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With graphics and play modes that live up to what you expect from an EA Sports title, but gameplay that is seriously lacking, NBA Live 06 is mediocre at best.

Sometimes I miss the simplicity of the sports games of yesteryear. Football on the Atari 2600 with its flickering triple linemen, and Double Dribble on the NES with its breathtaking (for the time, kids) poster close-ups of dunks let all of us overweight couch potatoes relish the excitement of being the sports hero we never could. We didn’t need officially licensed games and player likenesses, just a group of friends, a few bags of snack chips, and lots of loud Metallica music.



Never has a current generation game made me wish for the eight bit days of old as much as NBA Live 06 for the PC. Why? Because, despite the advanced graphics of today’s machines and the startling realism that today’s publishers are able to put into their games, we really haven’t come all that far.

NBA Live 06 is a solid enough basketball game, but there’s really not much of anything new thrown into the mix. Unless you’re a hardcore fan who needs the updated rosters, you probably don’t need this game.



The one new feature that the game does boast, something EA calls Freestyle Superstars is an interesting concept, mapping unique dunks, blocks, jukes, steals and such to the right analog stick (a dual analog controller is required to take advantage of this feature although the game can be played with most available pads, sticks, and – hoops gods forbid – a keyboard), but the game’s selling feature is also the dealbreaker for me.

Defensive AI is miserable, as is passing, so, with certain players being able to become virtual gods on the court (only NBA superstars like Shaq, Kobe, Tim Duncan, and such get the superstar abilities) the game is just not much fun.



After installing the game and firing it up for the first time I played with my beloved Phoenix Suns and found that I could inbound the ball to Steve Nash and take him straight to the hoop nearly every time, no worries about pesky defending players getting in my way.

If I did happen to let someone else (Kevin Johnson or Shawn Marion most likely) touch the rock he usually held it only long enough to pass it back to Nash who could hit almost anything I wanted him to from three-point land. I know the boy is good, but come on! Nash should not be able to own the entire court single-handedly… and he should be able to steal at least one ball without causing a foul. It’s like basketball in the Bizarro world.

Conversely, find yourself piloting a tribe of losers like the Denver Nuggets or the LA Clippers against a team with even one superstar player and you’ll be ready to pitch your monitor out the window with frustration as you are scored on repeatedly. With no defense being played on either side, EA should have saved themselves the licensing fees and just created a one-on-one game.



Most of the features that you’d look for in a current basketball game are here: season mode, dynasty mode, the All-Star weekend, etc, but nothing that really grabs you by the jersey and makes you excited to be playing basketball on your computer. Online play is available and, if you agree to a lifetime of email harassment from ESPN you can play with cousin Huey in Tulsa for free, but there’s not anything particularly thrilling about the online match-ups and tournaments either.

Throw in the yin-yang commentary from always excited Marv Albert (“Am I wearing a dress? YES!!) and the incredibly sleep inducing Steve Kerr (whoever told this guy to go into broadcasting anyway? It’s like listening to Ben Stein call a game…except Stein would be more energetic) and you’ve got a basketball title that does some of what it’s supposed to do, a lot of what it shouldn’t, and offers little reason to play if you already have the previous title. NBA Live 06 is mediocre at best and EA can and should be doing a lot better.


Review by Michael Triggs.