NBA Live 2003

"A-Live and Kicking In 2003!"

This game has got to be one of the most pleasant surprises of this year. Expectations were high, but guarded because of some failures over the past few years. My ideal game is fun-to-play, with as much realism as possible. I feel that Live delivers this in spades.
Here's the breakdown:
Gameplay - 9/10.
If you set the difficulty levels appropriately, this game is an absolute blast to play. Many now know of the ''Arcade/Sim'' switch.(Arcade actually plays more like a Sim) This is important to preventing the fastbreak-fest. More importantly, turn the fatigue ''ON'' in either mode. Players do precisely what I expect them to do. That's an extremely important factor that got overlooked by the competition this year. Passes are crisp, players move to appropriate locations without the ball, defense is difficult, and the game is rapid moving. This is basketball, not chess. There is a fairly large learning curve before it can be said that the game has been mastered.
The revolutionary right analog Freestyle Control will be a hallmark of the future of console gaming.
Graphics - 9/10.
I have seen some complaining about the accuracy of players' faces. In some cases this is a valid gripe. There are many players that clearly look better on 2K3. However, there are some that look better on Live: Sam Cassell, Rasheed Wallace, Glenn Robinson, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Kidd are incredible on the PS2 version of Live 2003.
Animations are extremely fluid and look spectacular at times. There is virtually no slowdown during gameplay. (Online play may have issues based on your connection rate)
Sound - 8/10.
The soundtrack is fine for a hoops game, and the announcing has been free of irritation thus far. Marv Albert narrates on only the practice session this year, so we'll have to wait to reunite the Knicks of old until next year.
Replayability - 9/10.
This game has many features to keep you interested until next year. The franchise mode is solid, not revolutionary.
The players of the Legends pool can be placed on your team, and used in exhibitions. The retro jerseys are outstanding!
The old Buffalo Braves and Golden State's ''The City'' jerseys are in the game and sweet.
The game can be played online, and roster update downloads are a great bonus.
To buy or to rent? - This is certainly a ''Buy'' if the gameplay suits your style. Hardcore sim lovers will probably find Live to be too ''arcadian'', but the level of fun cannot be denied.
Bottom Line: This game is not a rehash of the past with a few new faces. EA delivered a fine game this year.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/14/02, Updated 10/14/02