Last year, EA was clearly focused on making NBA Live the best looking basketball game on the market. The NBA stars mimicked their real-life counterparts down to the sweat glistening off their brows. The sidelines were littered with camera crews and pacing coaches and the arena surface was shinier than Charles Barkley’s head. However, the lack of game modes and stiff gameplay left fans yearning for more. NBA Live 07 attempts to pump some new life into the deflated franchise and by all measures it’s sweeter than Tracy McGrady’s jump shot.

The first thing you’ll notice about NBA Live 07 is the new total freestyle control scheme, where the right-analog stick will enable you to bust out with superstar moves. What EA has accomplished this season is quite extravagant; each player is assigned a superstar type, which includes high flyer, scorer, play maker, post, and shooter, and within these types is a three-tiered level system. Each player is assigned a level from one to three, from which they can perform specific moves via the right-analog stick.

These moves range from level one power dunks and basic jump shots to level three through-the-legs passing and reverse windmill dunks. The level 3 freestyle moves are a pain to activate; and this new feature adds yet another element to the HUD that tracks the currently highlighted player’s superstar skill and level to the mix, which may overwhelm newcomers to the series.

It’s also valuable to recognize that EA has taken note of the competition. The NBA 2K series has always been praised for its superb and intuitive gameplay, from which it is easy to see that NBA Live 07 has incorporated some of the elements that make NBA 2K games so much fun to play. One noticeable difference is the weight system in Live 07. Players will no longer ice skate along the court and the animations are much smoother when transitioning from a dribble to a dunk. There are, however, still a few hiccups and occasionally players will still float to the hoop or twitch like a bad case of Tourettes.

In a game where you’re only as good as your teammates, NBA Live 07 boasts some of the best A.I. ever seen. Through procedural awareness, your teammates are fully aware of their surroundings and will adapt to any play changes or picks on the fly. In fact, you don’t even have to play defense if you want; they are that smart! But with that level of intelligence comes a game that is much more difficult to play, it’s like you’re playing real basketball stars. This requires quite a bit more attention from you as you must assess each defensive and offensive situation before you make a move.

With Xbox Live, NBA Live 07 incorporates an array of features brought to you by ESPN. Stay in the know with real-life basketball news as you can listen to podcasts, get up-to-date stats for your favorite team, or watch clips from SportsCenter. Multiplayer returns with up to eight players in a game and all the regular game modes return. On top of the basic match ups like quick game, custom, ranked, or unranked, NBA Live 07 adds a new co-op mode that allows four players on one Xbox 360 to team up against another four players via Xbox Live. To play with the best, you’ve got to be the best.

Dynasty mode returns, thankfully, and is more in-depth than ever. As general manager, keeping track of your team during the pre-season, regular season, and off-season is a daunting task. Dynasty mode is intended for the hardcore fans that like to control all the action, and most likely will not appeal to anyone looking to just play a good basketball game. This year, team chemistry is a big focus in Live 07 as you must be cautious of how your team works together on and off the court. If they don’t get along, you’ll encounter major faults and stumbles on the court.

For people that love 3-point shootouts and slam dunk contests, the all-star weekend mode returns with a new theme — Vegas. The all-star weekend mode provides quick and easy fun for you or a group of friends. And whether you are alone or at an NBA Live 07 party, the soundtrack leaves the rudimentary hip-hop in the dust and spans a wide range of beats to get the party started.

All in all, NBA Live 07 is a major leap over last season and brings back all the features we so dearly missed. Although the visuals are some of the best we’ve seen on the Xbox 360, the controls and overall gameplay could take a lesson from close competitor NBA 2K series.