NBA Live 07 [X360]

To the question that everyone is asking about NBA Live 07, the answer is no. Rasheed Wallace's white tuft of hair is not included. Sorry.

The good news is that the glaring omissions from NBA Live 06 like Dynasty Mode, All-Star Weekend and a freaking salary cap have returned in NBA Live 07. And more than just adding features that should already be in the game, the team at EA Canada also added the slick Total Freestyle control feature and the most-advanced version of ESPN Integration yet. Check out the NBA Live 07 blog for a complete rundown of Total Freestyle control.

EA brought the latest build of NBA Live 07 by our office and it's about 90 percent complete. We jumped right into ESPN Integration and listened to a PTI podcast, caught a glimpse of a SportsCenter video clip and listened in awe to Buzz's update on ESPN Radio. While we are still aching for some ESPN presentation, like a full-fledged halftime show with in-game SportsCenter highlights from Steven A. Smith, this stuff is great. Still, getting all this content for the price of the game and an Xbox Live subscription is an amazing bargain and one has to wonder when EA is going to start charging fees for this stuff.

From there we jumped into the practice arena, which also happened to be the greatest feature from last year's game (That's not good). The producers took control of Tracy McGrady and gave us a nice demo of the new physics system at work. No longer are players anchored to the court; no longer do they ice-skate on the hardwood. Each step is important, especially the first step. Like MJ, you can explode past a defender with a great first step and create opportunities.

Now that every step counts, EA says the new system will allow you to play better basketball, especially with the inside-out game. Let's say D-Wade tosses it down low to the Diesel. If the defender decides to drop down to double Shaq and Shaq passes back to Wade, the defender is going to have to shift his weight and fight to put a hand in Wade's face. By then, however, the Heat have already scored three points. With the new system in place, NBA Live 07 rewards good ball movement.

In the practice gym, we loaded up several different players to take a look at the signature jump shots in the game. There are well over 100, says EA, and D-Wade's fade-away one-footer is as distinguishable as Shawn Marion's "where did I learn to shoot like this" chest-pass to the hoop.

Total Freestyle Control is the big addition to 07. There are several different kinds of superstars, such as high flyers, play makers, scorers, shooters and defenders. Within these superstar types, there are three levels. Also, players can assume more than one superstar role. Kobe Bryant, for example, is level three almost across the board. As a high flyer, he can throw down windmill reverse dunks and the Statue of Liberty. On the fly, he can switch to shooter and hit a leaning jump shot or a quick-release fadeaway.

All of this is controlled on the right analog stick. Level one players can choose up, right, left or down for a different move for his selected superstar role. Level 2 players have access to these moves as well as Level 2 moves, performed by pushing up or down on the stick then rolling right or left. Level 3 moves are performed by pushing right or left on the stick and rolling 180 degrees in a half circle up or down. Only the finest players in the game have access to these moves. Come crunch time, studs can enter a fourth level of superstar which EA is calling "In the Zone." Roll off a 360 on the stick for the sickest moves in the game.