It was a cold day in early March 1995 as I walked into a local video game software store. I really wanted a good basketball video game to accompany the current NBA season. I had just enough money to afford one game. As I peered at the wall pregnant with Sega Genesis games, I narrowed my search down to two--"NBA Showdown" and "NBA Live 95". I made the right choice.Seven years later, even with the advent of infinitely more sophisticated and technologicaly advanced gaming systems, I derive the same ammount of enjoyment--probably more--from this revolutionary b-ball sim! It had everything you could possibly want in a NBA game: NBA license, all 27 teams, over 300 players, set plays, excellent graphics, superb play control and, best of all, tracking of player stats--I love stats!
"NBA Live" 95 initiated a successful series (by far the best) of basketball sims that continue to this day--the latest incarnation being "NBA Live 2002"--and continually improve! However, I feel a special fondness for that original 16 bit gem that has given me countless hours of unparaleled fun thoughout the years. Even if you have the latest in video game systems--Playstation 2, Xbox, Nintendo Game Cube--I highly recommend buying "NBA Live 95" if you are a basketball enthusiast. As a matter of fact, I am going to play a season game with the Bulls on "NBA Live 95" as soon as I finish writing this review!
Note: While both the SNES and Sega Genesis versions are good, the Sega Genesis version is the best.
