NBA Live 2006

So you're looking for an NBA game but don't know which one to get? I shall sort through the good and bad offered in both NBA Live 2006 and NBA 2K6.

Between the two I have played (Live '06 and 2K6), I can honestly say NBA 2K6 was a better buy for me. At $20 I've had countless hours of some of the most joyous moments and some of the most frustrating. However, NBA 2K6 is more of an all-around basketball game. If you're good at offense and poor on defense chances are good that you won't win as many games as you might think. But if you're only good at defense and horrible at offense, you won't win much then either. You basically have to play an even game altogether (this is based on All-Star level).

For fans of offensive-minded games, look no further than NBA Live 2006. The basic controls are straight-forward and easy to get a hang of so there won't be any real problems for newcomers to the series (such as myself). The best aspect featured in Live '06 is undoubtedly the Freestyle Superstars. My favorite team is the 76ers and to see Allen Iverson pulling off the moves he does in real life on a game is nothing short of a rush. Another highlight is that when you're left wide open for a shot, chances are extremely good that you'll drain it. Whereas on 2K6, you still basically had to have a perfect release.

As for the overall look of each game, I'd say that NBA 2K6 steals that as well. When you're looking at Allen Iverson (or any other player for that matter) there's no question who you're looking at. He's got his tattoos, his cornrows, mustache, everything. NBA Live 2006, on the other hand, almost tends to look childish at times. Don't get me wrong, the graphics and dunks are awesome to look at, but as you're dribbling upcourt I can't help but think the player's arms are too long. Of course, that could just be me. 2K6 also seems to have more realistic courts (I could do without the shots of the fans though).

NBA 2K6 pros:
-Fantastic gameplay
-The more you play the more you learn, making it a game you can invest time in
-The graphics are great
-When you turn up the difficulty it ACTUALLY GETS HARDER

NBA 2K6 cons:
-Offseason on Legacy mode is kind of lame
-Too frustrating at times
-When the other team is on a run, it's nearly impossible to hit anything other than a lay-up
-Loading time is almost ridiculous

NBA Live 2006 pros:
-Easy for anyone to pick up and play
-Freestyle Superstars
-Commentary is a lot better than 2K6
-Dunks are fairly easy to execute and make for some excellent highlights

NBA Live 2006 cons:
-Camera angle is horrible
-Far too offensive-minded
-Almost too easy at times
-Fouls are called too liberally on you

So there you have it, a fairly unbiased view on each game. If Live '06 were to drop down to $20 I'd highly recommend it, because in reality, it really is fun to play. But at $30 I'm not sure if it's worth every penny. Plus, 2K6 has a great street ball mode in addition to the legacy mode, so did Live 06 ever really have a chance?

If you already have NBA Live 2005, then there's no need to buy this game. It's pretty much the same as 05. The gameplay, the graphics, the players, the features (well some). Now the one feature that impressed me was the freestyle players. You got Power (Shaq), Shooter (Dirk), Scorer (T Mac), Stopper (Ben Wallace) and of course Highflyer (Vince Carter). There are a number of players who have these specialties and they can be very useful during a game. If you have these five specialties, then you're unstoppable. But that would be cheating.

As for those people who are new to these games, I'll just get to the point. The controls are simple and easy to get used to, the graphics are awesome and it's actually realistic (most of the time).

Overall, if you're a NBA or basketball fan or just like sports, then I suggest that you buy this game. It's too good to miss.

This is a great game if you're into sports. Good for all ages.

all i need to say is get your money and go to a toy store right now. This game is so hot that their abilties play like real life I SERIOUS.example sthephen jackson from the pacers does'nt have a symbol but still drains 3s like in real life. BUY IT

NBA 06 is kind of fun, but not really good. I mean, it has the exact same features as NBA 2005. The slam dunk contest, dynasty mode,season mode and everything else. The only new feature that they added this year was that freestyle superstar thing, where each player has a certain type of personality. For example, A. Iverson is a shooter, Lebron James is a highflyer, etc. But who cares about that? It doesn't really make the game anymore exciting than last year's version. It also doesn't affect how the players perform on the court. They'll still shoot the same and defend the same as always. When EA created Madden 06, they actually took time to add more than one new feature that people would actually care about. They added the new QB vision cone, superstar mode, rad new features to franchise mode and more. Then, people bought it because it was new AND exciting. NBA Live 06 isn't like that. They only added one new boring feature and the rest are the same as last year. To whoever is reading this, if you haven't bought it yet, don't waste your money on it when you can buy NBA 2005 for $12 and still get the same thing. If you have bought it, return it to the store and keep NBA 2005. Anyway, I think they could have done alot better when they made this game