NBA Live 2003

"Great game but a few things need to be improved."

I’ll start off by saying, if you want a great fun basketball game this is it. The decision between NBA 2k3 and Live 2003 was a hard one for myself. I recently rented both and when it came down to it I enjoyed Live 2003 more, even though Live wasn’t as realistic as 2k3. Neither game is a perfect basketball simulation. But since this is a NBA Live 2003 review I'm going to go over the ups and downs of this game.

Gameplay- 7/10
This game is extremely fast paced. Fast breaks could end up making at least 1/4 of your total score and while it can be fun most of the time it can end up getting a little ridiculous. I did notice though on fast breaks that if your bringing the ball down the middle your players will fill in on the sides expecting for the pass and the game seems to work well at running the fast break. Another issue that most people seem to dislike is about blocked shots, I agree that its overkill. I’ve had seven foot-seven players get their shot blocked by 6’ 10” power forwards with decent block and jump ratings. Besides those two things the gameplay is pretty good, if you like an arcade style basketball game more then a basketball simulation, you’ll like this.

Controls- 10/10
The new addition of the “Freestyle” controls to this years game is a great feature. Without “Freestyle control” this game would drop big time in value and fun. With this new feature you get more control on offense and defense by tapping, rotating, or holding the Right analog stick. The only disadvantage is that it’s too easy to get past a defender even on Superstar mode. But the new controls make even defense fun and that’s a great addition.

Graphics- 9/10
The graphics are smooth and the players are well detailed. The tattoos on Iverson’s arms look good and are greatly detailed. The coaches look very realistic and the stadiums are outstanding. Even so, there is room for improvement of course. Some dunk/alley-oop animations don’t flow well and every so often the dribble animations look unrealistic. The passes look real and crisp and the low post animations look quite lifelike. The low-post hook shot animation is really solid and looks pretty cool.

Sound- 7/10
The soundtrack in this game is fine and contains a lot of hip hop and rap stars including Busta Rhymes, Fabolous, and B-Rich... just to name a few. But if you plan to play a lot you realize how short the soundtrack is, its only about 7 songs and they get old quick. The commentary is pretty good. Overall the sound is nothing to brag about.

Replay- 8/10
Franchise mode is pretty good and the online play works well. You can always create players and have a few franchises. I think the more you replay will depend on how much you can put up with the music and how much you just enjoy playing. There’s a 1 on 1 mode which is similar to the street mode seen in NBA 2k3 except its just a 1 on 1 half court game. A neat idea if you ever get bored of just playing the game, go into pratice mode and play horse with a friend. =)

Overall Score- 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/25/03, Updated 01/25/03