"Well, at the time, it was the best."

Electronic Arts have been making sports games for quite a while. I suppose that it's personal preference which draws a person to either of their titles, whether it be NBA Live, Madden, or whatever else. Therefore, I wouldn't be playing this game if I didn't love the game of basketball. Seeing so I love it, I came into this game looking for a professional basketball simulator that I wouldn't be ashamed to say I owned. Well, spank a goat with a flyswatter and call me Mr. Bean, this game is definitely a keeper.

Cover boy Jason Kidd should be pleased to know that he's on the front of a game that takes and plays basketball much like his team, the New Jersey Nets - fast-paced. The majority of basketball games aren't even worth playing just for this reason, but EA has once again pulled some of that virtual sports magic out their bunghole and has pleased at least me with it. I like basketball games that don't get boring after the first half; a game that gives me a reason to finish what I started. NBA Live 2003 does just that and manages it with style.

Seeing so this game is fast-paced, there is little to no need at all for throwin' the ball in paint. Posting up and backing down can be done with the R button (on defense this boxes out opponents and makes you get down lower to the ground to play tighter D), but I only found myself posting up for fun, not of necessity. The problem with taking the post is that you can't do anything but back your defender down; he just goes back until you're close enough to the rim and then you can either dunk it on him, lay it in, or pop a baby hook. The latter can be done at mid-range, too, just like the turn around J.

As far as blocking goes, it's really easy. With Allen Iverson, a 6'0'' shooting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers who had 13 blocks total last season, I managed 14 blocks in one game. That's enough to make Ben Wallace curl up in a corner and hold his afro-sheen in fear. The shot-calla's aren't generally shot-blocka's, but NBA Live 2003 defies that with occurrences like those. As 5'11'' Speedy Claxton who plays for the brand new 2002-2003 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs, I averaged 4.5 blocks per game over a thirty game stretch. These things just keep happening! It's not nothing to complain about, of course, but it does take away from the realism somewhat.

Passing has always been easy to do in basketball games. -Vision of NBA ShootOut-. Okay, so maybe not, but in here it is. If you press Z, you get a little picture of a certain corresponding button above every player that, when pressed, passes the ball to that player. It's an example of how simple dishing the rock should be, but you must watch where your player is and what he's doing. If he's calling for an alley-oop, you're going to throw one whether you like it or not and if he's behind a defender (not necessarily his own) than it's likely that it'll be picked off. The artificial intelligence ain't stupid when it comes to that.

The A.I. is, however, stupid just in just about every other category. Even if the ball is going out of bounds, your computer controlled players will go for it. Usually when this happens I switch people and bring him back so the other team won't gain possession of the ball, but alas! The other player goes for the ball as well. I can understand that we ballers are husslers, but these guys just set a bad example of intellect on the courts. The challenge level can be increased at the options screen, but the only thing that I noticed a change in was that the foul shooting balls, if you will, went faster. Nothing gets smarter or tougher except for foul shooting. That sucks.

Of course, the NBA wouldn't be the NBA without the plays that are made. It's more tactical than streetball, you see, and for a change I actually can call plays that *work*. All that needs to be utilized is the D-Pad, and voila - a play is started. These can be changed to your style of play in the strategy section of the in-game menu, and there are a lot to choose from. Do what the diagram says and they'll even go through for you. Kinda different, seeing how most basketball games have plays that work all the way up to step one before failing. Progression is good.

There has been an incredibly innovative introduction made in this game, and I expect to see it or maybe even an improved version in future NBA Live games. It is called Freestyle Control, a C-Stick based system where you can control all the normally automated moves that can be done with the X button. Actually, FC gives you a lot more options than the standard special moves button. It's like breakin' out of prison. Ahem...

The triple threat position (where you've just got the ball and haven't taken your dribble yet) is finally one where you can utilize different moves other than pass, run, or shoot. Using the Freestyle Control, you can either palm the ball and hold it behind you, step back (which will bring you out of the triple threat spot), or create space with some jab steps. You can also hold the jab step in the position that it is in, press the turbo button (R), and then use the D-Stick to drop the ball either to the left or right and take it to the lane. Those kind of moves are a big part of what make the game great.

NBA Live 2003 is at its best when it comes to using Freestyle Control as you're dribbling. From there, you can spin, do a somewhat inverted spin where the ball is pushed to the side before the body twists to catch it on the same side the ball was when you spun, go behind the back, dribble between the legs, and, of course, crossover. An interesting control aspect of FC is that the move you make with the C-Stick determines what direction the ball will go in. An example would be this: the ball is in your right hand and you move the C-Stick from right to left clockwise - doing that brings the ball behind the back to the left hand. Not really genius, but it's as close as a bullet burn.

What makes it even better is that you can literally fake out your opponent with those moves. It doesn't even come close to the feeling you get in real life when you break someone's ankles, but then again, nothing really does. However, as a video game it adds to the realism - it makes it seem like you're doing more than burning a defender and checkin' two. Making the other guy look like a damn fool is a whole new aspect to the franchise and it becomes a habit to just stop and try to do that to a defender - one of NBA Live 2003's best qualities.

Freestyle Control also functions on the defensive side as well. Moving the C-Stick left or right will make either of the player's arms reach out to try and steal the ball, while pressing up raises both arms to put pressure on the shot. You can't block this way, but that's not what it's designed for. Putting a hand in a shooter's face oftentimes throws off their concentration.

The Freestyle Control idea is marvelous and unique. It's simple enough to get used to quickly, but the various combinations that can be strung together never make it boring to use. This ingenuitive tool brings something new to the table to take away a lot of the staleness that the genre was beginning to acquire. Why couldn't I have thought of this? I'm going to sue my psychiatrist. Tellin' me to stay in the house 'cause basketball was taking over my life... Pfft.

I never quite understood the premise of the Franchise mode in basketball games. Prior to this game, I'd tried it twice, and both times I couldn't fully see what the hell the difference was between this mode and Season. NBA Live 2003 really pinched my ass with its Franchise option, though. It doesn't make me feel like the General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers or anything, but it does incorporate a certain strategy to the game that no other mode has.

At the start, you choose which franchise (team) you want to be. The upper part of something that looks like the Gingerbread Man appears beside the name displaying "User" and then you choose whether or not you want to have a Fantasy Draft, which is something that any basketball enthusiast will appreciate. Here, all of the players in the NBA are suddenly free agents that are redrafted to the 29 NBA teams. You can either manually control what your franchise acquires or have the computer do it for you, but the latter path is not a wise one to travel. About two players in all you get are some very icky picks, so for anyone who knows anything about the NBA, it'd be best to choose which players you get yourself. The computer was created by the chibi Satan on some developer's shoulder.

After the Fantasy Draft the whole Franchise mode plays much like Season - you play 82 games and then if you've clinched a playoff berth, you head to the NBA Playoffs. Once those have been decided the offseason starts up and the true pleasurable torture of Franchise mode begins.

You can resign players, draft rookies (fictional college basketballers), sign free agents and trade players. You can also change the amount of years that the contract stands for, though only during this time. No getting rid of upsets like Kwame Brown here, nope. Players will inevitably retire sooner or later (the 15-year mark is the one to usually watch out for) and then you'll be forced to look for mostly all new talent. Ballers can be sidelined with injuries, too, and that's something that's as random as a headbutt in soccer - it hurts, but it only hurts the team if it's a *good* player.

Money is no object. -Cough-. In this case, points aren't, either. Taking the price of the good ol' American dollar, points exist for practically no reason at all, like Richard Simmons. The only problem with them is that you can't re-sign every player unless you did incredibly well the previous season. It doesn't matter what mode of difficult of the four you're on, either - you gain or lose the same amount per game no matter what. Besides, there's no fun in having the same team year after year... right?

Aside from the rather deep Franchise and the bit too basic Season modes, you've got a couple others to mess around with - Exhibition (where you and a friend will most likely play), Practice, and 1 on 1, the last of which leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe it's because crossing up a non-AI controlled opponent isn't as easy as doing it in real life, perhaps. When it comes to this option, NBA Live 2003 for the most part reverts back to the SNES days of running around till you've got either an open shot or an open lane. The only word I can think of for that is: egads!

You can change a lot of things in virtually all basketball games. NBA Live 2003 is no exception. The options screen allows you to deviate quarter lengths, camera angles, probability of fouls, etc., etc. And speaking of fouls, when you go to the charity stride to shoot some free throws, you are faced with a simple "+" where you must get two basketballs as close to the center of the "+" as possible. It's simple 'cause it doesn't need to be difficult.

Aren't are they harder play to because basketball is what can't going hell the visually if on tell impressive just you usually the on games.

... If basketball games aren't visually impressive they are usually harder to play because you just can't tell what the hell is going on. True? True. Thankfully, the NBA Live franchise once again brings us some excellent graphics to view with our already scorched retinas. The numerous tattoos (which can be viewed in the somewhat extensive create-a-player mode) are just as detailed as the muscle definition and facial expressions.

Adding to the realism are the reactions on the sidelines. Say Jason Richardson (2-Time Consecutive Slam Dunk Champion) drops a 360 Behind The Back through the rim - his teammates will jump out of their seats, pumping their fists into the air while the opponent's bench will look at the floor and pout 'cause their ego was just used as a thermometer that wasn't taken into the mouth.

The basketball courts and arenas don't look too much different except for the logo at midcourt and the designs that pop up elsewhere on it. Can't ask for much, though - a basketball game is centered around the hardwood and until they make a game where a player pays the way for a handicapped kid to get into the game, having to buy the popcorn and all, that won't change.

I've met many a poltergeist in my life... well no, I haven't, but this game makes me feel like that there are over three hundred of them on my TV screen, ten at a time. Why is it that with every new roundball game that comes out, the ball-collision detection is just as horrible as before? Fix it you fools! I'm sick of going to pick up the ball just for the guy three feet behind me to pick it up first. I'm tired of reaching for rebounds when 9/10 times the ball literally manages to go through my hands. I mean, if EA can't make the ball at least bounce off someone's head instead of going clean through it like a .44 Magnum, then EA should best make up for it better than what they have. It's not bad enough to turn the game off, but holy hell, it comes close sometimes.

And then there's the theory that each roundballer is the same if the statistics are alike. That theory is as wrong as gang-rape. Where's the killer crossover of Allen Iverson, or the *very* M.I.A. between-the-legs dunk of J. Rich and Vince Carter? Shaquille O'Neal doesn't have nothing on any other centers, they're just all basically the same. Even though the majority of the NBA ain't got nothin' on And1, I must say I was disappointed that every player does basically the same thing, even though better dribblers tend to not drop the ball and better dunkers tend to slam it home more fashionably.

The game of basketball itself is compromised of two motions: fluid and stutter. NBAL2003 is for the most part all of the former but the latter road is taken more than it has to be. Like when someone goes up to dunk in real life, they don't tend to have a singular and same animation for a dunk - it comes out of nowhere, it flows. This game is somewhat like that, but only after the player goes airborne. The lift-off looks pretty bad sometimes. The only word I can find for it is "disjointed."

Hip-Hop, rap music and a bit of rock go hand in hand with basketball. Here, though, it's all hip-hop and even a couple pop songs. I can't listen to this trash, I'm sorry. Props to people like Busta Rhymes and the Flipmode Squad, Hot Karl and Fabolous, but other than that, the music just ain't worth listenin' to. After ten minutes I've heard everything, even a cheap rip-off of the good ol' Jeffersons TV theme, and that was utterly horrible. At least, seeing so developers haven't yet had the revelation of playing the music in the basketball game, I don't got to listen to this poo while I'm playin' ball.

The sound effects are realistic and non-Lagganese. You hear the rim explode with the impact of a windmill from Richard Jefferson just as it happens, you hear the swoosh of the net and the buzzer going off as Allen Iverson drains a three in Kobe Bryant's cryin' eyes; you hear all that. The crowd will go berserk while at other times they seem to be saying a silent prayer to fallen basketball Gods, but that's just fine. I ain't hearing them anyway. I got CDs playing 'cause the tunes are made up mostly of artists who chewed on one too many thorn bushes before they stepped in the booth.

NBA Live 2003 continues the fast-paced style that the franchise is known for while introducing a whole new way of playing the game with its Freestyle Control system. The game is as replayable as any NBA simulator can so far be with its semi-deep Franchise mode and multiplayer capabilities. Of course, all NBA players are obsolete when matched against the C-A-P (Create-A-Player) Army of Godliness, but that's besides the point. For anyone searchin' for a sharp-lookin' professional basketball simulation title, this is as best as you're gonna get... as in, best you're gonna get at the time of release.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/09/06, Updated 03/23/10

Game Release: NBA Live 2003 (US, 10/08/02)