Imagine a year without an addition to one of EA Sport's franchises. Seem impossible? More of the same is almost never a good thing, and this year's Live - a redundant mantra of crapulence - acts as proof of that notion.

Things start out well enough. The menu system works much the same as it did a year ago, with the game loading up immediately into a shoot around. This year's cover guy, Tracy "TMac" Mcgrady, is seen throwing the ball down from all over in a great tutorial and practice mode. This really is an innovative idea, on par with some other companies' best; even though it was done this way last year, it is still a lot of fun.

However, things go dramatically sour from here. Although loading up a game is easy enough, the gameplay itself is hardly manageable. From the tip-off, things just seem off. The ball hits the ground and moves at a slugs pace when knocked free, bouncing in an unnatural and unpredictable manner; perhaps this is actually more realistic, as the new NBA ball (which is actually being replaced with the old ball in January) is supposed to be equally terrible. Each loose ball results in clumsy players moping towards it, grabbing at thin air and picking up nothing.


Similarly, the collision detection is unrefined. With arms flailing through players' bodies and silly fouls being called on account of poor detection, this whole aspect is painful. Worse yet, shooting the ball, yet another one of those bread and butter kinds of things, feels wholly off. At times, we'd release wide-open jumpers that bounced back in indeterminable directions, only to watch the computer rebound and run the fast break. For whatever reason, our stuck-in-the-mud defenders just smiled as they ran past. To add insult to injury, grade school lay-ups are missed by big time players for really no reason at all. There was one point where Shaq missed five consecutive lay-ups (three of them wide open); nothing is more frustrating than playing like a member of the New York Knicks all of the time.

Graphically, this is a sort of hit or miss game. Crowds look better than the typical variety of cardboard cutouts, but still do little to push realism. The floor itself looks great, making an expressionless parquet hardwood far more entertaining to look at then most of the game. Players are a mixed bag - the super stars receive the same sort of attention as their real-life counterparts do by the press. Unfortunately, many of the starters seem a bit off, especially on teams lacking major players. What's worse is that even up -and -comers or second-string players often look dramatically different. Andre Igoudola of the Sixers, for instance, looks more like someone you would find on a corner stoop, slinging rocks, than someone on the court. Jerky animations do not help the presentation either, destroying any last semblance of realism.

The new "feature" in this year's model is called Total Freestyle Control, which is actually a novel idea. Players are given special ratings based upon their status in the game: one point indicates a possible future star, two represents up and comers and three is reserved for the super stars that do it all. Therefore, based upon the situation, certain roles might be called upon. Say Steve Nash needs to bring his team back - he becomes a sharpshooter. If he needs to keep the lead and bring the team together, he becomes a more accurate passer. However, what actually happens is far less complicated. The game does not prompt nor provide a way for you to switch. It's possible to play the game without even knowing the feature exists - because in execution it really doesn't. Perhaps, if the game were more solid overall, such a feature could've added depth; however when basic shooting is an issue, core gameplay should take precedence over stat adjustment.

Live 07's online component is equally below average. Slowdown and latency problems hinder online gameplay, often producing unwarranted fouls. The biggest feature of the online mode is the ESPN podcast, which allows for players to download the latest news and listen to it while they play. Well, sort of. The ability to listen to these podcasts is not allowed during games. This noise would have been a welcome addition to help drown out the drone of despondent announcers, but the option doesn't even exist. It's a shame that one of the few positives in this year's addition is squandered by terrible planning.

The developer needs to invest time in making a finished product, instead of focusing on silly promotions. As it is, the game feels as if it just entered a closed stage of alpha testing. Although there are moments (albeit brief) of enjoyment while playing, they pale in comparison to the myriad of headache inducing problems, making this game completely unrecommendable to just about everybody.