So here it is, the next next-generation of video game consoles. The graphics and sound are tight, but what about the gameplay? Well,
NBA Live 06 does a lot of things right, but also suffers from a lot of wrong. On the plus side, the animations and smoothness of player movement is incredible. It’s not just about shooting the rock and playing ‘D’ anymore, but you can now save the ball from going out of bounds or position yourself to make a move with or without the ball quite easily.
I absolutely love how Live handles free throws now. You may see other reviews that hate the new system, but I’m here to tell you that just like the real thing, practicing your free throws can be the deciding factor in close games. There are no more gimmies. Instead of the standard button press for accuracy and power, you now use the right analog stick Tiger Woods-style and must time the shot with utter smoothness. It may take a few tries to get used to it (I think I went about 2 ½ games before making a single free throw), but once you do, you are sure to make the majority of your attempts.
Unfortunately, NBA Live 06 has a lot of negatives associated with it as well. First and foremost is the camera. By default, it offers a Broadcast style. Actually, this is pretty tight when players shoot and the camera cuts to a closer shot of them, but in its default state, it really doesn’t make you feel like you’re in the action as much as a traditional side view seems to. So we switch to another camera, the Press Box, and see how it holds up. This is much better camera angle for controlling the action (in my opinion), but the Press Box suffers from severely being behind the play. The ball will be up-court for 2-3 seconds sometimes before the camera catches up, which makes it almost impossible to fast break. Also, none of the cameras let you get close enough to the action, so it almost keeps you disconnected from the game.
NBA Live 06 also got rid of the Freestyle moves for the Xbox 360 release. While there are still plenty of moves to be had manually, this was a big shock. You can, however, throw up some great alley-oops with the quick touch of a button, and the post and ball moves seems improved. My biggest disappointment, however, lies within contested shots. It seems that rarely, if ever, will even star players be able to finish when being contested near the hoop. This results in a lot of missed bunnies and a lot of added frustration to the game.
