NBA Live 10 Review [360]

08 Oct 2009 at 18:34:49 by John Robertson
Systems used to review this title: (360)

Wow, what a difference a year can make.  After years in the shadow of the NBA 2K series it seems that EA has decided enough is enough and has given NBA Live 10 the makeover the franchise has sorely needed.  The jump made from last year is massive, with noticeable improvements in almost every area – from the gameplay to the presentation, the team at EA Canada has seemingly left no stone unturned in their bid to return to the top of the NBA videogame tree.

It all starts with the on-court action, or more specifically with the players themselves.  In comparison to last year, each member of your team reacts much more realistically both on offence and defence.  Gone is the one-dimensional feel of last year's game – in which most players were only effective in very specific situations – and it's replaced by a model that allows each individual to stamp their mark on the game in a variety of ways.  For example, the Hornets’ Chris Paul is now as effective distributing the ball around the outside as he is at driving to the basket and executing a quick pass to the open man to tuck away.  It gives the game a much more realistic flow, giving you license to experiment with different player combinations and preventing the need to rely on the same plays over and over again depending on your on-court line-up.

This extra freedom is largely a result of significant improvement in two major areas - collision detection and the quality of the AI.  Whereas Live 09 consistently allowed you to simply dribble past players, with no discernable effort to slow you down made by your opposition, the collision detection mechanic employed this time around means that - even if the defender doesn’t make an attempt to block - the fact that you’re running straight at them invariably slows you down.  This results in a slighter slower and more deliberate pace to the game, forcing you take stock of what the defence is doing so that you can plan your next move accordingly.

There are still a few dodgy moments in which collisions cause you to raise your eyebrows in disbelief. Brandon Roy, for example, managing to launch off from around the free-throw line and dunk on both Shaq and Lebron James without so much as flinching upon contact.  Still, those moments are few and far between and don’t have too much of an impact on gameplay.

Due to the very nature of team sports it’s essential that their gaming counterparts get the AI spot-on if they harbour any hope of creating an authentic, engaging experience.  Generally, the AI for Live 10 is fine, for both your own teammates and the opposition.  Your own team move around in an attempt to get open much more realistically than in years past, and are able to spot free space and react quickly to get there before a defender blocks the passing lane.  The opposition is no slouch either, consistently running the pick and roll to devastating effect and regularly showing new looks on offence that keep you on your toes and prevents the whole experience from getting stale.

As we all know however, perfection is never quite achievable, and there are a number of holes in the AI. On occasion players will step out of bounds before receiving a pass, resulting in a turnover, or they simply stand still, frozen in time as though the entire set of animations has completely broken down.  During these moments you can use your ability to manually position players without the ball to an area of your choosing but, it’s not an altogether smooth process, all too often culminating in the ball carrier losing possession as he stands still waiting for the intended receiver to get open.  It’s a shame that these moments of idiocy show up fairly regularly (at least once or twice a game), because they stick out like a spotlight in the dead of night, tarnishing an otherwise pleasurable experience.

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