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The crossovers and trick passes are executed seamlessly, and dunks are thunderous and should bring even the most hard-core couch potatoes to their feet.
For gamers who want a bang for their basketball buck, "NBA 2K7" is a slam dunk, while "NBA Live 07" is in need of more practice.
EA's "NBA Live 07," the second installment for the XBox 360, is similar to Michael Jordan's days as a Washington Wizards player: He had lost a step and looked slower and older than the new kids.
In this case, the new kid on the video store block is Visual Concepts and its "NBA 2K7" game. It's the company's second installment of "NBA 2K," and it's better than the first and more visually exciting.
I can compliment EA's "NBA Live 07" for only two features: The first is the ability to practice with Tracy McGrady during the loading phase in an all-blue gym; the second is the Slam Dunk Competition, the feature that was the rave last year.
(This year, the contest is a little deeper, with more dunks, better commentary, gorgeous graphics and even former Piston great Isiah Thomas as a judge.)
The sad news is that the game is filled with tons of bad gameplay. It no longer features the sideline camera view, which is the view most gamers play "Live" with. In addition, the game plays awkwardly. The dunks don't flush properly. All the jumpers have a strange form and high arc. Free throws are still tough, and the freestyle control still needs work. As with last year's game, more turnovers seem to happen as you try to execute the special moves.
On the flip side, the gameplay with "NBA 2K7" is great.
The players move nicely, and their personal touches are great, including Rip Hamilton's free throw ritual to Shawn Marion's unique jump shot. The crossovers and trick passes are executed seamlessly, and dunks are thunderous and should bring even the most hard-core couch potatoes to their feet. The graphics are much better than last year's installment, not to mention the way sweat beads fly off a player's body after a powerful throwdown.
What keeps "2K7" from being the perfect game is the tight defense the computer plays. This makes it hard for offensive players to get to the hole.
The second problem is that sometimes the players' jerseys magically disappear, which leaves you with a wild, bare-chested man running up and down the court.
'NBA 2K7'
THREE STARS out of 4stars
Price: $19.99
Players: 1
Format: PS2
Category: Sports
Rating: E
(Everyone)
'NBA LIVE 07'
ONE STAR out of 4 stars
Price: $39.99
Players: 1
Format: PS2
Category: Sports
Rating: E
(Everyone)
MEMO: GAME ON!
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