For the past seven years, Electronic Arts has been the game company for producing state-of-the art basketball games with their "NBA Live." Over the years, the "Live" franchise has thrived with its TV style presentation, great graphics and unparalleled gameplay, making the series a giant in the videogame industry. Unfortunately, EA Sports latest incarnation on the Playstation 2 console, "NBA Live 2001," can only be considered a giant when compared to a pile of crap. "Live 2001" appears to crumble from the pressure of Sega Sports" smash hit, "NBA2K1."

Where "NBA2K1" shines with amazing graphics and sound, "Live 2001" for the Deuce falls short of expectations. The graphics are not even close to on par with EA"s latest sports games, such as "NHL 2001," "FIFA 2001" and "Madden NFL 2001" for Playstation 2. While player animations are smooth, the heads of the players are either hit or miss. While gamers will easily identify Shaquille O"Neal, Chris Webber and Kevin Garnett, many will think the majority of the players are from a mutant tribe (not to be confused by my own All-Mutant Team led by Sam Cassell, Gheorge Muresan and Tyrone Hill).

In the sound department, "Live 2001" doesn"t match the intense sounds of previous efforts by EA Sports that can boom on home-theatre systems. The crowd sounds sound like fans are attending a Michigan-Towson game from Crisler Arena. Worse yet, the soundtrack for the game is led by Montel Jordan, whose songs will make you want to sing, "So I reach for my forty and I drink it up, throw down the controller, cuz this game does suck."

While the graphics and sound might not be what gamers expect when EA and the Playstation 2 collide, gamers still play the "Live" series because of the actual gameplay. Unfortunately, EA botched it with the latest live. During gameplay, controls often seem slow and unresponsive in the passing and shooting department. To make things worse, rebounding is nearly impossible. The vast majority of rebounds made in the game will ultimately come from the computer.

Despite the flaws of the game, "Live 2001" still shows promise as a basketball game, and it can be fun when played against anyone but the computer. Hopefully next year EA will iron out the kinks and not rush it before it is ready.