NBA Live 10

For sports fans, EA’s output over the last few years has become increasingly essential. The improvements made year in year out and the pressure applied by rival series has created sports games, across the genres that are consistently excellent. You need only ask yourself the question, are the changes made worthy of the price tag or is it worth sticking with the older iterations? We’ll, firstly it depends what those changes actually are and NBA Live 10 brings a number of new features that, for fans of the sport, really shouldn’t be without.

The Player DNA system introduced last year has been beefed up and now includes an active season called Dynamic DNA. If the season is live in the States, the new DNA allows you to pick and play any of the games that have already occurred, with the exact conditions. So, that means players stats/injuries that are tracked by Player DNA will be in effect, you can follow the entire season this way with the game updating all the teams, players and results as you go. It really is an excellent system and a great way to keep in contact with the sport.

Another new mode this year is the online focused NBA Live Run. Ten players online choose any baller they wish (within the constraints of particular positions) and engage in online matches much like the single player ‘Be a Pro’ mode. It’s another addition likely to convince hardcore basketball fans the upgrade is necessary. The visuals are once again second to none with players moving about the court with an eerie realism, the collision detection isn’t quite perfect but it rarely feels unfair. The small changes to the shooting, now a one button context sensitive shot, actually makes the game feel much more intuitive. EA’s sports games are incredibly comprehensive and the inclusion of DNA once again adds another layer of connectivity with the sport. This, once again, is very easy to pick up, with simple controls and player animations that are truly astounding. The only question is, do you really ‘need’ those shiny new features or do you merely ‘want’ them?