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NBA Live 99
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Graphics & Sound:
Very impressive. As soon as NBA Live 99 boots up, you are treated to a nice action-packed FMV that gets your juices going. After plodding through the various menus, the Tip-Off came, and from that moment, I knew I was in for some fun. Live 99 has some very impressive polygon characters, and even more impressive, their faces animate in close-ups. (They might smile for the camera or some such movement). The sound is good, ranging from sneaker squeaks to crowd cheers to (my favorite) the “Ka-THUNK” of the rim on a monster slam. Music is sparse, used mostly as background dressing during menu screens.
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Gameplay:
Some people want to play arcade-type basketball games with wild dunks and jams and no rules. Other people want only to play simulation-styled basketball games with strict penalties and stats out the wazoo. Well, Electronic Arts has both camps covered because NBA Live 99 can be played either way. Think it’s overkill to have both versions? Nah, not really. I play both ways and like each “version” differently. If I have free time, I’ll play Simulation and get the most accurate representation of the game without joining the NBA myself. If I’m just relaxing after a day of work, or don’t feel like getting too involved with the settings and stats, I can just play the Arcade mode and pound the paint and just have fun.
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Difficulty:
Varies. Without even going into the differences between the Simulation mode and the Arcade mode, you will face off against different teams in Live 99. Some will be better than yours in offense or defense, and sometimes your team will have the upper hand. Since the game has so many controls, some might also find that a difficulty until they start to learn as they play.
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Game Mechanics:
You control your team with a variety of moves such as moving, shooting, passing (well, duh!), stealing, blocking, hand checks, and “turbo” (speed). In addition, there are stutter steps, back-downs, alley-oop passes, and fakes such as fake crossovers and shoulder fakes. About the only move you can’t do is “choke the coach.” When EA says “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game,” they certainly aren’t kidding. NBA Live 99 Got Game, which is what you need to!
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-Glom, GameVortex Communications AKA Pete Maher |
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