EA didn't really have any genuine competition until Sega and Microsoft arrived on the scene fairly recently, and to be honest, it seemed as though EA had started to feel a bit too comfortable. After the excellent NBA LIVE 2000 on PC, EA hit rock bottom with 2001 and didn't fair much better with 2002. NBA LIVE 2003 was in many ways, the beginning of a resurgence, the game wasn't perfect and was a bit too much of a dunk-fest for many peoples' liking, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. Now that NBA LIVE 2004 has arrived, one has the feeling that EA has stopped feeling comfortable and has decided to take it to it's competitors on the court, rather than just relying on the EA Sports brand name.

The thing that's immediately apparent is the stiffening up of the computer defensive AI. These guys attach themselves to you like glue and here we have a problem. You see, the defense seem to be mapped to your every movement! It's almost as if once they are close to your player, you are controlling yourself and the defender at the same time, so close are their movements to yours. Only some fancy use of the right analogue stick (Freestyle control) can shake them and even then it can seem a bit hit and miss. It's nice that the defence doesn't open up like the Grand Canyon and allow easy drives into the lane, but it can get a bit monotonous. Especially with the constant bumping that the computer likes to put on you. Some "bumps" will push you back 3 metres. It's extremely annoying to be just dribbling on the spot and then have someone push you out of position and possibly out of bounds.

The computer defensive AI in the paint is particularly annoying, they will immediately double team anyone that gets near there, no matter how useless the player is. Take a 6 foot point guard in there and the computer will immediately put 2 guys on him. So they're relentless, but also not the smartest, as when they immediately double a man in the paint, they will of course leave another man unguarded, so just keep backing in a forward, draw 2 guys in, then dish out to an open guard for an open jump shot. Almost a fool proof plan...

I say "almost" because once again the defence can be a little too quick in reacting to your passes. Sometimes, you'll dish the ball out to the open guard with no one within 5 metres of him, and almost before the ball even gets to him, he'll have someone in his face. Not that having someone in your face seems to affect your shot all that much as I've found that I can land almost as many jumpers with someone in my face as without, especially when attempting 3 pointers. The computer players actually seem to be advantaged when I knock them off balance while they attempt a shot, as they'll miss open jumpers every now and then, but give someone some contact while near the paint and they'll very rarely miss a shot, even with adjustment to the sliders (and there are a ton of sliders here, folks). Put 3 players on them, head-butt them, kick them, push them, bite them or just throw your arms up in front of them, it doesn't seem to matter all that much, they'll still make the shot. It's a really cheap and frustrating aspect of the game. More frustrating is the fact that you'll miss almost all of your shots after contact has been made. That's not to mention how the computer cheats on fast breaks, player's non-reaction to rebounds and loose balls after steals. Space constraints stop me from elaborating more on these faults, but...

Being the negative bastard that I am let me tell you about the collision detection! So you're into open court, nothing can stop you now. Think again because the computer can catch you within the space of what seems like a footstep, no matter how clear your run appears to be. When they do catch you, they seem to have the strange (possibly magical) ability to knock or drag you away from the basket even if such a thing seems physically or laughingly impossible. That's right, almost any decent contact results in you being pushed away from the basket, even if you're on your way to the basket and the contact is from behind.

I actually think this game is quite decent in some respects and I'm bagging it relentlessly. Yes, believe it or not, it is actually a decent game. The constant motion on court looks great, the players animate very smoothly and are constantly fighting for position with each other and the amount of different animations is brilliant. So the motion on court looks good, it's just a shame that once you're actually playing, the relentless defence can make it all seem a bit stiff. There has obviously been a concerted effort to make the game play like more of a sim and it has paid off to a certain degree, but because the defence is so predictable (even if it is relentless) it can be exploited to your advantage, thus taking away from could have been a good tactical game of basketball.

The game controls well in general, the Freestyle system (right analogue stick controls crossovers, dekes etc.) works quite well, even if it is a bit hit and miss at times, and the addition of separate buttons for jump shots and dunks/lay ups is a nice one, so no more of those controller throwing "why is he taking and missing a jump shot so close to the basket, when he could have slammed the damn thing???!!!" moments. Passing is however, a nightmare! Just tying to hit the right man without resorting to the 2 button direct passing system can be a lost cause. One big positive I'll mention, is that the computer does put up a pretty good fight, even when playing a notch below the hardest setting.

It's a strange game to be honest, the above paragraph was going to be the start of my positive slant on the game and then with every positive thing I thought of, I found a small negative that would detract from the positive aspect in some way. I think that it'll come down to personal taste with a lot of people, it'll be a matter of whether you can live with the cheap AI and the small (but rampant) flaws that infest the game.

The game modes available are franchise, season, single game, one on one and playoffs. The franchise mode may not be that deep, but it includes the basics needed to give the game a long life. Trading players, drafting rookies, detailed stat tracking, player awards, retirements etc. are all included. No doubt some people will bemoan the lack of a bit more behind the scenes decision-making, but for most it's got everything you need. One small addition to the franchise mode is the ability to buy your players clothing and attributes to boost their performance. You can buy these items with points earned from completing various tasks during the course of a game. It doesn't really add anything to the overall experience though. Lacking a 'create team' option is a bit of a downer, but 'create a player' is there if you want it and the usual multiplayer options are available, but of course, being an EA game, there is no Xbox Live support.

While I mentioned before about the players animating very well, I can't be so enthusiastic about the player models themselves. For one thing, the players all have big heads and look like midgets, plus the height differences between players on court just doesn't look right. For example, the tall players don't look that much taller than the short players and it can be quite difficult to tell players apart because of this. Often my centre will be standing out near the 3 point line and I'll pass the ball to him thinking he's a guard. The players also lack texture detail, which leaves them looking a bit bland, almost cartoonish. Player faces are decent for the players I know well, but living in Australia and not exactly being bombarded with NBA coverage, others I would have little idea about. The court surface is nice and glossy with effective reflections and the stadiums look good, but the crowd looks terrible. There is however the nice little touch of having varying crowd sizes, depending on who's playing.

The commentary is some of the best I have heard and is very good at relating directly to the on-court action, and thankfully, it's not too repetitive. Plenty of on-court chatter is present and the crowd also reacts in a pleasing manner to what's going on. For me, the music is absolutely disgraceful! The most annoying rap drivel I've heard in quite a while, but that's just my (good) taste, so I can't really bag the game for including music that others may well enjoy. Please include custom soundtracks next time, please, oh pretty please!