NBA Live ‘95

Takin’ it to the Hoop

A Review of NBA Live ‘95

NBA Live ‘95 is the latest 5-on-5 basketball simulation based on the

hit Sega Genesis/Super Nintendo version. NBA Live ‘95 takes the 16-bit

action to the next level with great gameplay, graphics, and sound.

All 27 NBA teams are featured here with their complete rosters as of

February 23, 1995. (With the exception of Charles Barkley and David

Robinson, due to contractual reasons.) Each player has his own high-res

portrait and in-depth skill ratings. NBA Live ‘95 features a TV style

presentation complete with digitized intros of the starting lineups. Each

NBA Live ‘95 court is almost an exact replica of it’s real-life

counterpart.

NBA Live ‘95 features 3 modes of play: Exhibition, Season (26, 52, or

82 games), and Playoffs. Using 2 joysticks, the keyboard and mouse, up to

4 players can compete against each other or against the computer. Complete

player stats are kept for every single player throughout season play. The

stats can be sorted by any category, simply by clicking on the stat

heading.

You can also trade any player in the league. The game even allows you to

make up to 4 custom teams. (Try playing against a team of 12 Shaqs!)

The gameplay is similar to the Genesis/Super NES version. It’s fast

paced and smooth and you’re in control of everything from dunks and blocks

to alley-oops. The animation very well-done. You’ll see behind-the-back

passes and a variety of different dunks. The players are detailed well and

you can easily tell them apart.

The Artificial Intelligence in NBA Live ‘95 could stand improvement. There are 3

difficulty settings, ranging from a stupid computer to a down-right cheap

computer. For example, when the computer is losing by more than 10 points

or so, it will shoot 3’s at almost every opportunity. By the end of the

game, the computer will have shot about 8/43 from the 3-point line. On

the hardest setting, the computer has no problem blocking shots and

stealing the ball, but winning is still fairly easy.

Despite poor artificial intelligence, NBA Live ‘95 is THE definitive 5-on-5 game for the

PC. It’s digitized graphics and sounds add to the great gameplay and

detailed stats. If you like basketball, NBA Live ‘95 is definitely worth

picking up. If you’re looking for the best basketball game available

for your PC, this is the game for you.

Copyright © 1995 Michael Aparicio for infoMedia. All rights reserved worldwide.