Growing up, I remember there were two sports titles my buddies and I couldn't wait to be released in the last half of the year: Madden Football and NBA Live . Religiously, year after year, we would walk fifty miles, in the snow, holes in our shoes, no coats, no food rations, and very little water.

"bounceTek" dribbling system; NBA Rewind; ESPN licensing

Players are stiff; ESPN licensing

Double Dribble

Playing as the Warriors, I was down to the Cavaliers by one with 19 seconds left in the game. They inbounded the ball and I hunted for a way to intentionally foul - even pausing the game to read the manual. I couldn't find it. It seems like you can't.

The story of the NBA Live franchise is something out of a Hollywood sports movie. From its roots as Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs , it went from a simulation concentrating on the top eight teams to one that perfectly encapsulated every team and their tendencies.

Electronic Arts has been out of basketball's big leagues almost as long as Kareem Abdul Jabbar has. So perhaps that is an exaggeration but with the last release of their console NBA franchise being NBA Live 10, there is certainly no doubt that EA has plenty to prove with the next-gen release of NBA...

-Superb tempo to the game; -Right stick ball control are slick; -I love those shiny floors

-Last gen graphics; -Announcer phrases stitched together; -23 pages of controls but no tutorial; -Offense too reliant on physical momentum; -Defense too reliant on blocked shots

NBA Live 14 is a pretty lousy basketball game.

The last EA Sports basketball game to ship to consoles was NBA Live 2010. That was a pretty good basketball game, but unfortunately the last one to be released by the company on current-gen consoles.

After it missed three consecutive seasons, many believed long-dominant NBA Live had suffered a career-ending injury and was now vying for a cushy broadcasting job. However, like the proverbial Jordan, the series couldn't stay away. Andrew Todd checks whether it makes a Bulls- or Wizards-era return.

Playing offense offers thrills; Hypnotic fabric physics; Ridiculously expansive range of game modes and links with real-life basketball

Clunky, imprecise defensive controls; Rising Star gameplay feels restrictive; Has insatiable hunger for update downloads.

The game is awesome!! I usually buy only first person shooter games and Madden but this game my brother, son, girlfriend and nephew we sat here and had a tournament and its the only game we have played since Christmas.

Challenging; Easy to learn; Fun To Play; Good Audio; Graphics; Kid Appropriate; Love The Sound Track; Multiplayer

The game is awesome!! I usually buy only first person shooter games and Madden but this game my brother, son, girlfriend and nephew we sat here and had a tournament and its the only game we have played since Christmas.

Challenging; Easy to learn; Fun To Play; Good Audio; Graphics; Kid Appropriate; Love The Sound Track; Multiplayer