NBA Live 07 - hands-on

We got to take a spin up and down the court with PS2 and Xbox preview builds of the game. Happily, layups and dunks are executed via separate face buttons, so there won't be any more "gee, I hope Vinsanity windmill dunks this sucker" only to be bitterly disappointed by the tepid "ka-tap" of a boring ol' regular lay-in.

We also got to get our juices flowing with scads of alley oops, behind-the-back passes, and hesitation dribbles - and every once in awhile we actually got those things to lead to scores instead of turnovers or embarrassing throwaways. Hey, becoming one of the top ballplayers in the world won't happen overnight - you're gonna need to practice to pull off all these crazy stunts, friends.

It's not all about the "O", though - EA promises that there's some serious defensive techniques to snuff out the toughest of offensive juggernauts. Footwork and bulk will dictate if your center can muscle his way through the post for a tough inside bucket. We saw first-hand that it'll take some brains plus brawn to manage a basket deep inside the key.