NBA Live 2002

"This fadeaway just keeps on fading."

After spending some quality time with NBA Live 2002, I think it's safe to say that someone at EA Sports has too tight a grip on the mantra, ''if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'' Year after year, the Live series crops up with minor retrofits while other EA lines, like the admirable Madden games, enjoy sparkling new touches and interesting new modes.

Once again, we're presented with a game that isn't intrinsically broken so much as obviously outdated and outclassed. The feel of NBA Live 2002 is nearly identical to past iterations, despite the fact that we're now on a PS2. While last year's effort was somewhat excused due to it being a first-generation game, this year's isn't so lucky.

The basics are all here and intact. You can play Exhibition games, try a full Season, Practice your skills or compete 1-on-1 Larry Bird Vs. Dr. J style. All the teams and players are here, including a certain geezer named Michael whose sneakers most of you are wearing.

The only real new addition is the Franchise mode, which lets you guide a team through multiple seasons. With some GM elements like dealing with salary caps and extensive trades, it's a solid addition.

There isn't a zone defense to be seen. Players still sort of glide around the court, and they took out the option to disable player momentum. The result is like NBA On Ice.

This control is mixed. Throwing alley-oops is made simpler by relying on the press of the L2 button, and the icon-passing comes in handy for pinpointing fast breaks. But the juke moves never seem to do a thing. I hoped someone would have peeked over the cubicle to study the moves in NBA Street, but no such luck.

Perhaps the most aggravating flaw is the lack of any defensive rebounding, though the game box purports otherwise. Nabbing a board feels totally random and you're much better off just letting the CPU do the work for you while you take charge of a guard 20 feet away from the ball.

So in the end, NBA Live 2002 turns out to be little more than another minor upgrade to a game that has barely changed in about 4 years. But in some ways it's worse than that due to some glaring omissions and a dated feel. Rent first, but I doubt any of you would want to foot the salary for this free agent.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/22/03, Updated 03/22/03