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NBA Live 2003

NBA Live 2003

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $14.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Funny but not serious
Review: This game represent all of the meaning about Showtime... The graphics are impresive, the game moment is intense and you can feel about this game isn't live. Nba 2000 put the game in the realism of basketball, I've other versions 96-99, and the game envolve to a better user experience. In Nba 2001, the graphics was too complicated for my video card, and now, 2003 is better to play.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not a simulation basketball game
Review: This is an arcade shootout. the scores are incredibly high and the no. of blocks and steals per game is insane, however there are some patches available that reset the ratings of the players to amke it more realistic. its a really 'fun' game though; if u want realism and offseason detail, buy 2k3, not this.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Freestyle, No substance
Review: Travis Edward Hooker's review is right on point. My biggest complaints so far (the game just arrived in today's mail) are definitely the lack of camera angle options and the inability to fully customize the controls, as you could in previous versions. And unless I'm missing something (certainly possible), I'm also annoyed that they seem to have gotten rid of the ability to sort lists of players by certain attributes (e.g. in descending order of quickness or three-point shooting ability) and there are also no pull-down menus, so you have to sort through teams by clicking one at a time.

I think some of the complaints about unrealistic gameplay can be solved by tweaking player ratings, and by simply playing a more balanced game yourself. In other words, if you do nothing but go for dunks and chuck up threes, the other team will be able to run a lot more. If you run set offenses, you will get back on D better. As always, peep ... for roster patches, forums and much more. If you make the mistake of buying the game, this site may be able to help you regret your purchase a bit less.

All in all, I think EA ought to sell the Live franchise as it stands now to Midway so it can be coupled with that garbage like NFL Blitz and MLB Slugfest. Then, go back to Live 2000 and try building again from there. This game has me seriously considering buying one of the game consoles just for Sega Sports games.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: In short.
Review: Very good game from all aspects except for few non major ones. It is not very realistic so we can't really call it a simulation. What annoys me the most is those impossible scoring runs by the computer. During such stretches the computer will always steal the ball from you, and make impossible shots in succession at the other end. Thus, at higher levels of difficulty, no matter how big of a lead you might have the computer will make a run and catch up. Frequent dunks do not bother me. I like that actually, but what I don't like is easy shot blocking. Every player can average 5 or 6 blocked shots per game. There is a bug regarding the player trade - you cannot initiate it. You can only choose to accept or reject CPU initiated trades. Great feature of the game is option to create and customize your own character. Every basketball fan dreams of playing in the NBA. I recommend playing the Franchise Mode over a long period of time, and not too frequently. Players evolve from season to season. Some players' skills are improved at the start of a new season, while others are deteriorated. I am in my third season with Houston Rockets now. My legs are a bit weaker, and my dunks are not that spectacular any more.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Fun in The beginning
Review: Well as many people did I absoultley loved this game when i first got it and then..well... it got boring after playing for some time and I found myself able to beat any team on any level. This game Nba Live 2003 was not very challegning and I recommend you buy MVp baseball 2003 or Madden 2004 for they will make you happier than Nba Live 2003.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: nba live 2003
Review: well i finally got my nba live 2003 to work today after having problems playing the game after i installed it. the only thing i dont like about this game is that it goes to fast and hard to keep up sometimes. but then again maybe its just because im new to the game but ill rate this game 5 stars. anyone else feel this way? also someone made a post about the dunks. its kinda annoying when they mostly only do the dunks. that is my only complaint about the game other then that its fun

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: NBA Live? Try NBA Jam!
Review: Where to begin with this dismal attempt at a basketball game. It is possibly one of the most frustrating game I have ever played. Unless EA Sports addresses some serious gameplay issues with a patch, there is no point in buying this game.

Here are some reasons as to why:

1. Unrealistic scores: If you play a 12-minute quarter, forget it. The score is going to come out in the 200's. Its just pathetic. Say you choose to go 5 or 6 minutes per quarter - well maybe then can you keep it in the lower 100's, however, your rebounding, minutes per game, and assists will suffer.

2. Unrealistic stats: Okay, so Kobe Bryant can score with two guys double-teaming him and with two hands in his face in real life. But Steve Smith? Lindsey Hunter? C'mon! When you have great defense on a guy, he shouldn't be able to hit all of his shots. The computer seems to hit about 50-80% of their shots on any given night. Its just frustrating. You play tight defense and they still score on you with ANYONE! The last game I played, Steve Smith hit five 3's in a row with a double team of Bonzi Wells and Kevin Garnett. What the heck? And don't get me started with the turn-around-fade-away 3's while there is still 15 seconds left on the shot clock that the computer tends to pull off.

3. Unrealistic plays: So of course a guy as tall as Tim Duncan or Theo Ratlif can stuff a guy like Kevin Garnett in real life because of the size advantages, but Damon Stoudamire? Since when can a 6-1 guy stuff a 6-11 guy?? Its just ridiculous the amount of blocked shots you can get in one game. My starting PG is Stephon Marbury and he's averaging 3 blocked shots per game!

4. Horrible computer AI: Or should I say what computer AI? The computer never seems to take time off the clock. Five seconds into the sequence they take a three (which they will usually make) or they drive the ball and throw up a wild shot (that goes in!) Also, your teammates are about as smart a bottle of ketchup. When you get your shot blocked, they just stand there and watch as the ball gets picked up by the opposing player. When you poke the ball loose from the guy you're covering, they just stand there. When the opposing player backs them down or drives, they rarely jump to contest the shot. They still don't cut to the basket when they get open. Its just awful.

5. Steals!! You can't post up! Every time I post my guy up, a double team comes and they basically cut his arm off to get the ball loose. The ref never calls fouls in those cases. There is absolutely no post-up game in this game; it'll be stolen from you every time down the court. Now when the opposing team backs you down and you try to steal the ball, its impossible. You'll typically average about 26-45 turnovers a game if you have it set to 10 minute quarters.

6. Playbook - Almost all of the plays are designed for the Center or Power Forward position players. There are a few for Small Forward or Shooting Guard, however, that's it! You're much better off just running your offense normally and not running any plays, especially if your Center and Power Forward positions are defensive specialists and not scorers. Also, why post a guy up if he gets the ball taken away from him all the time?

So what did EA do right in this game? Well they finally fixed the rebounding. Of course, its difficult to rebound when the other team doesn't miss, but see the above paragraphs for more on that. However, after you sacrifice a goat during the 12th moon and the other team actually misses a shot, you are able to rebound. Also, offensive rebounds are much easier than previous games. The graphics are smooth and the flow of the game is smooth and not choppy. The fact that there are fast breaks is much more refreshing, as in the previous versions fast breaks were just about impossible.

So there you have it. If you want an arcade game where every shot will be a dunk, then buy this game! If you love NBA Jam, buy this game! However, unless EA puts out a few patches that will fix a lot of the AI problems, then stay far, far away!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: EA Sports is no longer in the game
Review: You can never release a sports simulation that makes everyone completely happy but the EA Sports NBA Live series has been a pretty dependable one over the years.......up until now that is. EA have totally dropped the ball with this game and it is a major disappointment....many of the other reviewers have accurately pointed out the (many) problems with this game but I'll give you my own version of the (few) pros and (many) cons:

Pros: 1) the graphics are terrific, the best yet in any basketball game, the players are much more individual and defined, with great arenas and nice touches like McGrady's blue shoes, Ben Wallace's hair and Iverson's arm sleeve.....the player movement is also more fluid and realistic.

2) Yao Ming IS in the game........I don't know what these people are talking about but he is definitely there AND he is good!

3) Players finish much more realistically at the basket, with an array of layups and reverses that can be executed......crossovers and spin moves can be performed with ease if you are using a keyboard (maybe too easily), something that wasn't the case on Live 2001 (the last game available on PC)

4)you can actually get past a defender, which was impossible in 2001 unless your defender fell for a fake (which only happened with really good players)...the downside of this is that sometimes it is just too easy to break a defender down - a couple of spin moves and your player takes off for the dunk or layup.

5) it is easier to shoot a good percentage on free throws.......in NBA Live 2001 I used to shoot about 50% or less in a game which is not realistic

6) the commentary is slightly better

7) patience is sometimes rewarded in the post - if you wait a bit before you make your move, your defender is susceptible to falling for a fake or moving too soon so that you can get by him....in 2001 your defender would just steal the ball!

OK, that was quick, now for the cons:

1) as noted by many people, the gameplay is absolutely RIDICULOUS.....the game is way too fast, the programmers must have been on drugs when they devised this........NBA Live fans want a simulation, not an arcade.....that's why I hated NBA Jam all those years ago!........to give an example, when I first played the game, it was obvious that with 12 minute quarters teams were going to score 250 points or something (on 2001 you could play 12 minute quarters on the hardest level and get realistic scores - admittedly you struggled to break 35% shooting but it was better than fastbreaks all game!)..........i downloaded a realism patch which helps slightly (previously the CPU would shoot about 85-90% from the field and make ALL of its threes) but it is still frustrating to play........Just now I was using Houston and playing against Indiana wih 8 minute quarters on the all star level.....things were going OK with me leading 17-15 but suddenly Indiana reeled of a 38-0 run(and that's with the realism patch, with player ratings turned down slightly) and playing the rest of the game was pointless!.......when was the last time an NBA team went on a 38-0 run??.....I wasn't doing anything different but somehow I missed layup after layup while the CPU went on about 15 fast breaks from outlet passes in a row and made all of their layups and dunks.......this is the major problem with the game - the fastbreaks......the CPU fastbreaks on almost every possession......you can stop it slightly by making sure you get someone back but even then the CPU will usually outrun your defender, it is useless to even try to catch up.......when rashard lewis has 5 consecutive alley-oops in the first quarter and gary payton has 5 assists after two minutes of play you know you have a crap game on your hands....

2) your computer players don't defend.....ever

3) it is virtually impossible to get an offensive rebound.......in 2001 there were too many offensive rebounds and your shooting guard could often pick up 8 or 9 from long rebounds from threes......now your guys run away from the ball when it goes up off the rim!!......i'd rather get too many than none at all.......and you can't crash boards to help the situation because then your guys won't get back on defence and there will be (!) even more dunks and fastbreaks........before i downloaded he realism patch, there weren't many defensive rebounds either since the CPU never missed a shot!....you might get 5 for your whole team for a whole game!

4) the rims are bad (and they make a stupid sound like glass breaking when a shot goes down)....in 2001 either you swished your shot or it missed - that was stupid....but now basically every shot rattles in from wherever you are...this is equally as bad!

5) there are no good camera angles........for some inexplicable reason EA decided to remove the TV angle which is the only decent one....now you have to fashion your own using Press and some level of zoom......it makes it difficult to play generally and means that defence is harder to play since you can never get a good angle to block anyone's shot......who uses the other angles anyway???.....you can't play with them - they are just a needless novelty

6) like 2001, there is NO IN GAME SAVE OPTION!....this is inexcusable....i would rather have a save option than a million camera angles!

7) it is too difficult to defend........a CPU player (especially point guards) will just spin and crossover until they get a clear path to the basket and you can't get in front of them........you can't stop ANYBODY in the post, even if in real life they have no post game whatsoever

8) if you go for steals you get called for the foul almost every time

9) the CPU often blocks your shot on the perimeter....this is kinda funny since there aren't many blocks happening inside the paint...even when there is a fair bit of space between you and the defender, you shot still gets thrown into the 5th row

10) too many steals......you can't throw a cross court pass or a pass out of the post without it getting stolen

11) this is a bad one......using keyboard, you can't configure your controller the way you want it.....there are corresponding keys on defence for everything you choose on offence which you can't change.....basically this means that you can't use the same button for both shoot and jump/block and this makes the game much more difficult

12) the CPU makes too many threes (guys like reggie miller and ray allen hit about 90% of the time - even those guys only shoot about 40-45% in the NBA).........AND it is far too easy for the CPU (and you) to pull up at the top of the key and drain a three....that shot goes in most of the time......in one game i was playing kenny satterfield drained 4 in a row from the top of the key - that is ridiculous

13) players get credited an assist if they dump the ball in the post and it doesn't lead directly to a basket i.e. the post guy takes a while to make his move and score and the PG still gets to pad his stats

I'm sure there are more complaints but that's all i can think of at the moment......as you can see i was extremely disappointed and would rather play 2001, even with its flaws.....borrow it if you want to see how ridiculous it is, but don't buy it....it has no replay value at all - playing an entire season would be excruciating!......luckily mine was cheap......EA sports had better lift their game or they might find that serious basketball fans will desert them.


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