NBA Live 10

The philosophical approaches to the two big basketball franchises have been near-opposites in this console generation, with opposite results to match. NBA Live came out with 100 percent new tech on Xbox 360, yielding a jaw-dropping, system-showcasing product that played mediocre at best. On the other hand, NBA 2K kept its engine intact, focusing on gameplay and upping the visuals in the succeeding years — with great results. For NBA Live 10, the gameplay gets the closest to matching its eye candy for the first time.

For starters, the improved playcalling, like 2K10, paints the plays on the court for you, while improved A.I. doesn’t let you juke your way to the basket for easy layups and dunks every time you run the floor. Live is now a reasonable facsimile of a real NBA game. Coupled with the return of last year’s pioneering Dynamic DNA feature that tracks real-life stats and trends and dumps them into the game every day, it’s much easier and more worthwhile to get invested in the game. The 10-man online play is another compelling feature we’re glad to see come back.

Meanwhile, the right thumbstick–driven Freestyle controls — a longtime series staple — remain our preferred ball-handling mechanic this season, with body control and layup influences now possible off the sticks. Freestyle passing has been added using LT and the right stick, but we didn’t find it particularly useful.

All told, Live 10 isn’t quite there yet. Though players no longer look like stunningly detailed mannequins, they do sometimes warp toward the basket or other players because an animation key tells them to. More important, Live still plays just too fast for our liking. But Live 10 shows the series is at least heading in the right direction with every new iteration — which is nice to be able to say about the franchise as a whole.