NBA Live 2007

From Hoopedia

The Game

Originally, the NBA Live series was released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and SNES with NBA Live 1995. The naming was changed from utilizing the last two digits of the year to the entire year number from 2000-2005, but returned to the original naming convention with NBA Live 2006.

The Create-A-Player feature was not available in the 1995 versions of the game, but have been a mainstay since NBA Live 1996. NBA Live 1998 in 1997 was the last NBA Live game for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and the SNES. NBA Live 98 also was first NBA Live series game to support 3Dfx graphic cards. Only first generation Voodoo and Voodoo Rush cards were officially supported.

In-game commentary is currently done by Marv Albert and Steve Kerr. Greg Anthony and Ernie Johnson Jr. provide the commentary for the Slam Dunk competition. Previous commentators on the game have included Verne Lundquist, Don Poier, Reggie Theus, Bob Elliott, Mike Fratello, and Kenny Smith.

Due to licensing problems, some players did not appear in certain versions of the game. Michael Jordan (although he previously gave his likeness to EA's Jordan vs. Bird: One-on-One and Jordan In-Flight) and Charles Barkley (who endorsed Barkley: Shut Up And Jam! games) for instance, appear in NBA Live 97/98 as Roster Guard and Roster Forward respectively. The former, however, returned in NBA Live 2000, which received a special mention in the game cover (in NBA Live 96, Jordan and Barkley, as well as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and other legends could be unlocked simply by giving that name to a created player). Barkley had returned in NBA Live 1998 after rejoining the NBA Players Association.

Start from NBA Live 2000, this games featured NBA Live Legend All-Stars Teams, that included some biggest names from five decades (50s to 90s). This teams could be used instantly, but but to use the players as regular player (e.g. traded, played on regular NBA Teams) they need to be unlocked. Along the series, some of the rosters are changed due to many reasons.

NBA Live 2005 brought the addition of the Slam Dunk Contest, Three Point Shootout, All-Star Game, and Rookie Challenge. The ratings of the players in this game may be questionable.

NBA Live 06 introduced "Freestyle Superstars", giving certain players the ability to perform unique moves based on their abilities and attributes. There are 8 types of Freestyle Superstar: Outside Scorer which gives players such as Tracy McGrady the ability to make clutch jumpers and running layups; Inside Scorer that lets players such as Kevin Garnett the ability to make difficult shots close to the basket; Highflyer which gives players like Vince Carter the ability to make seemingly impossibile dunks; Playmaker which gives players such as Jason Kidd the skill to complete tricky passes; Power which gives the players like Shaquille O'Neal the strength to make thunderous dunks; Shooter which gives three-point shooters like Peja Stojakovic aim, accuracy, and a quick release; Outside Stopper which gives the players like Bruce Bowen the quick hands to make sneaky steals; and Inside Stopper which gives players like Ben Wallace the ability to block most inside shot attempts and dunks.

NBA Live 07 is for the Playstation 2, the Playstation Portable, the Xbox, and also the 360. All the consoles except for the 360 received generally good reviews, but worse than NBA Live games in the past because of a lack of new features and gameplay flaws. The new features to the game was add-ons to the freestyle superstars. The 360 version got generally poor reviews because of gliches and fewer additions to the freestyle superstar.

History

The game is descended from the NBA Playoffs series, starting with Lakers versus Celtics, released first in 1989 for MS-DOS-compatible PCs and later adapted for consoles in 1990 for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis. This game was played from a horizontal view (while later versions moved to an isometric view before ultimately moving to 3D on newer consoles). The game was one of the first to feature an NBA license, containing both real NBA teams and player likenesses and signature moves. For example, Horace Grant's goggles are clearly visible, and Michael Jordan's "Air Reverse Layup" is animated with very high accuracy. Detailed player numbers were also visible. The game featured only 8 of the sixteen teams that made the NBA playoffs that year, as well as both NBA All-Star teams.

The next game in the series was Bulls versus Lakers, released in 1991, followed by Bulls versus Blazers in 1992. Unlike the first game, these two releases were titled after the two teams who were in the NBA Finals the previous season, while the original release apparently chose the Lakers and Celtics due to both teams' historical success. Each revision added more teams and players, as well as more signature moves. The series also included an Olympic basketball game, Team USA Basketball (1992) which uses the same engine. The final game in the series was NBA Showdown 94 for SNES before the transition to the NBA Live series.

NBA Live 2007 Features

• Featured Tracy McGrady on the cover.
• New features like Total Freestyle Control, new Free Throw Shooting, The X-Factor, and ESPN Integration.
• In some releases, the first round of the playoffs is called "Quarterfinals".
• One of the gyms where the player scouts potential prospects is the same rec center that is a playable court in NBA Street V3.