First look: NBA Live 2003

EA Sports has released new information on NBA Live 2003, the latest installment in its long-running pro basketball series. The game will be released on PlayStation, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, and PC.

Several new or enhanced features have been announced along with the game. The development team is trying to make the series' rebounding mechanics more realistic, and it has added more than 30 new rebound animations for the latest installment. Motion-capture sessions have been held with more players this year, capturing two to four players at the same time in hopes of making more realistic-looking player interaction in certain situations, such as posting up, running the pick and roll, and drawing a charge. In addition, new motion-capture data will be used for new dribble moves, post-score celebrations, walking, running, and dunks. Players will have individual passing styles, and shot blocking is said to be more responsive and realistic. Much of the game's audio is also being redone this year, and classic jerseys will be included. Current-generation versions of the game are scheduled to run at 60 frames per second.

NBA Live 2003 is being developed by a team at EA Canada. The different versions of NBA Live 2003 are scheduled to ship this fall.