ESPN NBA Basketball

NBA Live 2004 ramps up the defense and piles on the features for an impressive all-around game, but some game-balance issues remain.

The name may have changed, but the desire to hold on to the championship remains the same. ESPN NBA Basketball 2K4 adds meaningful upgrades to its play mechanics and manages to stay one stutter-step ahead of the competition.

On and On
Last year, NBA 2K3 had some cursory elements of its deal with ESPN present in the game?that has clearly changed in a major way with the new brand name?but thankfully intact is the core gameplay engine that drove the series to the top. Perhaps the biggest slam against the 2K brand had been its high learning curve, and that?s still a factor in ESPN NBA Basketball 2K4. You still need to be a student of the game and use your position players effectively, but the default difficulty is the most forgiving the series has seen since it began. This is a good thing as many players simply did not have the patience the past few years to enjoy everything the game had to offer.

This year?s version implements many good gameplay additions, like the ability to lightly tap the pass button for a fake, the wide range of iso-motion moves, and delayed give-and-go plays. The coolest is the lead pass, which is downright deadly when executed with precision. The best thing about all these offensive features is that there is a counter maneuver on the defensive end to prevent abuse. It?s now a bit too tough to pull off effective juke and spin moves, but it certainly is more realistic that way.

However, an element that is too tough is the new free-throw meter. As if the previous method wasn?t hard enough, now you have to not only balance the side indicators to focus on the middle of the hoop, but also time a vertically moving ball inside it. Give me a break! Coming to grips with all of the above feels roughly the same with either the PlayStation 2 or Xbox controller.

Around the Clock
The Season mode is back, and while it doesn?t have as many bells and whistles as some of the competition, it?s very deep and the level of customization keeps you in total control of your team?s progress. The ability to hire coaching staff is very cool, and tying it into the yearly salary management requires you to plan ahead. The other major mode is 24/7, which takes your created character through training and a myriad street games to move up in the world rankings. Similar to Animal Crossing on the GameCube, the game is tied to your console?s internal clock, and certain match-ups and unlockable items are available only on certain days and times. It?s another game unto itself and a great value, although your mileage with it will vary.

Both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions look and sound great with a slight edge in both going to the latter. The Xbox version also features widescreen support at 720p for a fantastic picture for televisions that support it. Both consoles are also online-enabled for broadband, and the PS2 version also handles narrowband play.

And the Winner Is?
The free-throw mechanic could be a deal-breaker for a lot of people with rampant foul abuse in online matches almost a given. Past that dark patch lies a game that is still a basketball technician?s dream. Games against the CPU realistically mimic a real game, while scrimmages against friends received a boost of energy thanks to sped-up gameplay and better shot blocking. ESPN NBA Basketball 2K4 retains the top slot by just a hair.

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