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NBA Live is a series in the progress of finding itself again; so many companies are able to produce NBA related games thanks to the open licensing from the organization that it keeps EA on their toes. Live 10 is a push to new pastures, leaving behind what players have come to know over the past three years and bringing a new game to the table. We’ll put it to the test and see how it all stacks up in the final product today. We can only hope the shift in focus and rebirth of the game puts the team on the right path to having a solid game for the sport, as competition drives only good things for the community.

NBA Live 10 drives in with a huge list of changes to the game; the first thing players will notice is the visual style. The developers have been hard at work bringing new player models to the game, reworking the player model heads and body types to better fit the diversity of those in the NBA. The next step comes in details and movement, being able to pinpoint tattoos on stars and see players actively moving on the court instead of what fans used to call "ice-skating", which stemmed from bad model behavior with the court. Models act based on player reaction and direction and can pivot fast around other players when pushing to score; they show more life in each gesture which is great for immersion.

The gameplay was a large step for the team; once players jump into that first match they’ll see classic handling from Live such as the dribble control on the right stick, while changes such as quick coaching are on the D-pad allowing for quick subs and matching. Many features have improved over the previous years but the room to grow is still there; players coming in from games like the 2K series will notice a key factor is still lacking in Live 10: the ability to defend the post by going player-to-player in key moments. Defense is just as important as an active Offense; having the ability to score like crazy at times or dunk often is fine when it has balance.

Live focuses on bringing a powerful experience to the player but it needs to be complete; if the team can grab hold of where they are now and develop from this they will have a solid candidate. The shooting has improved and the features like Dynamic DNA make the game worth playing (although the same closing minute scoring spree syndrome is still there), the developer just needs to shake themselves off and bring Live to that next level they’re fighting to reach.