NBA Live '95

Takin' it to the Hoop

A Review of NBA Live '95

NBA Live '95 is the latest 5-on-5 basketball simulation based on the hit Sega Genesis/Super Nintendo version. NBA Live '95 takes the 16-bit action to the next level with great gameplay, graphics, and sound.

All 27 NBA teams are featured here with their complete rosters as of February 23, 1995. (With the exception of Charles Barkley and David Robinson, due to contractual reasons.) Each player has his own high-res portrait and in-depth skill ratings. NBA Live '95 features a TV style presentation complete with digitized intros of the starting lineups. Each NBA Live '95 court is almost an exact replica of it's real-life counterpart.

NBA Live '95 features 3 modes of play: Exhibition, Season (26, 52, or 82 games), and Playoffs. Using 2 joysticks, the keyboard and mouse, up to 4 players can compete against each other or against the computer. Complete player stats are kept for every single player throughout season play. The stats can be sorted by any category, simply by clicking on the stat heading.

You can also trade any player in the league. The game even allows you to make up to 4 custom teams. (Try playing against a team of 12 Shaqs!)

The gameplay is similar to the Genesis/Super NES version. It's fast paced and smooth and you're in control of everything from dunks and blocks to alley-oops. The animation very well-done. You'll see behind-the-back passes and a variety of different dunks. The players are detailed well and you can easily tell them apart.

The Artificial Intelligence in NBA Live '95 could stand improvement. There are 3 difficulty settings, ranging from a stupid computer to a down-right cheap computer. For example, when the computer is losing by more than 10 points or so, it will shoot 3's at almost every opportunity. By the end of the game, the computer will have shot about 8/43 from the 3-point line. On the hardest setting, the computer has no problem blocking shots and stealing the ball, but winning is still fairly easy.

Despite poor artificial intelligence, NBA Live '95 is THE definitive 5-on-5 game for the PC. It's digitized graphics and sounds add to the great gameplay and detailed stats. If you like basketball, NBA Live '95 is definitely worth picking up. If you're looking for the best basketball game available for your PC, this is the game for you.