EA Sports have burst out of the blocks in force for the launch of the Xbox 360, boasting more titles on release day than any other publisher. The first to be put through our time trials is NBA Live 2006.

At first look, Live comes through with flying colours, particularly in the opening menu sequence which depicts a virtual Dwayne Wade being built from the ground up, complete with sharp textures and life-like sweat. It's worth noting while on the subject though, that this minute-and-a-half startup sequence cannot be skipped in order to get straight to the menu, eventually replacing the sense of awe it originally induces with a feeling of complete tedium and annoyance.

Once into the menu, you're treated to what seems like the usual options for a big-time sports title, but all is not what it appears to be. You can jump right into a game should you wish (and as you would expect), while also being given the choice to tinker with rosters or create-a-player. There is also the Season option, but immediately obvious to fans of past incarnations of Live will be the absence of a Franchise mode, or "Dynasty Mode" as it has been labeled in recent years. This hampers your overall enjoyment of the game. Having gotten so used to this element in previous years, its emission is all the more noticeable. Put simply, it just isn't acceptable to leave something such as this, which has almost become a kind of 'industry standard', out of a game accompanying the launch of a new generation of gaming.

Things pick up in some respects once you get into a game, as you are immediately subjected to a fantastic broadcast introduction of the match, introducing starting line-ups while the commentators identify the key players from each team. You'll notice the high quality models not only of the players, which do look detailed and accurate, but also that of the coaches who display almost the same level of detail. Arenas are also modeled faithfully, and coupled with fantastic crowd sounds, really do come close to replicating the atmosphere of a real game. Unfortunately these up-sides don't last for long. Once the introductions are over and the game gets started for real, things start to come unglued.

Right from the tip, you'll immediately notice the frame rate issues which hamper Live (and several other 360 launch titles), which vary from just off your average console frame rate to plain erratic. Regrettably this is almost par far the course in all aspects with Live, as it excels in some instances and falls at the first hurdle in others. You'll be delighted by some of the animations during gameplay, such as players wrestling for position and the magnificent dunk animations which, it has to be said, are the best seen in any basketball game to date. It's just unfortunate that you'll have sit through watching your player almost glitch from one animation to the next, popping from a dribble to a duke, clipping as he gets knocked off course before finally driving to the basket. Problems of old still rear their ugly mo-cap selves as you hit defense and lower your player into the comical defensive crouch stance.

Speaking of problems of old, you won't see EA's "freestyle superstar control" that you get with the Xbox and Playstation 2 versions of Live 06. Instead, EA have substituted this control structure for that of Live 05 instead, with separate buttons for dunks and shots. This is just another in a multitude of cheap, time-saving cut-backs that have been prevalent throughout all of EA Sport's 360 launch titles.

On the bright side, the AI seems to have been tightened up slightly. You don't seem to be able to lose your man as easily off the dribble, making you more inclined to pass the ball around to create some space. The improved artificial intelligence comes in handy in this respect, as offensively your players will space themselves far more evenly than in last year's Live, making a passing game a viable option. Post play is also improved, and this is one aspect of the game that players should enjoy, as there are enough ways to score to leave the more inventive of Live players happy.

Defensively, Live 06 has not made the same steps forward, feeling much the same as the previous year's incarnation of the series. Missed steals often leave players wide open for a drive to the hole, and should this happen, you won't find the AI coming to your rescue too often as your other players seem remarkably slow to close off the encroaching attacker.

Still, these defects pale in comparison to one of the few new additions to this years gameplay; the free throw system. This is quite possibly the worst system for taking free throws that has ever been created, and consists of pulling backwards and then pushing forwards on the right analog stick, similar to taking a swing in Tiger Woods. The system is not explained anywhere in the manual or in the game, resulting in no feedback as to why you missed (and you will, repeatedly), leaving you to merely guess as to what you could be doing wrong. Hope to hit maybe 20% from the line, and that's if you're good. Even the timing free throw system consisting of a ball moving side to side and up and down seen all the way back in NBA Live 95 would have been a better way of doing things.

In terms of Xbox Live, online gameplay is again fairly disappointing. If you're lucky enough to get an opponent in roughly the same geographical area as yourself (preferably next door), then the game moves at an almost satisfactory level, but get someone a distance away and you'll find the lag to be so disruptive that even the timing on jump shots is made overly difficult to judge.

The one area in which Live stands up without any faults is the sound, which as mentioned earlier, is utterly brilliant. Crowds will react to what is occurring on the floor, getting excited when their team is up, quieting down when the opposition is on top. You'll be in for a treat specifically if you happen to be running a 5.1 surround sound set up, as the crowd really does seem to erupt when your star player shakes off his man and drives to the basket. The commentary is also classic EA, which is certainly not a bad thing. Marv Albert once again heads up the announcing team, giving matches an authentic tilt while Steve Kerr adds colour commentary, injecting some interesting insights into the game consistently.

Still, this alone is not enough to save Live 06 from the same fate the series has faced in the past few years - a clean sweep in the proverbial video game playoffs at the hands of the NBA 2k series from 2k Sports. Live plays far too much like last year's effort to really be classed as anything more than a roster update with a shiny coating. That's not to belittle the graphical improvements made to the game, but the frame rate and poor animation blending really does taint the positive steps that have been taken in this department. While this does affect your overall enjoyment of the game, the lack of a franchise mode is really where Live loses out. Quite how EA expect people to pay 360 software prices for a game with limited at best longevity is beyond me, and it should be beyond you too. It would definitely be a shrewd move to try the demo of this game from the Xbox marketplace before buying it (should you have a hard drive equipped 360), just to see if you can get along with the way it plays at all. Then, and only then would I advise you on making a decision as to whether or not this is the hoops game for you.

5/10