-- PlayStation Magazine
November 2003, p. 26
Score: 8/10
?The gameplay is extremely tight and well done in NBA Live 2004. The game plays like a dream, and will have gamers coming back for more action...To be honest NBA Live 2004 is one of the best basketball games I have played in a long time. Anyone who enjoys basketball should pick this one up as soon as they see it, because you will not regret it!?
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GameZone
Score: 9.3 / Editors' Choice
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"Rather than rehash last season, EA SPORTS has given its all-star a major overhaul. This time around, all the athletes on the court react to the ball handler. No longer can point guards slice through unguarded lanes and past slow-to-react defenders. As in real life, players don't move individually, they operate as a team."
"EA SPORTS' latest basketball game sports serious improvements, most notably on defense. Players are much better about stepping into passing lanes to deflect or steal the ball, and double teams are especially effective when the ball goes down into the post. This emphasis on defensive play really affects the overall feel and pacing of NBA Live 2004."
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Electronic Gaming Monthly
Score: 9/10
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"NBA Live 2004 ramps up the defense and piles on the features for an impressive all-around game."
"NBA Live is about taking it to the hoop and ramming the rock down your opponent's throat. It's about coming up big on D, elevating your game to the next level, and batting that dunk back into the stands. It's about freestyle, ankle-breaking moves, where all the defender can do is sit and marvel at your Air Force Ones as you rise toward the rim ... It's one of the best head-to-head sports games to hit shelves this year."
"NBA Live 2004 delivers an excellent basketball experience. Hardcore players will appreciate the added control brought by the new features, like off-the-ball control and the jump stop. The separation of the dunk and shoot buttons is an especially great move that, we think, will be copied by many other games in time."
?For 2004, EA has done it again, implementing expanded Freestyle control, improved defensive AI, superior graphics and a brand-new announce team. Without question, NBA LIVE 2004 is a slam dunk.?
-- Play Magazine
November 2003
Grade: A
?EA SPORTS put in much work during the off-season to insure that NBA LIVE 2004 would be the hottest hoops game yet.?
-- King
Nov./Dec. 2003
Score: 4.5/5
?The first thing you'll notice is the graphics. They are incredible in all respects - from the arena to the players to the player movements. EA SPORTS used 10 man motion capturing for the first time ever and the result is that all the guys on the court move as a true team.?
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Allen Iverson?s tattoos notwithstanding, when is less not more in the NBA? Exhibit A: the latest version of EA?s flagship hoops game, whose bells and whistles are many - and surprisingly useful. LIVE?s Freestyle Control, introduced last year but far more polished today, lets players intuitively perform crossover dribbles and other flashy moves on the court."
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Entertainment Weekly
October 17, 2003
Grade: A-
"Any basketball coach will tell a team that it can't win a championship without good defense. Taking this lesson into consideration, EA Sports has significantly beefed up the defense in NBA LIVE 2004 turning it into a much more accurate representation of professional basketball."
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Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine
Score: 4.5/5
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