NBA Live 2010 Review

Perhaps it's because basketball is typically a high scoring sport, but almost every element in the latest NBA Live seems to have been designed to make notching up basket after basket as easy as possible – for both sides.

It's something that only really becomes clear after continued play. Almost a trick of the light, NBA Live's strength is that during the first match-up or two games seem especially exciting, tight, and tense.

In reality, however, it's all something of an illusion. Press too heavily on NBA Live's buttons, as you inevitably will, and the whole facade begins to crack.

What's admirable, however, is that the game hasn't been tempted to alter its set-up to compete with its rivals. NBA Live retains the series' intuitive control set-up, with a tap of the '5' button highlighting your passing options, coloured arrows then helping you separate the easier passes from the more difficult ones.

Time is also slowed down while you consider your options, making each game less about trigger finger play and more about stringing together successful, considered passes. It gives NBA Live a notably different feel to the likes of Gameloft's NBA Pro Basketball series, which comes in a comparatively fast-passed, arcade style flavour.

The game also has the capacity to look rather slick, a double tap left or right initiating a spin move that can put you clear of your marker. Hitting the left soft-key when in possession also lets you re-organise your team to pull of set moves, although NBA Live doesn't really have the depth to make this a necessity and you'd often be hard pressed to spot its implementation.

That's because, just like its aforementioned competitor, NBA Live is, at times, far too easy. Opponents often make very little attempt to challenge for the ball when you're in possession, some overtly standing aside while you pile your way through to the basket.

Your defence, too, is somewhat suspect. Ensuring your rivals fail to score seems to rely on your ability to block them out, but it's all smoke and mirrors. On the few occasions an opponent actually decides to take you on, you'll often find your teammates simply backing off and, rather frustratingly, letting him through with little resistance.

This makes many games rather basket crazy. The fine line between success and failure in these high scoring contests rests with any mistakes you happen to make, rather than any semblance of graft or skill.

So while the latest NBA Live represents a step forward on some levels – a full season roster of matches and some refined visuals help put it in touch with Gameloft's take on the sport, for instance – it also feels rather loose and unrefined on others.

Neither EA nor Gameloft has managed to serve up a game that does basketball true justice, in truth, but for those to whom the NBA is a religion, EA's NBA Live is just a basket or two behind its main rival.