NBA Live 06 [X360]

A duel is definitely brewing. NBA Live and NBA 2K6, two of the most popular basketball games on the market, are preparing to drop their Xbox 360 versions at the same time. Both feature graphics and sound that only the 360 can deliver, but they are both putting a different spin on presentation. And the differences aren't just skin deep; each game has a very different style of play. At Microsoft's recent 360 press day, we took both games and broke them down.

NBA Live 06

The first thing that will strike anyone seeing Live 06 for the first time is the incredible detail in every texture and the complexity of light falling on each one. Sweat pours down a player's face as he toes the free throw line and reflections lay on the boards like shine on satin. The audio is similarly detailed, with squeaks, grunts, and echoes all conspiring to create a complex atmosphere that's far more involving than anything EA has pushed previously.

The wealth of superficial detail, however, underscores a problem that every game will have going into this generation. With such realism representing skin and sweat, we expect to see some life in the players' eyes and it's not there. Typically, this would be where a preview expresses optimism that things will change in the final build, but let's be realistic. Visually, this is as good as things are going to get this year. Injecting palpable life into players will be a challenge that tests developers for years to come.

Aside from the graphics, there's another notable difference in Live. This is a more defensive game than anything EA has released in years. The game feels like it emphasizes fundamental control over the ball rather than showing off. The lack of superstar controls underscores this. Freestyle Superstar controls were dropped along with features like the full franchise mode to get the game done in time for launch. To make big breaks, players are going to have to work harder than in recent releases.

So while the performance is smooth, it takes some getting used to. It feels as if the speed of the game has been dialed down, which actually requires more thinking about each pass and grab. Live 06 allows players to map play calls to the D-pad; that control and the planning required to take advantage of it fit in perfectly with Live's new philosophy.

With EA's recent fascination with analog control, we were surprised to see that the primary use of the analog stick (beyond basic movement) was limited to free throws. The movement and action there are like butter, though, and rocking the stick back and forth to hit the net quickly became second nature. In a month we'll see if the rest of the game follows suit.

NBA 2K6

In sharp contrast to Live 06M, NBA 2K6 is a fast moving game that features some notable new analog control. The biggest innovation in 2K6 is the shot stick. Instead of using face buttons to shoot, the right analog stick performs context-sensitive shots. Pulling back and pushing forward shoots, and rocking it to the right or left sets up a layup, rebound grab, or dunk. And like Live 06, the analog stick is used to make free throws.

That functionality is essentially the same as what players of the Xbox and PS2 versions will find, and it works just as well here. Analog shooting took a little bit of practice, but Visual Concepts has refined the system to be remarkably intuitive. It works well with the game's fast pace, which flows far better on the 360 than on current systems. The ability to maintain a constant high frame rate really works in the game's favor, making 2K6 on the 360 seem like a notable step forward from what we've been playing for the past month or two.

Though 2K6 lacks the photo-realistic textures of Live 06, it ends up looking better in the long run. The comparison people kept making when bouncing between both games was cloth. In Live, only the bottom of players' shorts moves with any fluidity; here every loose piece of cloth bounces and flows. Shirts hang on the body instead of being painted there. It's a subtle difference, but once noticed there may be no ignoring it.

Player models are also more accurate to real life. The demo game was Heat versus Suns, and for the first time Shaq looks like Shaq. In fact, every player was recognizable on the court, both physically and in play style. The difference between Shaq and Steve Nash isn't just in their stats; you can easily see the difference in speed, power, and performance. In some cases, advantages were too pronounced. The Suns could just have been represented by Nash and they still would have provided stiff competition. That may be the mantra for next-gen games, though: superstars will be superstars, and there's no stopping them.