A mode that helps make NBA Live 2005 a must-buy for sports gamers looking for something more than your typical 5-on-5 action. A mode that's sure to go down as one of the most addicting new ways to spend your time in any sports game this year. You have just won the Slam Dunk contest in All-Star Weekend. When the panel of celebrity judges are shown, dunk legends like Dee Brown give Spud (and the player controlling him) the props he deserves…a perfect 50. The crowd of players sitting on the floor jumps to their feet, some recording the moment on camcorders, some just waving their hands in the air in amazement. Spud takes the ball and swoops it between his legs, not only once, but twice in a figure-eight style motion before finally slamming it home. After snatching the ball, Webb, still in the air, decides to do The Doctor one better. He places the ball down on the ground, kick flips it up over his head and off of the Jumbotron to the right of the basket, but instead of going after the ball, performs a front handspring then leaps into the air to grab the rock. At 5-6, nobody ever expected Webb to be in the competition in 1986, and now, almost twenty years later, the virtual Spud is ready to fly again. J just scored a 49 with an alley-oop off of the backboard, between the legs jam, and now the pressure falls on the smallest man in the contest. As a result I'm just going another step up as I got a copy of NBA LIve 06 coming in the mail, to replace Live 05 which was a dissapointing experience.Spud Webb steps out onto the floor for his first dunk. I had some fun years with Live 04, which I can't say for the two months of owning Live 05. I wanted it to be a step up from 2004 with the addition of all-star weekend but the gameplay is a step down and I'm not even gonna try to master the tricky dunk contest controls on the gamecube. It seems that they put all their energies toward the all-Star Weekend features which real basketball fans will play much less often than the actual games like regular season games. The basic interface such as the starting menus give me the feeling somethings missing(while 04 looked like it had everything an NBA fan could want in a simulation). The animations are new and fresh but Live 2004 though the player models aren't as accurate the motion captured animations were much more believable than Live 05's. The players on the bench don't move, the lighting I think is litterally "off". This game is okay but lacks substance compared to it's predecessor Live 04. All-Star Weekend events are called by TNT's Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith. One of the sport's most famous announcers, Marv Albert, resumes his place behind the NBA Live mic, joined by his regular play-calling partner, Mike Fratello. Gamers who decide to take complete control of their teams in this mode will manage a great variety of franchise functions, from game plans and scheduling to salary requirements and trades. Offering far more than a weekend of stunts and tricks, however, NBA Live still presents a full-featured simulation of the entire NBA season, or even as many as 25 seasons, in the returning Dynasty Mode. The last ability helps support the game's new "All-Star Weekend" mode, which allows players to take part in a virtual re-creation of the league's annual, mid-season celebration, which is highlighted by the slam-dunk contest and three-point shot competition. The game's new "Freestyle Air" features allow gamers to take control of their NBA players in mid-flight, to block shots, score tip-in rebounds, and perform stylish dunks.