NBA Live 2007 is another exciting game to be released from games giant Electronic Arts. The new instalment of basketball’s greatest game plays as good as it looks with game play advancements that build upon the depth and authenticity that the NBA Live franchise has delivered for more than a decade.

The game introduces the next generation of basketball game play with EA SPORTS Total Freestyle Control, a new feature that gives users more control over athletes than ever. By introducing a next generation AI system that is both intuitive and intelligent, combined with advancements to fan-favourite features like All-Star Weekend and Dynasty Mode. NBA continues to deliver its award-winning game play experience and this year they have partnered with the worldwide leader in sports to deliver more ESPN content in-game while you play than ever before.

The last NBA game I played on was the success of the 2005 edition. For whatever reason out of my control I completely missed the 2006 release but I have been relieved of my sins with the all the new NBA Live 2007. NBA has tried to restore the creativity and the spontaneity to basketball through the introduction of Freestyle Superstar Controls to the game and I think this works well.

However something a weakness of the game that I noticed was that in their quest to make the control system better, they have neglected both game play and the basic mechanics of the sport itself. As a result, Live 07 is a game that really should be a lot better than it is. Not to be too critical though I’d still give it a bash if you’re undecided.

Once again I will jump of positive to negative and make another derogatory comment about NBA’s game play. What I mean by this is that the game play hasn’t changed as much as I would have liked, for example some computer players can be completely exhausted but still find it in them to totally take the piss out of your team with their shots. It’s quite disappointing and at that it's flawed and along with every other problem, it has to be fixed for next year if this is even going to be anywhere close to the game it once was.

Even though you might think I’ve ripped it to shreds I’d still happily play on it again, after all it’s only because the standards are so high, that NBA is struggling to meet them. Let the game into your life and reap the rewards, or just have a go.

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James Henderson