General NBA Live FAQs
The following is a list of general frequently asked questions about the NBA Live series. If you would like to ask a question to be added to this list, please use the Discussion page.
Questions
Why are certain players not included in NBA Live?
Every year the rosters are locked at a certain date which means that any players signed after this date cannot be included in the game. Therefore the default rosters are usually outdated by the time the game ships and depending on which rookies have signed with teams and which veterans remain under contract with an NBA team, some players will miss the cutoff date and hence not be included the game.
The situation regarding Legends is similar. To include a legend EA Sports must be in agreement with the former player to use his likeness in the game. If EA Sports does not hold these rights, they are not allowed to include him in the game. Over the years player-specific deals have expired and not been renewed, thus certain Legends have been dropped from the roster as a result. Licensing issues also prevent EA Sports from including Euroleague teams and players.
Why doesn't NBA Live ever utilise generic/lookalike Legends to replace those who cannot be included, the same way Madden does?
Every major sports league has its own rules and policies regarding current and former players which video game developers must adhere to, hence what may be possible with the NFL may not be possible with the NBA. Madden also has the luxury of concealing generic players' appearances to a certain extent owing to the fact helmets are a part of the uniform. As the placeholder legends cannot resemble the players they are meant to represent in any way, their incorrect appearance would be much more apparent in a basketball game.
Why is NBA Live sometimes released so early?
Like many aspects of NBA Live, the release date is governed by the NBA itself. EA Sports must comply with the date that has been set.
Why aren't technicals/fights included in NBA Live? Why don't you ask for them in the Wishlist?
The NBA will not allow EA Sports to include unsportsmanlike technical fouls or fights in the NBA Live series as the league is very conscious about its image. EA Sports have indicated in past interviews that they would not be interested in representing these elements of the game in NBA Live but as it currently stands they would not be able to implement them even if they wanted to since the NBA will not allow them. As such, they are not featured items on the annual Wishlist.
Are there any cheat codes for NBA Live?
There are a few codes for NBA Live but these mostly relate to unlocking hidden players such as producers and members of the QA team and in later games additional shoes and items from the NBA Store. NBA Live 2004 also featured a few second round draft picks that were included as hidden players and could be unlocked through codes. See the Codes pages in the individual NBA Live subsites for more information.
I heard there was a cheat to unlock a dunk contest/missing legend/historical teams in NBA Live. Is this true?
Sorry, the code is bogus. There have been a lot of fake codes posted on the Internet throughout the course of the NBA Live series often relating to unlocking players, historical teams or features such as the Slam Dunk Contest. Although rumours of these codes persist, they can be disproven quite easily.
The simple fact of the matter is that EA Sports would not hide a feature as big as the Dunk Contest, as evidenced by the prominent promotion of All-Star Weekend in the lead up to NBA Live 2005. Missing legends are not included due for legal reasons and hence cannot appear in the game in any form, even as a hidden unlockable player. The inclusion of historical teams hinges upon the same factor (licensing rights allowing EA to include all necessary players) which to date has prevented them from being included. Making them a hidden unlockable would not circumvent the law.
Another good way of spotting a fake secret is to consider the requirements of unlocking it. Many of these secrets claim to be unlockable by achieving a statistical milestone such as making 15 steals in a game or scoring over 100 points with a single player. While later NBA Live games have incorporated a Task List that rewards players with points that can be "spent" in the NBA Store to unlock jerseys and other items, these achievements do not unlock hidden players, teams or gameplay modes.
Will you send me the full version an NBA Live game?
No. In accordance with international copyright law and out of respect to EA Sports, we will not send you an illegal copy of the game, nor will we help you with a pirated copy of the game.
Will you provide me with a working CD Key?
Again, no. We will not promote software piracy or aid you in acquiring an illegal copy of NBA Live.
Will you provide information about a No-CD patch?
Once again, no. We do not provide any resources for pirating NBA Live games.
Do you provide technical support?
Yes and no. We can usually offer some help on tech problems but we are not employed by EA Sports to do so. As experienced fans of the NBA Live series we have a general knowledge of technical problems that may be encountered, but some issues may leave us stumped. Please note that as an unofficial fansite, it is not our responsibility to provide technical support for the games.
It is best to contact EA's technical support staff or check their online help section at EA.com.
Can you tell me how to make patches?
Please browse our selection of Tutorials for some step by step guides to creating patches for the NBA Live series.
How can I use the patches for console versions of NBA Live?
You can't. PC specific updates will only work with the PC CD-ROM version of NBA Live. There are downloadable roster updates for the console versions, but we generally don't have many available in our Downloads section.
Which games in the series have been provided with an official patch after their release?
EA Sports have released official updates for NBA Live 95, NBA Live 98, NBA Live 99, NBA Live 2003, NBA Live 2004, NBA Live 2005 and NBA Live 07. Official updates have also been released for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions of NBA Live 08 and NBA Live 09, with NBA Live 09 introducing NBA Live 365.
