I still remember the first time I saw Lakers Vs. Celtics for the Sega Genesis. I was astounded that I could actually recognize players by their appearance on the court. Thats Barkley, hes bald! and Theres Larry Bird with the blond hair! I shouted excitedly. A decade later EA Sports has released their latest incarnation of the NBA Live series for the Playstation2. If it werent for Electronic Arts, the Playstation2 would be enduring even more criticism for lackluster games than it already has. Given the quality of their previous releases for the system, hopes are high for the series leap to the Next Generation.

Anyone who has picked up Live 2001 anticipating a great looking game will not be disappointed. As is their trademark these days, EA has put out a very nice looking game, rivaled only by the outstanding 2K1 series by Sega. The arenas are nicely detailed, and well lit. The crowds while not overly animated are drawn well enough to make the arena seem full of fans. Theyll shuffle their feet and their heads will follow the action, which is really about all you can ask from a crowd. Conspicuously absent are coaches pacing the sidelines. Sure they arent that important, and they arent going to turn the tide in a game, but I had gotten used to them shouting out encouragement to me in NBA2K1.

The player models found in the game are an interesting topic to say the least. Using the 80s and 90s all-star teams for comparison, because those are the players that I am the most familiar with, I can say some of the players look fantastic and some are awful. Kevin McHale, Isiah Thomas, and John Stockton all looked fine. I could look at them, and knowing what two teams I was looking at, could tell you who they were. Karl Malones nuances were so good he took way too long at the charity stripe and mumbled to himself. That is awesome. On the other side of the coin theres Larry Bird, who looks about as much like Bird as he did on the Genesis, a bizarre looking Shaq, and about half of the other people who look nothing like their real life counterparts. I dont know what happened, and its not that big of a deal, but the contrast in player quality makes it stand out.

While the players may not always be picture perfect, the moves they are performing almost always are. There is an enormous amount of animation for just about any play you can imagine. From a one handed leaner to a one handed dunk with the opposite hand, a variety of moves are present to keep the game from becoming repetitive. After completing a highlight move, the camera will show a replay or a close up shot of the player telling the world how great he is. Other than the one weird player quirk, the graphics are top-notch, and a huge improvement over the PS2s other Basketball titles.

While not quite up to the same level as the graphics, this game sounds rather good. The announcing, which is handled by Bob Elliot and Don Poier, is deep and varied enough to not grate the nerves. Theyll praise a player for finding the open man, but theyre just as quick to admonish him for a turnover or for leaving his man too open. The one thing about the audio that I didnt care for was the constant stream of talk coming from the players. Sure it makes it a bit more realistic, but most of the time it sounds corny and out of place. Do todays NBA players really say Welcome to my block Party? It has its place in the game, but it would be nice to hear a little less chatter from the players. They should be focused on helping me win, not taunting my opponents for Petes sake. The crowd is lively during the entire game; never do you feel as if you are practicing in an empty gym. When the home team makes a big play they get fired up and try to drown out the announcers. Theres some arena music being played in the background, but none of the groovy organ tunes youve grown to love are present.

Continuing with their trend of well known artists doing the intros for their games, EA has tapped Montell This is how we do it Jordan to open up Live this year. The song isnt bad, Ill admit I had it stuck in my head for a while. Whether or not its because it was catchy or because I heard it one million times is open to debate. A handful of other real music acts provide background music throughout the menus which is a welcome addition after hearing Body Rockin every second of the way through FIFA 2001. They are even heard through the boombox that is sitting on the bench when playing on the playgrounds.

Like all of their other Playstation2 sports titles except Madden this year, Live is without a franchise mode. I sincerely hope this is because of time constraints and not due to them saving something for next year. Also absent is the three-point shootout found in the Playstation version of this game. What is included is an exhibition mode, quick play, season, playoff, and one on one mode. The one on one mode is straight up playground ball. You can change how high the score will go to, change the time of day, and even change the format to winners outs if you are confident in your scoring touch. Every player in the game is available, including all of the NBA Legends. It doesnt get much better than Jordan and Dr. J on the asphalt courts playing one on one. A create-a-player feature is also available, and while it is robust, it can be time consuming to create a player. This is because the changes in player appearance arent seen in real time. You have to wait for the game to load the changes you just made.

Over the years EA Sports has fine tuned their game engine into the finest on the market. One would think that after ten years or so, it wouldnt be a difficult task, but there are many factors to consider. Player animations have gotten longer and more detailed, which makes it difficult to make the game respond quickly. With the increased graphic detail, its difficult to make keep a consistently fast framerate throughout the game. EA has always done a nice job balancing these factors, which is what makes them the best. Live 2001 has the trademark gameplay present, but there are some issues that keep this game from being quite as good as their previous PS2 efforts. The first issue that is encountered during gameplay is the camera. Bottom line: its worthless. The camera is placed so close to the action you can only see a few players on screen at a time. Its obvious that this camera angle was chosen to show off the level of detail found in the players, and thats unacceptable. Yes I can remedy the situation by going to the options menu and changing it myself, but thats not something I should have to do.

Once the camera issues are under control, the game becomes quite enjoyable. A wide array of moves are available both offensively and defensively and it will take a while to gain enough control of them to use them all in a game situation. Even after learning where the move buttons were and when to use them, it was still difficult to perform these moves with the regularity required. Often times it took multiple button presses to pull off a spin move, or even to get off a quick shot when one of my players got away from their man. On a positive note, when the moves do work they are effective in getting your player past the defender or at least freeing him long enough to fire a jumper. Icon passing is available and it proves invaluable when running the fast break, hitting the open man is a breeze.

Despite there being four different difficulty levels to choose from, I never felt the game was very difficult. Sure it was a challenge on superstar, and much more difficult than the rookie setting, but my second time playing I beat the computer on superstar mode. Im not bragging about my amazing prowess at this game, Im just saying that its not too difficult. This is similar to what is found in NHL Faceoff youve got to crank the difficulty all the way up to get a good game. EA needs to kick the vaunted Emotion Engine into gear and get these players game into better shape. Speaking of emotion, the player introductions are ridiculous. Even the most subdued players come bouncing onto the screen slapping hands with their teammates and bumping into them. This really looks out of place when Vlade Divac, Rick Sleepy Fox, and people that can barely move like Patrick Ewing come running out like someone put a snake in their jock.

Looking at the game as a whole, its a great addition for sportsfans who want a good hoops game on the PS2. Graphically its pleasing to the eye, it sounds good, and it plays smoothly. The Legends players give younger players a chance to play as some people theyve only seen on ESPN Classic, and in a small way it keeps the memory of these players alive. The replay value is hurt by the lack of a franchise mode, three point shootout, or a challenge mode like what is found in Madden. While I have no doubt these features will make their way into future releases, its a shame that they arent here now. EA Sports has shown once again why you can go straight to the store pick up any of their sports games and go home confident in your purchase. Having this kind of customer loyalty is what they are banking on to remain on top when Visual Concepts brings their 2K series to the Playstation2, Gamecube, and Xbox. Its going to be a great time to be a sports gaming fanatic.