The NBA
LIVE series has always given me a lot of frustration. How can such a big
company like EA always seem to miss these huge bugs that appear in very little
time of gameplay? The last game I reviewed in the series had this huge
rebounding flaw that made me want to throw the CD out the window only after a
few sessions. So with hesitation, I went back to the NBA live series and let me
say that it's still a very flawed game.
NBA
Live 06 is the
latest in the series of EA's attempts at making an NBA game. With coverboy
Dwyane Wade in tow, EA looks to deliver but fails in a lot of respects. First
off, let me say the rebounding issue is not as big as the earlier series but
it's still a very large part of the frustration. Many times you'll see your
teammates jump up for the ball only to see a lone player from the opposite team
snag the ball. And it won't just happen once or twice. I've played many games
where the opposition would just have a field day getting offensive rebounds
while my guys came up empty handed even when they had position. I even turned
down the offensive rebound slider in the game to the lowest point but this
didn't seem to have any effect. Seeing the ball just fall to the floor with
your players around isn't an uncommon sight as well. If there's any over the
back fouls in the game, I've never seen one so you can jump around and try to
grab the ball without fear. The rebounding issue, while not as bad as the
previous series, still lingers and is a big source of frustration.
Another
aspect of the game that had me tearing my hair out is the amount of times your
player will drive to the hoop and throw it off the back of the backboard. Now I
know there's contact in the paint but watching an NBA game, how many times have
you seen a pro player shoot at the rear of the backboard after being bumped?
It's not uncommon to be driving to the lane only to have your guys get bumped
and try to shoot the ball while he's behind the backboard causing a turnover. I
can understand if this occurred every once in a while but both the computer and
yourself will experience this at least three times per game.
Speaking
of turnovers, there's an issue with the stats keeping engine whereby a turnover
is issued anytime the ball goes out of bounds. So let's say I'm Larry Hughes
and I'm pressuring the ball carrier. I go for the steal but it glances off of
me out of bounds. That's a turn over. Let's try another example. Let's say I'm
jumping up and down on an inbounds pass. The player throwing it in hits my arms
and it glances off out of bounds. The game considers that a turnover. To test
this, I started the game and did exactly like my first example and had a poke
away go into the stands. Pausing the game and going into the stats, I found
that I am charged with a turnover. Now I know Lebron James isn't really a
league leader in assist-to-turnover ratio but to consistently have ten or more
turnovers because he's great at knocking the ball away from the offensive player
is ridiculous. This especially happens a lot when the player with the ball is
near the sidelines. You’ll have a high rate of reaching around to swipe the
ball out of bounds and giving yourself a nice +1 in the turnover column. I went
through a season averaging a triple double of 27 points, 10 assists, and 11
turnovers on six minute quarters.
Besides
the turnovers, the way NBA Live 06
records assists also seems inconsistent. By definition, an assist is a pass
that directly leads to a basket. An assist can be awarded for a basket scored
after the ball has been dribbled if the player's pass led to the field goal
being made. Usually a dribble or two before a basket will result in the player
that passed to earn an assist. NBA Live
06 doesn’t seem to think so. Playing as Lebron, I would pass to Larry
Hughes many times to see Hughes dribble once and spin the ball around his body
and lay it in. You’d think Lebron would earn an assist each time this is done.
Looking at the stats, I witness many times the computer the assist column would
not change but other times I’d be credited with one.
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