NBA Live 2000 – PC

Review

EA Sports’ NBA Live series is like the Chicago Bulls of basketball games. The Bulls were the dominant NBA team of the ’90s and arguably the best basketball team ever. No other team even came close, and any time a contender like the Jazz reared its pretentious head to challenge them, the Bulls slapped them down in the championship when it counted. Similarly, EA Sports’ NBA Live was the dominant basketball game of the ’90s. A few companies like Microsoft and Fox have tried to compete, but NBA Live remains the premier basketball game on the PC. However, just as the Bulls recently split apart and turned into the biggest turkey in the NBA, so too has NBA Live lost much of its luster. Fortunately, NBA Live 2000 hasn’t taken as big a fall as the Bulls; it’s only lost a step compared with the new games in town.

NBA Live 2000 is basically the same game as Live 99, with the addition of Michael Jordan and a cast of all-stars from the ’50s to ’90s. It has the same types of gameplay as before: arcade mode, simulation mode, exhibition games, single-season games, and multiple-season games in franchise mode. The NBA Live series’ dizzying array of options also remains intact. You can tweak graphics detail, adjust quarter length, toggle virtually every official NBA rule, or throw everything out and just play wild arcade basketball.

Like 99, Live 2000 lets you manage your team through multiple seasons and try to create a consistently winning franchise. However, whereas Live 99 only let you play ten seasons, Live 2000 requires you to play 25. It would have been nice to have an option to play for five, ten, 15, or 20 years, rather than forcing you to stick it out for 25. The new one-on-one mode is also a fun addition to the game, because it lets you play as or challenge the greatest basketball players in history. You can match Iverson up against Jordan or relive the classic Russel-Chamberlain battles of yesteryear.

Single games are still fun whether you play them in exhibition or season mode. The emphasis is on action, and as always, it’s better to play offense than try to win on defense. However, it seems that every year, NBA Live gets better in terms of letting you play defensively if you so choose. I didn’t steal too often, but I sure blocked a lot of shots.

NBA Live 2000 adds a direct shoot and direct pass option, so you can force shots, dunks, and layups. But in reality, direct shooting does not mean you will automatically get your dunk or layup. You’ll occasionally be frustrated when you think you’re in position for a dunk and end up seeing your player try a jumper from under the basket. Thankfully, this only happens rarely. — Elliott Chin
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