''NBA Live 2004'' is the 2004 installment of the ''

NBA Live ''NBA Live'' is a series of basketball video games published by EA Sports. The series, which debuted in 1994, is the successor to the previous ''NBA Playoffs'' and ''NBA Showdown'' series. Beginning in the late 2000’s, NBA Live sales had drop ...

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series. The cover features

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played Powe ...

as a member of the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

and in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

copies of ''NBA Live 2004'' feature Raul Lopez. The game was developed by

EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" ...

and released in 2003. The game is similar graphically to '' NCAA March Madness 2004'' and has the same create-a-player models. It was also the last EA game to feature

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

Game modes

Season

Season mode play allows the player to choose an

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

team to compete for the season trophy. Players can also choose how many games there are during the season. A custom player option also allows game players to create their own team of NBA players. There is also a Roster management where game players can buy and sell players from various teams in the

Dynasty

Dynasty mode is similar to season mode but instead, teams compete for the Dynasty trophy. In this mode however, points earned from gameplay in games can be spent on individual and team training sessions to improve the skill level of the player's team. Points can also be spent in the 'NBA store' on shoes, jerseys, headbands, and socks. These clothing items can then be applied to the players of the team and are seen during gameplay. One of the main goals of Dynasty mode is the process of drafting and developing new players.

One on one

In this mode players go one on one with an opponent in either a gym or street court; they can edit the number of baskets to win the game.

Training

In this mode, the game player can practice and improve court skills.

Features

The new button layout now allows the player to choose when to shoot and when to dunk/layup. The new system improves on previous frustrations with three-foot jumpers and losing possessions because of unnecessary dunk attempts. The "pro hop" has finally been introduced into the game and with it the ability to split defenders, or throw an opposing defender off rhythm. Not to be outdone, big men were given the ability to "power dribble", which creates space into the lane for an easier basket. Yet, with the newly improved defense and AI, coming by points is that much more difficult. In addition, freestyle dribbling is no longer an end-all to improving the game, and handling stats actually affect the player's ability to freestyle. This was also the first game to feature the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...

; they are the worst team in the game with a rating of 50. Since the game's rosters were finalized before the expansion draft, the Bobcats' lineup consisted of players named after their specific positions, for example, the point guard was named "Point Guard".

Reception

The game received "favorable" reviews on all platforms according to video game

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. In Japan, ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

'' gave the PlayStation 2 version a score of three eights and one seven for a total of 31 out of 40.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nba Live 2004 2003 video games Electronic Arts games NBA Live Windows games PlayStation 2 games Xbox games GameCube games Video games developed in Canada Video games set in 2003 Video games set in 2004