''NBA Live 96'' is the second 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 ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

series published 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 on November 30, 1995. The PC and

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

covers feature

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

of the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

, while the

Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

and European

box covers feature a photo of the tip-off to Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals. PlayStation and PC versions are the first games in the series to feature 3D-rendered courts, allowing for multiple camera angles using EA's "Virtual Stadium" technology, which is also used for ''

FIFA Soccer 96 ''FIFA Soccer 96'' (also known as ''FIFA 96: Virtual Soccer Stadium'') is a football simulation video game developed by Extended Play Productions and released by Electronic Arts in 1995. It was released for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Saturn, ...

''. On-court player graphics remain 2D sprites. It is also the first ''NBA Live'' game released for the PlayStation. ''NBA Live 96'' is followed by ''

NBA Live 97 ''NBA Live 97'' is the third installment of the '' NBA Live'' video games series. The cover features Mitch Richmond of the Sacramento Kings. The game was developed by EA Sports and released on November 1, 1996. The MS-DOS, Sega Saturn and PlayS ...

''.

Gameplay

* ''Live 96'' introduces Free Agent pool and Create-a-Player to the series. To meet release deadlines, the latter feature is not included in the PlayStation version. * This is the first ''NBA Live'' title to utilize Virtual Stadium Technology and multiple camera angles. * Though

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 ...

and

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Natio ...

are not included due to licensing issues, they exist as hidden players in the console versions, which can be unlocked by entering their surnames (along with the surnames of various legends and rookies from the draft class of 1995) in Create-a-Player.

Development

The player sprites were rendered on

Silicon Graphics Silicon Graphics, Inc. (stylized as SiliconGraphics before 1999, later rebranded SGI, historically known as Silicon Graphics Computer Systems or SGCS) was an American high-performance computing manufacturer, producing computer hardware and soft ...

workstations.

Reception

'' Next Generation''s review of the Genesis version praised the game's new features, particularly the post-up move and the create-a-player feature. It rated the game five out of five stars, concluding, "While the action and graphics in '' Slam 'N' Jam'' ... for 3DO are still superior, ''NBA Live '96'' for the Genesis is the best basketball simulation out there, anywhere." ''Next Generation'' rated the SNES version four out of five stars, explaining that "the game's essential lack of defensive play and offensive strategy make this cart pale in comparison to Genesis' version as a simulator." The reviewer elaborated that players in the SNES version can easily score with repeated dunks and concluded that the game, though the best SNES basketball game yet released, pales against the Genesis version. They later named the Genesis version number 76 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time". Johnny Ballgame of ''

GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...

'' said the SNES version "is bigger and badder than previous versions on the SNES, and it's the first to be comparable to the acclaimed Genesis versions of the past." He praised the new features, excellent controls, improved graphics, and "jammin' soundtrack". He found the Genesis version inferior to the SNES version with its smaller sprites, fewer colors, and less smooth opening music but still outstanding in absolute terms. Ballgame stated that the PlayStation version's removal of the create-a-player feature seen in earlier versions of the game, the substandard graphics, and the erratic camera make it an overall mediocre effort. He remarked that this version fails to measure up to ''

NBA ShootOut ''NBA ShootOut'' (''Total NBA'' in Europe) is a series of basketball video games based on the NBA and released for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. It was one of Sony's first-party sports franchises for the PlayStation, along with ''NHL Fac ...

'', which released in the same month. Two sports reviewers of ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...

'' agreed that the graphics were not up to PlayStation standards but maintained it to be the best basketball game on the market at the time, rating it 9.0 and 8.5 out of 10. ''Next Generation''s reviewer praised its vast array of options, features, and plays over ''NBA Shootout'', though he criticized the unrealistic physics. He rated it four out of five stars, concluding, "Even EA admits that as far as technically innovative basketball games go, it's way behind

Sony Interactive Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

, even

Crystal Dynamics Crystal Dynamics, Inc. is an American video game developer based in San Mateo, California and part of Embracer Group. The studio developed the '' Gex'', ''Legacy of Kain'', and ''Tomb Raider'' series. Founded in 1992 by Madeline Canepa, Judy L ...

. But when it comes to gameplay, ''NBA Live '96'' is the most consuming basketball game on the market." In 1996, '' Next Generation'' listed ''NBA Live 96'' as 76th on their "Top 100 Games of All Time" list, commenting that, "none do a better job than ''NBA Live '96'' at managing to balance the offensive nature of the sport while incorporating the important defensive and strategic elements."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nba Live 96 1995 video games DOS games Electronic Arts games Game Boy games Hitmen Productions games Multiplayer and single-player video games NBA Live PlayStation (console) games Sega Genesis games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Tiertex Design Studios games Video games developed in Canada Video games set in 1995 Video games set in 1996 Windows games ru:NBA Live 96