Visually the game has never been a strong looker. Sure it’s not ugly, but when compared to the attention to detail that Sega and EA offer, the game just looks a step behind the rest. Presentation has been upped a bit, and presents a larger feeling of a TV broadcast this year. The menus and overlays are well done and easy to navigate. They are also simplistic enough that they are not a distraction. For the players themselves, more faces have been added to the player models, giving hoops fans a chance to play in their favorite player’s shoes. From a far though, each individual is hard to make out. Thankfully there is that little name under their feet to indicate this. It just seems that the height and measurements seem too equal to each other to tell players apart. Sure, players like Shaq, Divac, and other players that a blind man could point out are obvious, but when playing a team like the Cavs and 3 starters have red head bands, it’s frustrating not to know which one is James! The players do animate quite smoothly, and the dunks are outstanding. The arenas have accurate floors, but the skylights seem to resemble mat paintings rather than a real 3D recreated arena. Lastly, the crowd is a pixilated mess that all move in the same motion. Next year, lets take some time on the little things too, okay? Over all the game is far from ugly, but it won’t win any awards for being pretty either.

Audio has more ups than downs with only a few gripes to complain about, so lets get that out of the way. First, the crowd, while active, never really seems to get pumped up. Sure there are a few sparks of life here and there, but you’ll never mistake this crowd for being alive. Also, and this is a small nitpick mind you, the custom soundtrack feature is present, but isn’t enabled over the arena speakers. Why did Microsoft introduce this feature in the mediocre Inside Pitch, but never pass it along to their more popular franchises. This is a big step in evolution, no matter how minor it may seem. Otherwise the sounds are actually really good. Fantastic 3-man commentary is presented thought out the game, with very little repetitive phrase spouted until you’ve played multiple games. Kenny Smith, Marques Johnson and Kevin Colabro provide the color and play by play, and they are not only accurate, but rarely fall behind the action. There was even an instant where a play-by-play man was interrupted when I finished a dunk, and the color man apologized for interrupting him. Other sounds are presented in genuine 5.1 Dolby digital glory, making the arena come to you very own home. All in all the game does a good job with the sounds and never really disappoint in this area either.

Game play, for the Inside Drive series, in the past has always been the most balanced of all the games in my opinion. Sega’s seemed too strict, and EA’s was too quick and arcade like with scores too high, Inside Drive was right there in the middle. It felt right, it played well, and in the end the scores and stats were dead on. This holds true to this year, thanks to the A.I. remaining fair and not overwhelming or a pushover. You’ll be stopped on occasion from going to the whole, but if you make the correct transitions on offense, a slamma-jamma is not far away. The same goes for other aspects in the game that seems hard or easy to get in other titles. Steals, blocks, free throws, 3 pointers, and fouls all seem equally balanced for you and the CPU, making the game seem genuine and authentic. This will also make the game enjoyable to play, and you never feel cheated if you lose, or bored if you win. Blowouts can be followed by 1 point loses, and win streaks can turn cold, just like the NBA. The control layout is perfect and provides for a great game of hoops for newbies and vets alike. Online the game is just as competitive, especially with XSN sports. Just beware, as there will be a few hiccups in the lag department, but nothing that spoils the game. In the end, the game play is challenging, but never to easy or impossible to live with, which is the reason I enjoy it so much. Too many games rely on sliders to adjust, while Inside Drive offers the most balanced A.I. to date.

There is plenty to do and see in Inside Drive. Exhibition, Practice, Tourneys, Season, Career, and Online play round out the options here. Unfortunately there still are no street ball or 3 point shootouts to play on the side, which is a let down in the game’s 3rd year. Let’s hope Microsoft hears our plea and grants us this next year. Speaking of online play, join the XSN sports network and you can participate not only in Single and Tournament play, but an entire season as well! This keeps the game fresh and exciting as players all over North America will keep the challenge as diverse as possible. Not into joining these fine folks? Then grab a buddy and play him/her one on one courtesy of your basic Xbox Live options, complete with communicator, friends list, and scoreboard. The game play options may be basic with little frills to mention, but the career mode is solid allowing you to build a franchise and a rookie to superstar potential. This is enough to really last you all season long.

The only real disappointment I can point out is that it’s obvious that Microsoft chose to focus on online this year, more so than features, which is fine…that’s all we moaned about last year. Next year on the other hand, the team better step everything up a notch as the competition is too fierce, and there is no 3rd place. This year I recommend this highly to folks who have enjoyed this series in the past, and wanted more bang for their buck. Other hoops fans that never enjoyed this style of basketball will find nothing this year that will convert them.