NBA Live 2003
I have loved all of the NBA Live titles so far. When I heard that this one was coming out, I knew that I had to get my hands on it. After I went to my nearest EB and snagged a copy of it, I went home and had the time of my life.
EA Sports Freestyle Control
There are a bunch of new things in NBA Live 2003. Perhaps the coolest thing is that you get the amazing EA Sports Freestyle Control. This thing is so much fun! It gives you control over both hands of your player so you can make lightening fast steals, amazing dribbles, and awesome ball fakes with great post moves. When you have a controller like the Logitech Wingman RumblePad, it is easy to do these sweet combos. The Rumblepad has two analog sticks, one that is used to move the player, while the other is used to do freestyle moves. When you move the stick left for instance, the ball will switch to your left hand, or you will try to steal left. When you move the stick in a ‘J' motion, you can go behind your back and leave your competitors in the dust. Freestyle control makes the game so much more fun and interesting, because the possibilities of moves are endless. When you use freestyle control, you blow by the AI and there is no way for them to stop you. This is why this title is definitely not the simulation we have been waiting for. The gameplay is way too fast, but some people still may like this.
Changing Uniforms
Another new feature is the ability to change the uniforms of your players, which has much been waited for. You can go to some old school jerseys, the Dr. J era, or simply change from home to away jerseys. There are lots more, which make each game feel a little different. You can also change your opponent's uniform!
EA Postulates that MJ isn't an Insane Dunker
EA has added some cool new symbols that appear by player's names on the court that tell you if they have a special ability. There is a hand for blocks shots, a ball with a 3 which means they are good at 3 pointers, a lock which means they have tight defense, and a shoe with wings which means they are big dunkers. I was surprised at what they gave Michael Jordan. He had a lock which means he has tight D (which he does) but he also awesome at three's and at dunks (he won the 1987 and 1988 dunk contest). EA?!
New Animations and Details
There are hundreds of new animations for the crowd and your players. For instance, you get one player that always wants to sign autographs after the game while the coach is yelling at him to get in the locker room. Sometimes, the players taking the jump steal the ball from the ref and he doesn't know where it is. The player models are highly detailed in NBA Live 2003. Each player has their own tattoos that they have in real life, and each has their own muscle definition. Their faces are all different and each one can be distinguished from another. The crowd cheers, jumps and yells, and really adds effect to the game. The courts look real and shiny, and it makes you feel like you are at the game. When shadows are turned on, they look pretty sweet. Your player and the ball make an amazing shadow, and when you have enough time to marvel at them, its really cool.
Playing Back Replays
The ability to play back your instant replays and take screenshots really just does it for me. After you do that sick 360 dunk, you know you just want to get a picture of MJ in mid air and send it to your friend. With this little tool, you just click on instant replay in the pause menu, and adjust the exact second of the perfect capture. You can rotate, zoom in, zoom out, and do all sorts of stuff to get the image perfect. You only have the ability to take pictures and not videos. If you could take videos, I think I would die…
Overall
Overall, NBA Live 2003 should be in any basketball fans house, but you have to take into account the extremely fast gameplay and pretty sucky AI. as loud as the iPod, and just as low as well. Very easy to use.