or music files and not install them. in 2003, you had no choice. if you clicked the custom installation, all it gave you was complete installation on your hard drive, or use some files from your cd. you didn't have a chance to get rid of the movies, music, or intros. i thought there was a way, or someone made a patch file, in 2000 to eliminate the intro screens and go directly to the main menu when you load the game.

this is why i would like comments on the above but mainly on 2004 before i buy. i'm getting a little gunshy about this series because i don't think ea sports has made any improvements in nba live (other than video settings and driver updates) since live 98. i'm beginning to think they put the same game in a new box each year and change the main menu a little so everyone will think it's a brand new game. i'm really hoping 2004 is great and looks and plays more realistically than ever, but i'm not going to go out and buy it like i've done every year since '98 just to donate it to goodwill because it's no different or worse than my old versions.

[1CenT]

well if you just surf around the forums.. you'll c the good and the bad
this is definetly a better game than 2003

gameplay is very adjustable with the new sliders..
difficulty is good.. much harder than any other year of live..

cyberfaces suck.. graphices r about same as 2003 ..lots more animations

[yukon2k]

are these sliders about the same thing as the sliders in the madden series? does it have all of the dorky player, player/coach/bench, and pre-game junk or, at least, a way to edit it out? is the speed of the game more realistic - not the player speed, but the ball speed and the passing speed? i just want to make sure this year's version is a vast improvement over the previous ones before i buy it. you mention it is better than 2003 - so is 2000.

i realize that most of the people posting in the forum are nba live series junkies like i was - buying the hype and the game every year. i'm not interested in the nba, or as it should be called now - nsdl - national slam dunk league. i've been using ncaa artwork and rosters and really like it - except for the gripes i mentioned in my original post. that's why, before i buy it this year, i want to make sure it is vast improvement on game speed, playability, option selections, (the graphics have always been good in this series) and people like dpapollo and ncaa live have ncaa rosters and artwork for it

[Andrew]

I see NBA Live 2004 as an improvement over every other game in the series. Sliders are effective, and the game has a much more realistic NBA feel to it. There are no more "courtside comedy" cutscenes, Freestyle control has been updated and improved, and it is possible to have very realistic stats and gameplay.

It's not perfect, but it is only a video game; there are some things that just can't be captured in a virtual environment. But it closer to being perfect than any other title in the series, in my humble opinion.

[yukon2k]

andrew - thanks for your comments. the madden football series uses slider settings and, after a lot of people did a lot of slider testing and posted the settings on the forums, the game was very playable and only had a few quirks left to iron out. nba live 2004 should be a lot better with the slider set-up and, with a lot of people testing settings and experimenting, should result in a slider setting most people will like and can fine tune to their preferences.

i'm glad they got rid of the pre-game clowning around - do they still have the cut sequences to the bench every time a foul is called and the player/coach cut sequence every time a substitution is made?

[Andrew]

They got rid of those cutscenes too.

[bucks_king]

wait for 2005, but 2004 is better then 2003.

[Guest]

I doubt there will be a 2006> LIve series has been running along time(95) i think they will kill it off but continue 2 make Basketball games, time for a fresh approach and change of direction. Lets not forget this is the 9th sequel, i know its a sports game, but that does not mean they have 2 cash in every year(which is what there doing). I know they make improvments and changes that warrent sequals and additions. Live has more sequels than FinalFantasy and Nightmare on elm st.

[Colin]

Final fantasy is actually up to 11 now, but I see your point. Although I don't think they should stop making live and continue with basketball, why change the name if you're still going to produce a product. They did that with the baseball game because it sucked before and currely Live doesn't suck.

[Guest]

Although I don't think they should stop making live and continue with basketball, why change the name if you're still going to produce a product. They did that with the baseball game because it sucked before and currely Live doesn't suck.

Nah, i said 'game', they should start from sctratch. Ea are ripping us off, this how basic it is, they cant even re design the damn inlay. Its all about NBA Live cos there are no other Pc BBall games, buy this or carry on playin 03, 02, 01, 00..... u get my point. What does everybody compare this game to? Last years!! Chuck a game like Segas 2k2 in the mix, if they rls a 2k3 pc, live will be out!!! This horse is now a mule.

[logan100]

Live 2004 is a better improvement from the other series, and I am also live 2000 fan. I think it should be named Live 2001 and EA should had released this game 3 years ago.