After all the waiting for a basketball game for some time on the PC, I decided to pick up NBA Live 2003. From the box and the demo, the game looked like the game to have. This was a different story when I started to play the game.
There are a a few different modes to keep you occupied like season, exhibition, and one-on-one. The season mode is pretty robust. The other two modes get tiring quick.
Playing the game is when the flaws start to shine. The players often just stand there and let the player drive right past them without doing much. Many times when a player goes up to shoot, your computer counterparts just stare at the shooter as if nothing is happening. If a ball is loose on the court, the players literally just walk over and take forever to just pick it up. That really gets on my nerves. The other problem also seems to have 'Elastic AI' so that no matter how well you are shooting, you will start missing ALL layups and the other team drains threes.
The passing game is REALLY bad. Many times I have tried to pass the ball to an open player right ahead, but instead it goes to a player on the other side of him and is frequently picked off.
Maybe it might be me, but this game frequently stops recognizing my controller (Logitech Wingman) when I go to the controller select menu.
EA has a horrible patch system that does not give detailed instructions on how to get the patch. I have tried for WEEKS without success.
Now for the good stuff. The freestyle gameplay helps tremendously to dodge opponents. The dunks are well animated , though repetitive, and the instant replays following are excellent. This is a great game to play with a lot of friends.
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