Live!

Basketball—everyone loves it. We’ve all played it at one time or other. We all know the hard, nubby feel of the ball, how it springs back up from the floor to our hand when dribbled, and how it flies from our fingertips as we launch it toward the hoop. We all know the shine of the floor, the glare of the lights, and the flash of our fellow players as they run past us. We all know the sound of the starting whistle, the shouts of the cheerleaders, and the roar of the crowd. These things—and so many other elements of a basketball game—have become a familiar part of our identity. They’re inside us.

So, when we step up to the line and join other players on the court, it doesn’t matter that we’re all strangers. It doesn’t matter if you’re from Boise, and I’m from Seattle. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. It doesn’t matter whether you’re 16 or 62. We all have one thing in common: a love for basketball. That’s all we need to get our game on, so what are we waiting for? NBA Inside Drive 2004 is going Xbox Live®.

NBA on Xbox Live
Yeah, you read that right. NBA Inside Drive 2004 is going Xbox Live. That means you’ll be running the court and shooting hoops against real people, not against a cold, calculating computer. Strategy will actually count for something, as will getting to know your opponents’ bad habits, tactics, and weaknesses. This is where the fun really begins. The human element adds chaos to the games. You never know what another player is going to do, but it sure is fun trying to guess, based on how you’ve seen them play at other times.

XSN Sports
Not only is the game on Xbox Live, but it’s also one of the featured sports games on XSN Sports. With XSN Sports, you can set up your own tournaments, leagues, and possibly even seasons. The XSNsports.com site tracks statistics on many things from each game, all of which are intended to improve your XboxLive experience.

You and your fellow players receive ratings based on whether you’re committed to the season or not. If you drop out of a game or tournament, your rating drops. You can see whether another player sees it through or gives up and decide whether to play with them. You can check out other players’ ratings and see if they look like the kind of folks with whom you want to play.

The site also documents up-to-the minute statistics on each game. You can study your opponent’s game history to determine how he plays and what sort of strategy you want to employ against him. With the information that XSN Sports gives you, you can delve into game plans, evaluating your opponents' weaknesses and strengths … and using what you know to crush them mercilessly.

Play Options

On the more technical side, the game offers a ton of options that you can set for your games. You can customize how the game affects players, what the referees will see, and much more. Here are some examples:

• Ranking (on/off): Do you want this game to count toward your rank or not?
• Arena: Choose any arena, not just the ones associated with the teams you’re playing.
• Private Game (yes/no): Keep strangers out or let them in.
• Rosters: Use a customized roster or the 2003–2004 season roster.
• Fatigue (on/off): Do your players get tired during the game?
• Player Streaks (on/off): Enable hot and cold streaks. Is your player on a roll?
• Injuries (on/off): Can your players get injured?
• Foul Calling (off/lenient/normal/strict): Set the refs’ tendencies.
• Foul Out (never/1/2/3/4/5/6): How many fouls does it take to foul out?
• Charging (on/off): Should there be a penalty when ball handler runs into stationary defender?
• Flagrant Fouls (on/off): Are technical fouls called on hard contact?
• Over and Back (on/off): Should there be a penalty for re-crossing the half-court line?
• Goaltending (on/off): Do you want goaltending calls to be enforced?
• Traveling (on/off): Should there be a for moving without dribbling?
• Three-Second Violations (on/off): Do you want a limit of three seconds in the paint?

With so many different options to customize, NBA Inside Drive 2004 promises many hours of fun—and with XboxLive, the sky is the limit. Once you beat all your friends, broaden your horizons and beat everyone else. Watch yourself climb the ranks at XSNsports.com. Talk about double overtime!

Article by Angel McCoy