I am not a follower of American sports and so rarely pay attention to the video games that represent them. The last NBA video game that I recall having played intensely (apart from Xbox 360 games) would have been on my dear old Sega Mega Drive, I am unsure of the title but I remember at the time that I really found it enjoyable as I would be going for a basket my character would fly to insane heights with all the unusual color effects around his body as he flew through the air. Now that was an over the top, very arcade style game, however we have now entered the era of the Xbox 360 where everything is in high definition and pumping that surround sound we all love so much. NBA Live 06 is a whole different ball game. Electronic Arts are well known for their sporting based arcade and simulation style video games; including the likes of FIFA, Tiger Wood's PGA Tour, NFL Madden, NBA Live. We now take a look at EA's latest basketball game, which launched along side the Xbox 360 console.

Gameplay

Basketball video games have always been fairly straight forward to play, but they have not evolved too much over the years. It has always been the same style control method even since the Sega Mega Drive years. So game play wise it is pick up and play which is always good but then there’s no big innovation in game play that we have come to expect. What NBA Live 06 does offer is real-world physics and enhanced animations which match the style of their real-life counterparts. The on-screen players move realistically as your running down the middle of the court and eventually foul Shaq as your going for that big slam dunk.

You are also able to create your own 6ft 7' tall freestyle superstar to have running around the basketball court bouncing his ball. You can then take your chosen team along with your newly recruited superstar and take them through the season mode and try your very hardest to win that all important NBA Championship (or you could just simulate). There is also Xbox Live play with one gamer assigned to their respected teams. Upon signing into EA's servers you will automatically download the current roster, so your game is always fresh and up to date. That really is an excellent feature, the only downside being is that it’s running on EA's dedicated servers and not Microsoft's which means sadly at some point in the future EA will decide to shut down the online portion of the game - most likely around the release of NBA Live 07 later this year.

Graphics

This is where the game really shines, and why not? Sports games are renowned for showing off the early capabilities of new hardware and NBA Live 06 represents it very well. Things are even more noticeable on a high definition screen. Up close you can actually see dripping sweat (enough to put you off your breakfast) and the fine details on certain players artistic tattoos. It is quite shocking by how much the in-game models actually look like their real-life counter part. The stadium courts themselves look real, you can see the reflection on the floor from the players and the over head titantron and lights. It's all visually pleasing to look at.

Sound

The sound in NBA Live 06 plays just as big of a role as the graphics. You hear the usual cheers and boos from the crowd as well as the slips and skids from the players as they run along the court doing their little twirls as they head towards the basket. The commentary is spot-on and also amusing. While all these things mesh together well to give you a life-like basketball game, the commentary just finishes it off nicely. If you play a serious game then the commentators are serious, if you play appalling and play so bad then the commentators will pick up on it and respond accordingly.

Longevity

If you are a big fan of the sport and enjoyed the previous NBA video games then you probably already own this game, if not then you should consider purchasing. However I found that the title is more rental material as I am not a big follower of the sport, this is of course down to your own personal preference whether you rent or buy. The inclusion of online multiplayer is certain to add some longevity assuming you have friends that also have the game.

Overall

I found NBA Live 06 to offer little in the way of fun, it does have impressive visuals and sound but it plays just the same as any other basketball game available on the market and does not offer much in the way of innovation. For those of you that are unsure about this game then I'd recommend you to rent it (at least for the easy gamerscore points) or at the very least download the 495MB demo from the Xbox Live Marketplace, so you can form your own opinion of the game before purchasing.