EA has gone arcade crazy with NBA Live 2003!

EA has gone arcade crazy with NBA Live 2003!

There are far too many dunks, blocks, steals and fast breaks!
The AI is totally unrealistic! Everyone seems to be flying around like Vince Carter, dunking on almost every possession!

This is more like a highlight reel or commercial than a game and it certainly is not a simulation anymore!

NBA Live has turned into Triple Play Baseball!

The entire game seems to revolve around never-ending dunks and animations. People that never dunk or block shots in real life are doing it repeatedly! This looks more like NBA Jam than NBA Live. This is all on so called, exhibition mode. I suppose that on arcade, everyone fly’s around non-stop like superman!

PC users had to wait two years for EA to turn a simulation into a slam-dunk contest!

I think the programmers at EASports need to cut down on their sugar intake!

The graphics are pretty good but the coaches look very weird especially Byron Scott of the Nets.

Again, too many dunks, blocks, steals, fast breaks and repetitive animations and no real AI or realism!

When a 6-foot guards block 7-foot centers, that is really totally out of touch with reality.

It's fun to you like a too fast-exaggerated arcade game but forget about it as a simulation.

Since I want realistic AI in a simulation that reflects reality, on planet earth, I am very disappointed !

Manuel Calcagno

There are far too many dunks, blocks, steals and fast breaks!

That's not the game's fault, if you're play like that then it will happen that way... If you play good D, use plays and all that professional stuff you'll find it's a good game...just get used to it first...

NBA Live has turned into Triple Play Baseball!

No they didn't...

PC users had to wait two years for EA to turn a simulation into a slam-dunk contest!

There's a Slam-dunk contest? Cool!

How would you know how I am playing or if I am playing defense or not?
Is it my play that is making the computer players run around like the flash? I've been playing Live since the 95 version and defense is my first priority.

I've just read tons of posts on this forum and I have seen numerous comments about the game speed, amount of dunks, blocks etc. the same aspects I spoke about. Are all these people speaking about tweaking teh ratings also playing the game wrong as well?

This game, out of the box, is alot closer to Triple Play then to the Live series!
Do I need to see the EA Sports logo during the demo of a dunk? Do I need to see repetitive useless animations with the coaches. This game out of the box is obvioulsy tweaked as an arcade game! All of this stuff would be fine in arcade mode but I want to play a sim not NBA Jam! This is why I have a PC and not an arcade console.

If, as some have suggested, the Arcade and Sim parts are reversed, that would explain alot. I haven't even tried the arcade mode yet because, as I always want to play a realistic sim not a console slam dunk fest.

Please do not make assumptions about the way I play!

M. Calcagno

I have to agree with MCalca. Sure, with tweaking you can get a little more realistic game, but that's just EA. They make crappy games thinking that the community out there will patch it anyway, so why bother? It's an arcade game, and at that a very good one, hats down! But they promote it as a basketball simulation, "it's in the game", and it certainly isn't one. Now you can defend it, and say it's a good game, that it can be tweaked and all that crap, but it doesn't change the facts. Anybody knows if NBA2K3 is any better than this?

I also agree with MCalca1706. I tried to play D, but it's the CPU play is too fast to even have a set D. I remember when in the other Live series, when I have a break-away, the CPU player can always caught up with my player (since my player was dribbling while running, that's understandable); now, CPU is dribbling the ball, and my guys can't catch up to them at all; CPU player is under rim, while my player is at the 3-pt line.

Tried Stealing the ball -> foul, all my points guards and 1 SF all foul out the game
Tried Blocking -> ball goes out of bound most of time... I remember one NBA player said "what good does a block do, if you can't keep it after you block it?"

Plus, my players will never jump up try to block CPU's shoot automatically... CPU does that to me all the time,

I am getting beat purly by fast-break pts from the CPU.

Note: Roster I am using is default, out of box, didn't do any tweaking. I will try get over the learning curve, and fig out a way to beat their fast break offence...

I have been playing NBA since the beginning, that is NBA 93 for the Sega if I'm correct so I am used to "changes" to the game, it's been 10 years gee.
But EA has lost it a bit over the years. I think EA does look alot at the graphics and licensing then they do at the AI and gameplay.
This goes for the NBA, NHL and Triple Play games, the only game that got alot better this year is FIFA.
NBA 2003 is a arcade game all over, whether u agree with me or not, it just is. U need alot of tweaking with rosters if u want to make the game just a bit more realistic. NHL 2002 was a dissaster to last year with all sorts of arcade features. Maybe it's because a 15 year old kid doesn't want to play realistic basketball on his XBox but veterans like MCalca1706 and me DO want to play like if it's in the game...
To be honest, I don't think it's that difficult for EA to come up with a roster-update that makes the game realistic, if we can do it, they can.
Maybe u think of me as a cheap bastard because I downloaded the game before buying, and normally I buy the game, but for this time no. I will play it if I need to get rid of my agression and then I'll dunk the crap out of let's say Fred Hoiberg who jumps over Shaq, but that's is.

BTW Don't let my signature fool u, 2 much arcade sh*t in NBA 2003 if more than enough...
BTW 2 (Too much is not enough is coincidental the name of a big Arcade in New York City.. sigh)

See this is what EA confuses me about. WHY IN THE H*LL are you making NBA Street if Nba Live is basically the same thing. Wild crossovers and crazy dunks, same thing as Nba Street IMO. I got live for pc but its starting to turn me off and I play 2k3 alot more now.

I don't know about you guys..but my game is perfectly fine...i couldn't ask for more

These post are expected. The game is perfectly fine for me too--I'm having a lot of fun. I just can't wait till these patches come out, Hurry Up EA graph Editor!

If you play run and gun, the cpu will run and gun--if you play smart basketball you'll have a good chance at winning.Don't be fooled by the tempo or the monsterous blocks, this is a solid game.Again, if you don't wanna try to learn the new game--then RETURN IT!

or atleast put this in the right section, (hint) the GRIPES SECTION maybe

its not a matter of liking it or how you play it... it's unrealistic, that's the discussion here...

it's unrealistic, that's the discussion here

correct me if I'm wrong, but it's still a video game--right


you want realistic, play real basketball.Name me one "video game" that played a realistic style? And I'll bet, I can nit pick it to death like you guys have been.

Just be thankful we got an nba live 2003, and it's a great game. What would you be doing if live 2003 didn't come out this year? Prolly bitching about the rebounding problem in live 2001 or the weird looking players in nba 2k3.

just play.

The problem with EA is they don't care about the PC market anymore. NBA Live sells only a few hundred thousand copy each year on PC. On consoles they can sell several million. I would buy NBA 2K3 but Sega just plain refuses to even talk about make any game for PC.
The fact that EA has no competition for basketball games on PC means they can do whatever they want and we will have to buy it. Look at the Nascar Thunder series. It's no where near as good as Papyrus' Nascar Racing, but EA has gobs of money and now Papyrus isn't making Nascar games anymore.

Hey cocobee i prefer that avatar you got there not to richard simons

Hey cocobee i prefer that avatar you got there not to richard simons

Thug, I prefer it too

Richard had to go when I ran into this picture

I think EA does look alot at the graphics and licensing then they do at the AI and gameplay. This goes for the NBA, NHL and Triple Play games, the only game that got alot better this year is FIFA. NHL 2002 was a dissaster to last year with all sorts of arcade features.

I completely dissagree that NHL2003 can be placed on the same "Crap of the Year" shelf as nba2003. I think the so-called digital and knowledge divide separates those two:

1. Colour commentary - you might say nhl has very childish humour, but heck i am as old as a 20-year oak and still find lots of moments for some good laugh. nba - i don't like robert the you-know-who. How many opening (pre-tip-off) phrases did you count? two? in nhl i played two seasons and still there were phrases that came up for the first time (and no, i am not on bilobil or stuff).

2. Player control - how many buttons do you need to decently control a player in nba2003? i use 6(+arrows), but it's still not enough. Passes seldom go the way i want (usually they go into AI's hands - that's why my T. Duncan is rarely among three top scorers of my team). Player change is ridiculous to the gist - you may switch only among two players when on D - the guy who is guarding the ball-handler and the guy closest to him. I never succeded in honing direct-pass or direct-switch(?) button usage - call me a loser. But what's the point behind such a switch scheme? BUG: when you check opponent's hands, you loose the ability to attempt a block; same goes to when you see an opponent attempting to shoot and immediately switch to the guard, and can tap the jump button as a rabid voyeur and helplessly watch the ball go unchallenged.

3. Franchise - BUG: injured players on the opposing team will find some reserve strengths to appear to the match against you. After that - they calmly get back to the hospital/mental/drug relief/custody - you name it - to continue 'recuperating'. Have you ever injured someone in nba 2003(not in real life of course)? I have played for 1 1/2 season and never got no injuries/flagrants, although i used the intentional foul thinggie. How does AI decide the list of teams that first will get to sign those kidds, wallaces, jordans for 30,000 in the beginning of next season?

4. Fast breaks. No comment.

I have some more, but i think i'll save them for the future.

It's in the game, but not in the one you own.