Losing Features

[GreenIsTheColour]

The problem with the NBA Live games is that they seem to lose features for every cosecutive game. The series is actually going backwards in regard to options. With advances in technology, this should be the opposite of what happens!
(btw. I am referring to PC versions - I don't play other consoles muich)

For example:

Three Point Contest: How hard is it for the EA sports team (who obviously are poor programmers) to have this nice little feature in the game?

Create a team: Why is this in older versions and not in new? No excuses here.

Player of Week/Rookie of Week etc: Why is this gone in 2003?

Legends Pool: Changes from year to year. Sometimes there are glaring ommissions.

Creating Players: 2000 had headbands et, 2001 didn't, 2003 does. wtf?

Intro: Used to be cool real footage from the NBA. Now is half assed animation. Did they lose rights to the footage or something?

....These are only a few examples - I'm sure everyone can think of more

Now, the next gripe is the series is practally unchanged
eg.

Creating a player: The hairstyles/faces features the same choices in each game. Why those specific haircuts? They are hardly an exhuastive list of hairstyles. Skin colours - there is only 2 or 3 caucasian choices. With the influx of europeans into the NBA, this in not a representative sample. Even more laudacrious when considering that the buying population of the game is diverse and a range is needed to cover all the people that like to create themselves. Regarldess, there really is no excuse for not adding a few more options here. It is plain lazy.

Franchise: Same old story. Why not add some interesting features like box scores? This would hardly be difficult for a team of programmers that manage to produce such impressive graphics!

Moves and stuff: Cmon, players are more diverse in their shooting and dribbling styles than appears in the game.

Intro: Is really pissweak.

Now, there are heaps of options that fans having been crying for since live 95. What is wrong with the EA sports marketing department? They really really really are pathetic.

examples...

Realistic gameplay: First it was no fastbreaks, now they dominate. In human vs human, they have always been the only true strategy.

Realistic simulated scores and stats.

Trade for draft picks

Box scores

Realistic blocking and generally better AI

Dunk Comp

More awards. ALL NBA 2nd and 3rd team, All defensive 2nd team etc

Decent winning sequence after successful championship

Hall of fame

Two on Two

WNBA players and teams

Access to retired players stats (ones that retire during franchise mode)

Hiring and sacking of coaches. Coaches influence on team etc

etc
etc
etc

Now the problem is obvious. EA Sports has a lack of decent programmers, market researchers and general management competency. The game only ever improves from year to year in the graphics department. Many of the options that would ensure greater customer satisfaction only require minimal work to impliment. After the two year wait for live 2003 on the PC (they didn't do 2002 remember?) I expected better.

The apparent lack of effort put into each new release of NBA Live is the reason that I only borrow or pirate games from this company is why I encourage everyone else to do so.



Hope everyone enjoyed my rant

[GreenIsTheColour]

I forgot to mention that the new sort column button just sucks ass

there are plenty of other problems i could mention, but that one really just pisses me off. It is so much worse that previous interfaces.

[macbit]

Hey,

the answer of your question is simple.

They PC game looks like a console and play like console. Since NBA2000
they nothing more for the pc version. This is a one to one conversion from console to pc.

They do a little bit better grafics and other similar things, thats all. Very cheap production, much acount !

EA haven´t the volition to change this because that cut their acount.
And other stuff. The game is from canada and not from usa. Theyhave no the
"mind of basketball" that they need.

Some things are simple to do:

Franchise mode. EA go to EA madden team and take thier franchise engine

Marc