The first thing you’ll notice is that the PSP version has received a lot of new features. As with all the other 07 titles EA has highlighted the new features, which makes it easy to see how much has been added into the game. The options from the main menu include play now, season, dynasty, playoffs, all-star weekend, mini games and the superstar challenge. The all-star weekend includes the all-star game as well as a rookie challenge option and a slam-dunk contest. In comparison to last year there is plenty more to keep you occupied this time around.
One of the minigames.
The main mode in the game is unquestionably the dynasty mode. In the dynasty mode you take control of the team of your choice and lead them through multiple seasons. The dynasty mode takes you through the season as you train and recruit new players. Dynasty mode will also track your team chemistry rating, your team is affected by how low or high your team chemistry rating is, for example if your rating is high you’re more likely to make a comeback. The game also tracks the fatigue of your players. The fatigue is based on how much you travel and how long your players spend on the court. It may not seem important, but if your players are fatigued they’re more likely to get injured. If you’re keen enough to own the PSP and the PlayStation 2 version of the game then you’ll be happy to know that you can link the titles up and transfer saves.
The two new minigames in the game are called 2 ball and handles. In 2 ball you take on a computer character in a jump-shot contest, the first player to reach 50 points wins. The minigame plays out a bit like a continuous version of the playground game, around the world. You have to shoot the basketball from any of the circles scattered throughout the court. Power-ups will appear randomly which will aid you in different ways, on the flipside your opponent can also use the power ups to disadvantage you. 2 ball is a enjoyable game but it does require some pretty accurate movements, which aren’t always possible with the analog nub. The second minigame, handles, requires you to turn your PSP sideways to play. In this mini game you’ll need to copy the directions that are displayed on the PSP’s screen, which is pretty basic. As the difficulty increases you’ll have less time to copy the directions. Overall, the mini games aren’t deep, but they’re a bit of fun in quick bursts.
On the court EA have once again made it easy to distinguish the regular players and the superstars. The superstars have special skills that make them much better players on the court. You can assign skills to the players and switch the skills by pressing L during a game. This is a good idea but it isn’t always practical to switch skills on the fly in game. In total there are eight skills that you can assign to players which include the same six skills from last year, High Flyer, Scorer, Shooter, Playmaker, Power Player and Stopper. You can also designate scorers as inside or outside scorers and stoppers can be inside or outside stoppers. Executing the superstar moves is relatively simple, all you need to do is hold the L button and press any of the four face buttons on the PSP.
That's in, so you'd hope.
In an attempt to stop your superstar players from gaining all of the possession EA have added a feature called “The X-Factor”. Thankfully it’s not that dreadful show that lasted around 3 minutes on television last year, but it’s almost as gimmicky. At the start of the game, one player on each team is selected as the player who could change the game. By keeping the player involved in the game you’ll be able to execute the X-Factor. The X-Factor will turn your athlete into a freestyle superstar for five minutes. Alternatively you can wait to trigger the X-Factor, but the twist is that you’ll need to keep your player performing or the option will go away.
Disappointingly the game play hasn’t been upgraded all that much, which makes NBA Live 07 feel strikingly similar to its predecessor. The superstar moves are still too powerful, so most of the time you’ll just be executing the same moves, which can result in a repetitive game. Alternatively, if you’re not executing the superstar moves then the computer will be. Unfortunately, we also encountered a few glitches at times as well, the AI will run out of the court or sometimes even throw to players who are in the backcourt. Between the glitches and the unbalanced game play you’re bound to get frustrated rather quickly.
The game also supports infrastructure and wireless play. As with all of the online PSP games that EA develops you can choose to have your email box spammed to play online or you can pay a $2 fee to play online. There aren’t that many players online at the moment, so it makes the infrastructure mode a little bit redundant. The game also features ESPN integration, an ESPN update will scroll down the bottom of the screen every twenty minutes or when requested.
Could he shoot from here?
Visually the game looks nearly the same as last year’s edition. The players are recognizable for the most part but the game does run pretty slowly at times. The superstar moves and the instant replays are where the game looks it’s best but if you placed 06 and 07 beside each other you’d barely be able to tell the difference. The soundtrack in NBA Live 07 is actually pretty impressive, there is a huge variety of artists that we’ve actually heard of including the Black Eyed Peas and Gnarls Barkley. Once again the game featured the media centre, so you can listen to your own music if you’d prefer. The commentary is relatively varied, although after awhile it does become a little bit repetitive.
If you can get past the unbalanced game play then NBA Live 07 features enough content to keep you occupied for a lengthy amount of time. The dynasty mode alone will take a long time to complete and then there is the lengthy and challenging superstar mode, as well as the mini games and the playoff option. In comparison to last year there is plenty more to keep you occupied.
NBA Live 07 isn’t quite the upgrade we’d hoped for. The game is almost a carbon copy of last year’s game, albeit with more features. EA have tried to even out the game play by including a player who has the “X-Factor” but you’re more likely to just utilise your superstar players whilst you keep executing the same moves again and again. Unless you’re a die hard NBA Live fan this game is hard to recommend, the game is far too similar to it’s predecessor and as such it’s hard to see the game as anything other than a rehash.
Loading...
