NBA Inside Drive 2004 (Xbox) - Reviews

(3.6)

5 reviews

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19.1.2005

XSN (Microsoft's sports game label, which has also done the Top Spin and Links games for X-Box) excel in making a sport realistic, but fast-paced with an arcadey and accessible feel. NBA Inside Drive 2004 is no exception to the rule.The sound is the major bonus here and the first thing to hit you, with some excellent (albeit repetitive at times) commentary. The banter between the 2 commentators is often very funny and adds to the atmosphere. A neat touch is when there's an injury to a player - you get an in-game report from Katie Kelaveral (???) who tells you exactly what happened. Unfortunately the in-menu music can be annoying, but there are some good rap and r&b tunes among it all,including a track by Musiq Soulchild.Player animations are a little jerky and unrealistic on the floor, but on the whole good - especially in close-up on a replay (when a player drives to the hoop to pull off a slam-dunk or signature move - most of which are so good you just have to see it again!).I found the stamina of players inconsistent and annoyingly unrealistic - Shaquille O'Neal of course needed to be rested regularly, but Kobe didn't tire at all and was sprinting around the court happily and stayed there for virtually the entire game!Controls are good, as expected, and easy to use. A = pass, X = shoot/rebound, B/right control stick = dekes/post moves, the Y button is to choose who to pass to. The only control I didn't like was the intentional foul (Back button), as it can never be reached quick enough - by the time you press it your opponent's already scored a basket! I also found rebounding really difficult, not being able to time it right (should be just a simple tap of the X-button to jump, but it's a hit-and-miss affair really). I guess with practice things will improve!The menus are excellent and allow every possible option in the game to be adjusted, from the basics (quarter time limit, looking at player statistics etc), to creating players and guiding them through the season (these rookie players pick up experience, physical, shooting etc points to spend at the end of each game, gradually improving them as the season wears on). This Create Player function is fantastic fun, and you get to change every possible option, not only his style of play and name, but the whole player appearance from sweat bands to tattoos! I now play as a 7 foot 4" blocking/dunking monster with some cool dragon tattoos on my arm! The trading and drafting system on the other hand is rather complicated and difficult to get to grips with. I found myself creating my own player rather than being able to trade successfully with other teams (they all seem to want Kobe Bryant in return for one of their rubbish rejects!).There are 2 All-Star games in mid-season where you can participate, controlling one of the two teams.There's a training facility where you can practice either free throws or free training (in a gym, to work on your moves, alley-oops and get used to the player's style).My (short-lived) X-Box Live multiplayer experience was really disappointing if truth be told. There are very few players online to have a game with, and most are in the USA so someone in Germany like me will always get ridiculous lag. They don't tend to like "newbies" like me so I couldn't get any experience before they kicked me off! I only played 2 games before getting fed up. It's more for the single player game or getting your mates together at your place. There is some downloadable content, but it's just the latest player rosters.A major downside - as with most X-Box games these days, sadly - I found it way too easy and went through the entire season unbeaten with a series of something like 95-0, virtually all of which were "blow-out" games with a lead of about 50-100 points! Admittedly I chose the LA Lakers to play with, and it took weeks and weeks of solid play every night to complete, but you still expect more of a challenge. The good thing is that the repeat playability is great, as you really want to develop your players, be consistently good (you'll be blocking and stealing and pulling off some great moves after a short while) and guide your team to multiple title wins. I am still trying to break World Records too, which increases the longevity even further.This has grown to be one of my favourite sports games ever (along with Tiger Woods Golf), let alone one of my fave X-Box games, and it's always getting picked up for a quick blast. It certainly knocks the spots off ESPN and EA Sports' NBA Live series I think, and at this reduced price it's an absolute steal! Highly recommended to all basketball fans.