Sentences written about this title, gathered by type from the Japanese and English Wikipedia articles (as of 2026-8-30).
The MS-DOS, Sega Saturn, and PlayStation versions featured polygonal models for the on-court players, thus marking it as the first 3D EA Sports basketball sequel for the series.
It was also the first NBA Live title released for the Saturn.
Critics praised the dramatic improvement in graphics and animation over the previous installment, the large number of options, the exhaustive playbook, and the custom jerseys created through the create-a-player feature.
Critics still praised the wide range of options and features, but reported the graphics and frame rate are greatly inferior to the PlayStation version's, to the point where it is sometimes difficult to follow the action.
A different GamePro critic reviewed the Super NES version in the same issue.
While acknowledging that the core gameplay is good, Rich Leadbetter of Sega Saturn Magazine felt that the issues with the animation, and additionally the speed decrease resulting from poor PAL conversion and the load times when accessing and closing menus, cut into the enjoyment too much.
NBA Live 97 was a finalist for the Computer Game Developers Conference's 1996 "Best Sports Game" Spotlight Award, but it lost the award to NHL 97.
Critics still praised the wide range of options and features, but reported the graphics and frame rate are greatly inferior to the PlayStation version's, to the point where it is sometimes difficult to follow the action.
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