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A stunning difference
As we set down for a night of Mountain Dew and Hoops, we decided to compare the top franchises and give our recommendation.
From the get go, I thought NBA Live looked half-assed, and not at all what I’d expect from EA after playing NCAA and MADDEN 2010. The models were choppy, and the texture-popping and clipping was something I couldn’t get past, I understand with the amount of motion on the court your characters will clip, but at least the team working on 2k10 did everything they could to prevent or hide the problem. The next thing that caught our viciously scathing glances was the skating motion the characters in Live seemed to take when heading to the hoop. I found my character clearing distances of 6-9 feet with a single sweeping step, reminiscent of figure skating in the Olympics. Not to mention once you’ve started you move to the hoop, its easier, and more likely to go through a player, as opposed to around them. After trying to deal with these problems I then had to deal with the controls. They were sluggish and felt unresponsive I had to press Y three times to convince my player to jump and every character felt exactly the same, same speed, same motion, same physics…. same same same same same. HOWEVER I will not short NBA LIVE of what it does well.. The interactive menus, and animations were FANTASTIC… rivaling those of NBA 2k10, So EA I tip my hat to your menu animating capabilities. Maybe next year the menu guy can make the rest of the game as well.
NBA 2k10 however seems to understand what a basketball game should include. Upon starting our game the visuals were night and day better. The models were smooth, the textures were decent and after 2 quarters we had only seen 2 or three pops on the jerseys as opposed to the 35+ we saw in NBA Live. The court was bright and reflective, and unlike the poor attempt EA made at showing the reflection of the stadium lighting, and banner advertising in the floor, you can actually read the items reflected on the court in 2K10 thus adding to the realism of the game. Upon setting up the pick and roll with my characters they were colliding realistically and actually playing off of each other. When I went to the hoop for a shot, I didn’t skate 10 feet, I took a jumper, or dribbled in closer before attempting the shot. Surprisingly enough 2K10 decided that we should hear announcers during half-time discussing realistically what happened during the game, and what was going on. Whereas EA didn’t want the announcers to record extra voice-overs I suppose. As I changed players through passing, I also noticed that the players seemed much more realistic in controls the guards were quick, responsive, and dodgy. And the centers were slower, and felt like I was playing a 6 foot 5 monster as opposed to everyone feeling like Andre the Giant.
In summary if you want an arcade style game reflective of NBA Jam on the SNES, then buy Live and wallow in your misery. If you want a real gaming experience, built for people who not only love the NBA but love games, then purchase 2k10 and support a company that takes pride in their work, and believes in giving you something worth playing.
NBA LIVE SCORE |
To order NBA Live 10 or NBA 2K10 just click the Amazon links.