Although the changes in NBA Live 2004 dramatically change the way you play, overall it's not as fun as NBA Live 2003.
First, the graphics and sound are what you'd expect from a EA Sports game. The graphics are improved, and don't look bad, although ESPN NBA Basketball, Sega Sports' offering this year, has NBA Live 2004 beat. Player models aren't as close to their real life counterparts as Sega's game. Lefties will shoot free throws as they do in real life. The arenas feature championship banners and retired jerseys hanging from the rafters. The hardwood floors reflect, though not as much as they do in ESPN NBA Basketball. The commentary is provided by Marv Albert and Mike Fratello, and is adequate, but there are very few player specific phrases they'll use.
In addition to the main season and exhibition game modes, NBA Live 2004 offers 1 on 1, practice, and franchise modes. The gameplay has been tweaked this year, and you'll notice the game speed has been slowed down compared to last year's game, and things that you previously took for granted no longer work here. For example, you'll be severely punished for blindly throwing the ball around, as the computer will pick off your errant passes, and the game makes you take the effort to ensure your intended receiver is actually open. There seems to more emphasis on half court tactics to score, as getting around your defender in one on one situations is more difficult this year.
However, to aid in that, NBA Live 2004 introduces a couple of new additions to the controls. There is the pro hop button, which makes your player execute a jump stop, and separate dunk/layup and shoot buttons. Both of these new features, when used together and correctly, can be deadly. You can get a player to drive into the lane, do a pro hop, and lay the ball up all in one motion. At times, the pro hop seems overpowered, as most of the time you're able to create space between your player and any defenders, and when used with bigger players, they get you open for an easy dunk. However, when it fails, it fails miserably, especially far away from the basket, in which your player will just jump in place, forcing you to give up the dribble. The dunk button can also give unwanted results, like when your player encounters too much contact. Also, misusing the dunk button will lead to offensive foul calls against you. The D-pad is still used to call plays, and the Freestyle feature is still activated with the right thumb stick.
A couple of other notable changes this year is in the default settings. This is the first game in the NBA Live series in which the default view is the baseline view instead of a center court view. Also by default, players don't tire, so there are no auto subs. Another new feature which I found more of a novelty than a helpful feature is the off ball feature, in which you can control a player away from the ball, and attempt to get him into a better position for a shot.
There are plenty of unlockables in NBA Live 2004 through the NBA Store. You'll get points for doing accomplishing various tasks during a game, and can use them to purchase jerseys, shoes, and other apparel.
However, NBA Live 2004 has its share of problems that prevent it from being a truly good game. One major problem is with the canned animations, which include players diving for the ball on the floor, and players trapping the ball carrier. After playing a while, you'll recognize these animations when they begin. The problem with these is that they take too long, can't seem to be interrupted, and for a brief moment, you have no control over what happens. One especially frustrating animation is the recovery from a missed shot, and when your player is stuck in this animation, he is unable to grab the rebound.
Also detracting from the game's realism is the frequency of blocked shots, both in the transition and half court game. Too often you'll be on a breakaway well ahead of a defender, go up for the dunk or layup, and suddenly have the defender block your shot because the dunk or layup animation takes too long. Also, it's extremely easy to swat shots in traffic close to the basket, and this happens too frequently.
It's puzzling how both NBA Live 2004 and ESPN NBA Basketball mishandle close shots. There are simply too many missed shots taken within two feet of the basket. Especially when there's contact, there's almost no chance your shot will go in. NBA players simply do not miss this many close shots. Also puzzling is the difficulty of executing a fast break, as players will stop in place to catch a pass instead of the pass leading them to the basket. Some gripes I had with last year's game carry over to NBA Live 2004 as well, which include the CPU inbounding the ball too quickly and the overpowered CPU star players.
The Xbox and PC versions of the game play roughly the same, although the Xbox version plays smoother, because of the lower res graphics. The Xbox version has videos explaining the use of the freestyle controls, and also has the EA Sports Bio, both features the PC version lack.
Although the changes in NBA Live 2004 dramatically change the way you play, its flaws and mistakes are hard to overlook, and overall it's not as fun as NBA Live 2003 was.