NBA Live 99

Review

by Jonathan Sutyak

EA Sports continues its annual tradition of quality sports games with NBA Live 99. NBA Live 99 contains many small improvements but also adds one major new feature, multiple seasons.

Multiple seasons allow you to take your team through up to 10 seasons. Season lengths can be changed but if you choose to play 82-game seasons then getting through 10 seasons will certainly take some time. Over the course of multiple seasons players can become more skilled, lose potential, or not change at all. The effects that incur a player will depend on their age, injuries suffered, amount of time they play each game, and their already existing skill level.

One feature that the game uses too much are the player celebrations that are sometimes used after a basket is scored. While this is a common occurance in the actual NBA, it can hinder the gameplay quite a bit. After a dunk a player may stand still while the camera provides a close-up of that player clapping and pointing. While this is taking place the other players are moving around the court. A team can set up its defense preventing you from a fast break.

Outside of the player celebrations which tend to slow the game down, NBA Live 99 plays great. So many moves can be made that a controller with 10 buttons is your best choice, though you can get by with four buttons. Players are all extremely detailed and look very much like their real-life counterparts. During play the color commentary is actually worth listening to.

Artificial intelligence is another area that is improved with each NBA Live version. Twelve minute quarters will still amount to excessively high scores but the computer can put up a challenge. Computer controlled teams will also initiate trades in order to improve themselves.

NBA Live 99 delievers a full basketball experience. Multiple seasons could literally keep a player busy for years which makes one wonder if anyone will really need the next version.