NBA Live 2004

The Good
The graphics has been improved as well as the Freestyle control. This time you will have to really pay attention to the defense to find ways to the basket. It's harder to get to the basket in this game than last year's game, which makes this game feel a lot more realistic. In Live 2003 all you have to do is run straight to the basket and you will blow out the opponent. Thankfully, Live 2004 changed all that with better collision detection as you can no longer run straight past your opponent without bumping him. In this game you will be forced to pass the ball around and find open guys for easy baskets or run a variety of plays for your big men in the key. This add a lot more realism to the game. With Marv Albert and Mike Fratello doing the commentary, Live 2004 has the best announcing team in any basketball game! The EA Sports Trax in this game is awesome with songs from, Chingy, Sean Paul, the Blackeyed Peas, Outkast, and more! Even more, Dynasty Mode has been greatly improved with more options and you will see plenty of cutscenes of players getting drafted, key players getting signed, and things like that. There is also a one-on-one mode that is very addictive.

The Bad
Graphics has been improved but Live is still behind ESPN NBA in this department. It's very tough for beginners to win games at first. It's hard to get to the hoops off the dribble but with some practice that will not be a problem. Another complain is that players ratings tend to be off and players often get whistle for backcourt violations when they catch a pass at midcourt.

The Bottom Line
This is by far the best basketball game I've played. It's better than ESPN NBA in my opinion. The only thing that isn't is the graphics. I highly recommend this game for basketball fans who like a game that's fun and plays realistically.