NBA Live 07 – XB – Review

EA Sports
has some well-established franchises, covering most of the major sports. Madden
locked up the pro football license, but there are still some licenses that are
shared – like the NHL and NBA.

NBA Live 07
is the latest iteration of the latter’s franchise and while there are some
tweaks to the control scheme, much of what is here seems either old hat or
uninspired. Not to say that NBA Live 07 is not a good title. It most certainly
is a solid basketball experience, and creates some new elements that should take
the game to the next level on the Xbox platform. There just seems an overall
lack of excitement – most notable in the audio tracks – that rob the game of the
appeal it could have.

But what NBA
Live 07 does well, it does quite well. The game has added Total Freestyle
Control to the control mix. Total Freestyle Control is a system that uses the
right thumbstick to perform a variety of moves that largely depend on the
superstar you have (as in the level of your player). There is also two new types
of superstars, falling under the banner of Freestyle Superstars 07. This brings
the total number of superstar types to eight, with two new levels (star level
and superstar level). Players can switch superstar types (if there is more than
one) on the fly (left trigger and click right thumbstick). The X Factor is the
clutch sixth man who can temporarily elevate his game to the superstar level.
You name a potential X Factor player, put him into the game and use him
consistently to get the bar to flash, at which point the player goes into
superstar ability mode for a short time.

There are
also new gameplay features that give you different types of passing moves,
including touch pass. Most of the passes use the X button, but the alley-oop
uses the white button. The D-pad can select plays on the fly. The right
thumbstick (moved fluidly up and down) is used to make free throws. Dunks and
layups have been moved to the Y and X buttons, respectively.

The new
passing features are well designed, and you can use the right thumbstick to
guide the direction of your passing, making for a quick defensive rebound,
outlet and passing scheme down the court. However, sometimes the animation is
such that the passing seems to take on the elements of the arcane, with the ball
magically moving through or around players to the designated spot.

And then
there is the issue with court speed. As in the past, this game feels like the
players are knee-deep in mud. Hit turbo for that speed boost to blow down the
court and the speed increase is marginal at best. It also seems that if there is
a defender nearby, in spite of control movement away from the defender, your
ball handler will run into the defender, and carry that player along slowly down
the court. So much for the fast-break game … at least when you control the game.
The AI-controlled team seems to have little problem breaking free and
outdistancing player defenses.

These are
just some of the glaring problems that slow down this game’s transition toward
next-gen gaming.

EA Sports
has also given attention, with 07, to team chemistry. How your players get along
will go a long way to crunch time performance and interaction on the court. Of
course, there are other ingredients in this scenario. You get to draft players
and even have a mock draft to see who will pick what. As a team owner, though,
you are not locked into the selection of the mock draft and may actually find
another player out there that is overall a better player. The draft will address
your team’s needs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t draft a prime player and then
try to work trades.

While the
game does have some nice twists and features, from the creation mode to the rich
and deep dynasty mode, the overall experience is just feeling a bit dated. Other
graphical glitches can be tied to jumping animations and the jump shot. Instead
of being released from the top of the forehead, the ball lurches down to about
eye level before rising up toward the basket in a smooth arc. This is contrary
to the new free-throw shooting motion, that requires you to release the shot
(all using the right thumbstick) when it gets to your forehead. It takes some
work to perfect.

Does this
make for a bad game experience? Absolutely not. There are several reasons for
that – one is the intensity element added. Players controlled by the AI will
react differently as the game progresses and if you go on a scoring run, plays
sterling defense, expect to feel that. The ebb and flow of the game seems much
more defined in this year’s title.

The music is
basically forgettable in this game. Even what could be hot collaborations
between legendary recording artists like Sergio Mendes and Black Eyed Peas comes
out being somewhat uninspired. The commentary (by Marv Albert and Steve Kerr)
suffers, at times, from the same audio quality. It is flat and without
excitement. The duo does keep up with the game’s action well, but Kerr is so
laid back that in the excitement of the play it is easy to miss his comments.

The game’s
graphics have a lush feel to them. The court reflections, lighting and player
models work very well, and the ball physics are solid. The AI is smart and
strong. Depending on the difficulty level you select (and you can tweak a host
of elements to really refine the game experience), the AI will either play
almost flawlessly (aside from the missed shots, which each team is prone to), or
make a few odd mistakes at various times. From the default camera angle, it does
get hard to figure out if your defensive player is taking a charge or committing
the foul.

Defined
roles are a key factor in this year’s game, and NBA Live 07 presents a strong
court experience but there are little things that stop the game from truly going
over the top. It feels sluggish and the control scheme to actively jump from
player to player feels a little unresponsive. Yes, you can go to another player
quickly but there is a blink or two before they react to their settings.

The dynasty
mode is definitely a solid entry point for this game and has a great deal of
depth, and online support makes this a fine game. But if you are looking for a
game that has the play feeling and flare of something the EA Sports NHL title,
then look elsewhere – NBA Live 07 is good, but just not as strong as it might
have been.

Review Scoring Details for NBA Live 07

Gameplay:
6.8
The game speed is
a disappointment. Hit turbo and you don’t turbo anything. The controls are fine,
but don’t feel as fluid as they could – especially when you look at the reactive
control scheme of other team games like EA’s NHL franchise.

Graphics:
7.0
There are
graphical glitches. There are odd animations. The player models look fine as do
the majority of environmental elements. Still, on the Xbox this is solid,
graphically.

Sound:
7.0
Serviceable is
about the best that can be said. The play-by-play lacks even the excitement of a
televised game (don’t say it can’t be done, even though repetitive, EA’s NCAA
football has ‘exciting’ commentary, as does their FIFA games), and the musical
score does not stand out.

Difficulty: Medium
Give EA props for
this – you can really customize the experience to your own tastes in a variety
of ways.

Concept:
7.2
Some nice
additions but generally not enough where it needed to be focused to elevate the
gameplay.

Multiplayer: 7.5
The multiplayer support is good, but nothing really more than what has been
offered in the past.

Overall:
7.0
While the game
looks good, and while there are some nice additions, the game – overall – is a
bit of a disappointment. Given the choice between NBA and NCAA basketball
videogames, the NCAA game wins out because of the excitement factor. This game,
while not a bad title, just feels slow and awkward at times. EA has shown that
quality team sports can be actualized on a console. NBA Live 07 needs to step up
and bring the fluidity of the pro game to the court. Dunks are fine, but
shooting and game tempo needs to be addressed and soon.