EA has a stranglehold on the sports gaming landscape. Madden is in a place all by itself thanks to exclusivity rights. NHL has now distinguished itself as not only the best hockey game, but maybe the best sports game. FIFA has all but caught up to Winning Eleven Soccer and may have surpassed it this year. This leaves basketball. It is the one major sport that EA has a gaming license for that it just cannot seem to finally get, leaving 2K sports to hold that crown. At least for now. NBA Live 10 has brought EA back into the question of what basketball game to buy. The gap between NBA Live and NBA 2K still remains, but said gap has closed tremendously.

One of the first aspects of NBA Live 1o you’ll notice is just how good the players look. The first game I played was between the Knicks (I know, I’m a New Yorker) and the Orlando Magic. I wanted to pit Nasty Nate vs Dwight Howard. The teams have all their alternative jerseys including the green St. Patty’s Day ones the Knicks wear to the classic Shaq/Penny Magic jerseys. Everything was crisp and the players resembled exactly how they look in real life. NBA is the sport where you are as familiar with the players as any other. The same guys are always generally on the court and they all looked as good as I have ever seen. The game play is very user friendly and players move as if they were actual people, not robots as had been a complaint of year’s past. You have the standard Dynasty Mode for franchises and the Dynamic DNA system which allows a real life season to be played by the user. I am going to check this out once the season gets underway.

An issue I came across was how some of the players are unbalanced, especially on the lower difficulties. We played a Lakers/Cavs game and Kobe and Lebron were basically unstoppable. Driving the lane or going baseline for an easy dunk became so easy it was frustrating. Computer AI defense was lacking where bracing for a charge would have been nice. You will come across some glitches where players pass to the wrong guy when a much easier option is present, especially on fast breaks. More often than I would like my lead player would pass backward to a player giving me a sweet backcourt violation. The bugs are not too prevalent, but enough where it is worth mentioning.

Is this the best NBA Live version in years. Yes, it is. It’s also really the first true NBA Live game worth buying on this generation. The graphics pop, the gameplay is fun, and there is a lot to do with all the online modes, especially the Adidas Live Run which has online 5v5. The FIBA teams are playable and player AI defense is up, while CPU AI needs some work. EA does a nice job of intertwining all of their titles together and if you are looking for a great basketball title to complete your EA library, this is it. NBA Live 10 has finally hit the net with a great effort and has garnered much excitement in a struggling franchise.

[A copy of the game was provided by the developer for review.]