Anyone who prefers Live 2003 to 2004?

[Leander]

I think I keep on playing Live 2003 with tweaks and having the CPU play sets and so on...it is fun, I got rid of almost of those bugs and cheating stuff.

Live 2004 pros:

Graphics
Player introductions
Block animations
Freestyle
...

but what I really hate:

Dribbling...I turned down that physical something and boundary force thing, then I let NY play vs. the Rockets... CPU vs. CPU.
17 of out 55 FGAs were 3-point attempts. Players kept running around the arc, passing but hardly ever moving towards the basket. 80% of the time the dribble with their backs to their defenders!
Too often they take threes with a guy in their faces, take strange jumpers where they fly in the right or left direction...and don't ask me why but Mutombo was standing at the 3-pointline, being guarded by Yao Ming and he attempted a 3-pointer. 20 seconds later, Kurt Thomas did the same...although both are the complete opposite of a good 3-point-shooter.

Players move like cards, with legs moving too quickly and often.

It is so difficult to pass, dribble past a guy, take a shot....the main difficulty is not scoring but getting your player dribble correctly, not with his back first. I know, this is done to protect the ball but not all the time!! Players dribble in front of their defenders a lot, face to face...

Try to pass to a big SF, make some dribbling and shoot over your smaller defender, it is so difficult as they always turn their backs!

[showstopper496]

why dont you use the roster update from nbalive.org they have set plays no more 55 3pt attempts. LOL and 2004 is leaps and bounds ahead of 2003

[Fadeyi]

They are not even the same game man.

[R-Tistic]

At times I prefer 2003, mainly for the passing. I think 2004 is a better game overall, but the horrible passing takes a LOT away from it, especially since I am a fast break player.

[1CenT]

well talkin about fast breaks
you don't see it in the nba every posession ppl doing crazy big passes over other defenders.. i fink 2004 has improved passin by realism
actually.. in the real nba.. a cross court pass = steal/turnover and so does all lazy pass.. 2004 got rid of effortless long passes.. i actually like the fast breaks in 2004.. cuz u don't get them much.. or else it'll be again too easy...
it is kinda true tho its hard to pull a crossover with a defender checking you closely cuz your player automaticly puts their back against the basket..

[Jackal]

At times I prefer 2003, mainly for the passing.

What passing? Everytime you pass, the defender sticks his hands up in the air and the ball is sucked into his armpits magically...that isnt passing mate.

especially since I am a fast break player.

The word is arcade.

[Colin]

I miss Shaq being able to dunk over Earl Boykin's without using teh f*cking automatic shot adjust. And notbeing able to crossover (or do it well) when there's a defender right there.

[jayp]

i prefer 2003 ONLY because it doesnt have patching issues.. other than that 2004 is way better than 2003...

[td3ph]

i prefer 2003 ONLY because it doesnt have patching issues.. other than that 2004 is way better than 2003...

have to agree with you...the only advantage of 2003 over 2004 is its user friendly patching capability. Other than that its 2004 all the way

[muyo]

2004 is totally a diff game,i agree:D if u consider real sim basketball then this is just great:D if u rely heavily on freestyle,cut through defense then live2003 is ur best choice,but 2004 is matter of strategy:p i rarely use freestyle unless my matchup is slower:p 2004 is matter of creating opportunity:D

BTW live 2003 has streetbasket mod,but i dont think 2004 is good for street:p

[Metsis]

The people who think Live 2003 with it's passing and armpit sucking defenders reminds them of basket ball... Go see a game... It just does not happen...

The passing in Live 2004 is great... You have your good passes and your bad passes. There is a difference with well passing players and not so well passing players... Finally moving the ball really matters...

You can't go to the hoop in every posession and you can't score at will from any part of the floor... There is finally a challenge... And the sliders enable us to take that challenge to a whole new level once we get the hang of the AI offense and defense, so the challenge is almost never ending. If you don't mind too much about a little bit twisted stats, you can certainly give the cpu your best effort and still lose...

Live 2004 is better in so many ways I don't even want to think about it...

[logan100]

I think to compare these two games (Live 03 & 04) you've got to compare 'em on their original condition (without patch or edited files/graphic). And you should look at all of the aspects/ features that the games offer, not just one or two.
That's how I made a conclusion that Live 2004 is way much better than 2003.

[Sweetlou]

The only reason that it can be said that 2004 is better that 2003 is because 2003 was such a flawed game. The shortcomings in 2003 make anything look better in comparison. However, 2004 is not all that great. They improved the defense in the game. I applaud that. But the play is completely unbalanced now. Because of the new animations, there seems to be less positive control of the players. And they don't seem to want to do what you are attempting to do.

[~*-| dZn |-*~ `9]

2004. although bugs are everywhere ..... we can't really expect a perfect NBA Live game ......

[JL2]

I miss Shaq being able to dunk over Earl Boykin's without using teh f*cking automatic shot adjust. And notbeing able to crossover (or do it well) when there's a defender right there.

Finally someone who agrees with me on this. Can't stand the stupid back to basket dribble. On the other hand, when there's no pressure on the ball, the stupid player will never turn around. He'll go around picks with his face to the basket. How stupid is this?

I also freaking hate shooting a wide open layup/dunk only to have it blocked from some player who, in real life, would have no chance in hell of blocking me. Players hit shots they shouldn't and miss shots that are wide, wide open.

[MCalca1706]

I was one of the most verbal critics of NBA Live 2003 for bcoming NBA Jam. 2004 is much improved over 2003 but there are still some problems.

The computer is now too good on defense, to the point, that it is very difficult just to get to the basket. The computer players seem to be evreywhere at the same time. You seem to bounce off of them like there is a force field blocking your path to the basket. Even teams that are not good defensive teams are all over you like a cheap suit. If you don't get back on defense the computer players will fast break or pass to the other end of the court and get easy baskets repeatedly. They seem to run twice as fast as your players.

Another complaint I have is that the ratings don't seem to have much to do with how a player actually performs. Players with very low ratings seem to fly around your players.

The graphics do not seem as good as 2003's but the player movements are much more realistic.

In my opinion, Despite it's flaws, it's much better and more realistic than Live 2003.
Happy New Year
M. Calcagno

[R-Tistic]

At times I prefer 2003, mainly for the passing.

What passing? Everytime you pass, the defender sticks his hands up in the air and the ball is sucked into his armpits magically...that isnt passing mate.

especially since I am a fast break player.

The word is arcade.

When I say passing, I mean the fact that 80% of the time when u throw the ball to somebody, they jump up in the air, and sometimes take a few seconds to actually start runnin or dribblin, which is EXTREMELY unrealistic.

I don't have to just be an arcade game player to like fast breaks...ever heard of the 80's Lakers???? Fast breaks on NBA Live 04 suck!!!!!!!!!! I have had many times where its two or three dudes on the other side, and they will run a stupid route away from the goal when there are no defenders or anything.

And in real life, you can throw a lead pass, pretty much as a quarterback does in football, to where you throw it to where the player will be by the time the ball gets there...but not Live 04...they will jump up in the air, and stop runnin, which will kill the fast break.

[midLfinger]

When I say passing, I mean the fact that 80% of the time when u throw the ball to somebody, they jump up in the air, and sometimes take a few seconds to actually start runnin or dribblin, which is EXTREMELY unrealistic.

Initially, this pissed me off, too. But after playing Live 2004 I started noticing while watching games that the players actually jump to catch the passes. The reason for this is that passers are not QBs. The passes are off and the player has to jump and catch it. Also, this is to defend the ball. With the direct passing in 2003 I always stole the ball when it was passed a long distance. Now that they heave it (as is done in the NBA) it's harder because I stand in front of the recieving player while tapping steal and we both jump for the ball. Usually, he gets the ball because the passer threw it too high and since he's a farther distance he gets it. It isn't EXTREMELY unrealistic. It's quite realistic considering all of this and the simple fact that you're not passing in its truest sense but merely throwing a ball across a basketball court in the direction of another player.

I don't have to just be an arcade game player to like fast breaks...ever heard of the 80's Lakers???? Fast breaks on NBA Live 04 suck!!!!!!!!!! I have had many times where its two or three dudes on the other side, and they will run a stupid route away from the goal when there are no defenders or anything.

Fast breaks come easy to me. You just said there are 2 or 3 guys on the other side of the court. Pass from one to another and none will jump. Usually, I do this with the Nets. Martin or Collins get the board. I pass it to Kidd who is just outside of the opponents 3-point line. Kidd passes it to either Kittles or Jefferson. At this point I'll either score with one of them or pass from one to the other to score. It's very effective and easy if you know how to Icon Pass well and have your players Icons memorized.

And in real life, you can throw a lead pass, pretty much as a quarterback does in football, to where you throw it to where the player will be by the time the ball gets there...but not Live 04...they will jump up in the air, and stop runnin, which will kill the fast break.

I already explained how it's not like a QB. QBs are trained for this. They're on the team because they can pass really, really far. Also, would you suggest that the NBA players cradle the ball when it is caught much like a football player does? No, the NBA player has to catch the ball and become aware of the situation around him as well as pick up the dribble. While I can agree that the players take way too much time after catching the ball, I can't say that it's like football. Once I was playing and I was down one with 5 seconds left. I passed it to the PF and he caught it by jumping with 3 seconds left. The clock ran down before he managed to get the shot off because he was apparently reacting to the "shear force" with which he landed after catching a ball that was "heaved" from the three point line to him under the basket.

The fast breaks are not hard if you know how to pull them off. Also, to those complaining about defense: run offensive plays efficiently. I have very little trouble getting through the defense and I run the pick and roll 80% of the time. I actually feel that the defense is lacking. Playing as the Cavs I ran the pick with Lebron about 9 times in a row and got a dunk each time. It was hilarious because the announcer was going "Lebrooooon Jaaaaaaames" each and every time.

[fgrep15]

I have very little trouble getting through the defense and I run the pick and roll 80% of the time. I actually feel that the defense is lacking. Playing as the Cavs I ran the pick with Lebron about 9 times in a row and got a dunk each time. It was hilarious because the announcer was going "Lebrooooon Jaaaaaaames" each and every time.

Yea I find it pretty easy too if you use pick and roll, cause many times no one rotates over to help and stop the penetration.

[pinero]

there are some things i like about 03 more then 04. like the fact that in 03 i had a button for crossover, im not fond of the right thumbstick for crossovers, also im sorry but what the hell does everyone see in freestyle anyway, there are FEWER moves u can do in 03, i think jumpstep is too dominate too, its a shame cause i like the way it looks, and one that that kinda bugs me but only on the pc version is customart not working. but i mean thats farely minor, i love the new graphics and the store is tight, since i cant use customart ive become pretty attached to the shoes that are in the game, the gameplay is way better, ive actually lost alot of games because the computer plays pretty smart unlike last year, all in all 04 is better but 03 just had some better elements i want back