[GAME] REVIEW: NBA Live 10

by: Mark

Developer: EA Canada

Publisher: EA Sports

PS3, X360 (Also PSP)

Anyone who knows me personally can tell you that I don't care for sports games in general. So why is the first review of an NBA game? Because it's what I'm playing right now. Or should I say, attempting to play.

NBA Live 10 is not a great game, from a perspective outside of the sports world. It has many problems, beginning with its UI. The menu system is convoluted, and finding certain things can be a horrible chore. Submenu after submenu, EA's particular jargon is constantly barraging you. I don't suppose this is a terrible dilemma for those who have played previous iterations, but for me it was dizzying.

Even when you find yourself ready to play a game, it takes a moment to gather the layout of the screen. Team logos, stats, a news ticker, vague control suggestions... and were that not enough, high-energy technopop/rap music blaring from your speakers.

Once you begin a game, things just get worse. I was able to beat the other team on the hardest difficulty setting, and I haven't played a basketball game since the Sega Genesis. The controls are loose at best. I go to hit Steal, and my player flies forward several feet past the ball-carrier. I hit Block under the basket, I jump too early and completely miss the rebound. The timing feels really off, which doesn't seem like a good thing in an annual release.

There are sliders for both your team and the opposing team, that affect nearly all aspects of the game. Unfortunately, I think the game takes them as mere suggestions, and does whatever it wants anyways. You can have your shot stat all of the way up, their block stat all of the way down, fouls set to OFF, and somehow you'll still miss that throw from just outside the paint.

Are there any redeeming qualities? Yes, but only a few. The commentators are accurate and somewhat amusing... for the first few games. Then they begin to repeat themselves, and offer not-so-helpful suggestions, like backseat coaches.

The graphics are decent, at least for the players and court. The crowd is the same repeating texture sharing the same movements. The ball's physics is pretty iffy, and after a while, the whole experience becomes a kind of droning boredom. My eyes glazed over more than once. I wish they had spent less budget on those shorts physics, and spent it on something worthwhile.

The Trophies/Achievements are fairly easy to obtain, should that be your bag. There are plenty that have you scoring from 50-100+ points with a certain player, or against a certain team, which is absolutely doable in just about any difficulty.

So, where does that leave us? For me, as a jaded sports gamer, it leaves me where I expected to be left: it's a simplistic (yet aggravating) yearly sports game with little innovation. If you fall into the category of "Sports games yeah!," then Godspeed. I, however, am glad I paid nothing to experience it.

SCORE: 45 out of 100

A weekend rental at best.