Hoops Heaven

Welcome to hoops heaven. With NBA Inside Drive 2004, not only do you get the same fluid gameplay as in earlier versions the game, but you also get to take the game online with Xbox Live® and experience the revolutionary new Web-based technology exclusive to XSN Sports. Organize teams, leagues, and schedules from a centralized site. You can even play four-on-four. That’s right. For the first time, up to eight players on the court can be controlled by a human. This is the kind of reality that hoops gamers have been fantasizing about for years.

And it’s not just a gimmick either. The developers have taken time to add a host of new jukes, post-moves, and defensive counters that really ups the one-on-one gameplay that is so critical in the NBA. The post-game from last year returns with the same great feel when you have your back to the basket. And in NBA Inside Drive 2004, you aren’t helpless on defense either, as there is a way to defend each move. Add in the new Drive Cam designed specifically to get you closer to the on-court action, and you have the ultimate pick-up game … only you’ve got the skills of an NBA superstar!

Take your skills online!

Now imagine this: You team up with three buddies and try to take the Lakers back to the finals. You each pick a future NBA Hall of Famer to control … and you let the computer take the fifth and never pass him the ball. After the games begin, you’re stuck in the same boat as an NBA coach. How can you possibly keep all the players happy with only one ball? Teamwork, passing, and even team defense are finally a part of an NBA game.

Of course, you don’t have to play four-on-four to get a ton of fun out of this game. NBA Inside Drive features amazingly lifelike player models, some new moves, a revamped A.I. system, and a super deep 25-year franchise mode complete with drafts. The way it’s looking right now, NBA Inside Drive 2004 could be the only basketball game you need.

Article by OXM Staff