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How much more can be done with a basketball game? If EA Sports have anything to do with it, just an updated roster every year, a few new features and a slight graphical polish and you've got yourself what's little more than an add-on pack masquerading as full-price software. Microsoft, however have teamed up with developers High Voltage to create something a little more homegrown, organic if you will. The result? EA Sports have basketball pie all over their faces.
Gameplay:
NBA Inside Drive plays a much more fluid game of basketball than its competitors and has a simple but intuitive control system at its core. The use of the D-pad for altering tactics is becoming more and more prominent with this next generation of sports titles, and Inside Drive uses it to perfection. While most games use it for changing from offence to defence, Inside Drive goes one further and allows you to specify what type of defence to use, for example if you want to put more pressure on your opponents, then a man to man marking play will be the choice you can use. Inside Drive lifts the momentum style of play from NBA 2K by Sega. This just meants that depending at what speed you approach the ring for your shot (*snigger*) this dictates what kind of shot your player will attempt. Admittedly it's not as strict as NBA 2K, it is a welcome touch and goes some to make it feel like a much more realistic portrayal of the sport than other games. It just makes you think who to pass to to maximise your chances of scoring just like the real thing.
The AI is very sharp and unforgiving at times when you're trying to learn different styles of play and seems to intercept more passes than you, but after a while you'll realise that it's because they know who your best players are and put more pressure on them. If you've got a sloppy defence on your team, you're guaranteed that the CPU will go to great lengths to exploit this. Again, it just makes you think more like you would if you were playing for real and force you to think of new strategies.
Unfortunately, Inside Drive is pretty light on features. There's the obligatory exhibition, season and playoff modes, but that's pretty much it. It's a disappointment to say the least, as the game is so damned playable it just screams out fro a create-a-player/team mode and guide them to glory through a full NBA season. Hopefully it will be addressed if there is to be an Inside Drive 2003, just to flesh the gameplay out to it's fullest extent.
Graphics:
Initially the game looks quite far away when started for the first time, adjust the camera a little and you'll see the full beauty of the graphics engine with details such as tattoos and facial expressions all being represented beautifully. The animation is spot-on and the players move with weight and the list of animations for shooting is extensive to say the least. The reflections bounce off the polished floor as well as the ball bounces realitically and all creates just the right atmosphere to play this game.
Sound:
I love sloppy commentating on sports games and Inside Drive doesn't disappoint on this level. Words are accented completely incorrectly and large, noticable pauses between regular sentences and variable information. It's incredibly funny but stands out from the rest of the game. A classic case of ISS syndrome.
You can't really go wrong with sound effects in basketball games so i'm pleased to say that everything apart from the commentary is sonically sound. The crowd reacts well to the action on screen and the standard hip hop soundtrack is included for your pleasure.
Longevity:
If you're happy enough playing with the teams you are given and have no want or will to create your own players/teams then you'll get a decent amount of play form Inside Drive. The multiplayer is sound and playing in the hardest setting provides you with a decent challenge of your abilities. A great game that will keep you entertained, if only for the standard play options.
Round Up:
The extra features in EA Sports' games are what makes that franchise stand out and if only Inside Drive had more features then the score would have lifted it into the nineties. As it stands however, Inside Drive plays a mean game of basketball and feels so much better than the other offerings. It's one of those games that will entertain you whether you have an interest in the sport or not and i'm looking forward to a sequel and some more features to get my hands on.
Pros:
- Lovely gameplay
- Intuitive controls
Cons:
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