NBA Live 2003

"Full Court FUN, Live"

Intro

- When I first played this I thought it wouldn't be much good. I had NBA 2k3 for PS2 for a few weeks already and when I finally played Live 2003, I found either one could have been a good choice.

Graphics: 9/10

- Graphics are amazing for Live. Dunks are greatly done and players have facial expressions which match with what they are doing. Some players were drawn more accurately than other players, but still it is good.

Audio (music + sound): 10/10

- Sound effects are superb. Great selection of music, the game even comes with a soundtrack. The genre of music is mainly Rap and I believe some R&B and Pop was implemented. Though I heard many people downplaying this game due to its music choice, but I believe it is greatly done.

Gameplay/Control: 7/10

- Gameplay is pretty good. Control may take awhile to get used to, it took me awhile at least. Gameplay is fast and fun. I've had Vlade Divac with four three pointers in one game, which is nearly impossible if you follow the NBA. In a full game of three minute quarters you can score near 100 points for each team. Statistically, NBA Live is not very accurate or realistic.

Fun Factor: 10/10

- FUN FUN FUN, this game is full of it. Unlike NBA 2k3's strategic style, this is more of a fast-court-fun style. Less strategy but more fun. Especially if you love scoring lots of points in not too much time of play. This is THE basketball game for fun. In my humble opinion fast and fun style games are better for competition against friends because they are much more fun and less to think about.

Replay Value: 9/10

- Very fun, making it more re playable (at least in my mind). Since Xbox has only broadband users, the internet gameplay must not be very laggish. The game modes are solid and have many features to leave you playing for months. Legend pool is a nice feature where they group up many of the NBA legends to play with. Retro jerseys are available to play with in the game, a little added spice.

Run Down

Graphics: 9/10
Audio: 10/10
Gameplay/Control: 7/10
Fun Factor: 10/10
Replay Value: 9/10

Pros
+ Graphics
+ Speed of play
+ Music

Cons
+ Unrealism

Buy or Rent?: If you are looking for a blast of fun in a basketball game this is a definite buy for you. But I recommend all basketball fans to rent and see how this game is.

Final Note/Bottom Line: If your looking whether to buy NBA 2k3 or NBA Live 2003, it comes down to preference; if you just want fun go with Live 2003, if you want to actually work on your skill and develop a game NBA 2k3 is good.

Final Score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/02, Updated 02/03/03