As solid as the on-court experience is, the franchise mode leaves a lot to be desired. As is ever the case in console sports game, the far less efficient than it needs to be UI is awkward to navigate. The games remain fun, but the sim engine is prone to out of whack stats, especially with regards to three point shooting numbers which are incredibly inflated for many players. AI trades are also very questionable, with superstars moving around more than contestants on The Amazing Race. This aspect of the game, quite simply, needs work.

On the other end of the sim spectrum, Dynamic DNA is back and if your aim is to play out an ’09-’10 season that accurately mimics the real thing, then the new Dynamic Season mode for you. Players have been painstakingly recreated with stats from base percentages to shooting/driving tendencies. It’s uncanny how lifelike this method of play can be.

It’s unfortunate that players who rent the game or who get their copies used are likely to be cut out thanks to the fact that Dynamic DNA must be enabled from a one-time use activation code included with the game’s manual. You can download a new key off Xbox Live, but at a steep 1200 Microsoft points (about $15) you’re far better off just buying a shrink-wrapped copy. Given the fact that Dynamic DNA provides day-to-day updates to the game, this might be understandable if only this system didn’t also lock players completely out of any kind of downloadable roster update. Given that NBA Live’s default rosters are not remotely ready for prime time, the lack of a pre-season roster update or (presumably) an opening day update, this makes the game all but unrentable, and forget about trying to save a few bucks by buying it used.

Ultimately, despite the significance of many of its shortcoming, NBA Live 10 can easily stand toe to toe with NBA 2K10, a franchise that now no longer holds complete sway over the genre. The flow of the games, the resourcefulness of the AI, and the immersion factor provided from the fantastically dynamic crowd, all serve to make this an absolutely worthwhile pickup.

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