Introduction:It's basketball time once again and NBA Inside Drive 2004 gives us more ball for the basket then last years edition of the game.

The Game:One thing that is great about NBA Inside Drive is that you can pick it up and get right into the action without a delay and provide a good challenge to the AI without being too familiar with the controls or the sport. This is good for some, but most want a furious head-to-head battle with a score divided only by a few points. There is a difficulty meter, so you experienced players can boost it up to your desired difficulty level and go. Sports titles all need a wide range of difficulty levels because it's great for the new fans and for keeping old fans.

The controls of NBA Inside Drive are easy to learn and it wont take you long to master. Like most sports titles today the D-Pad controls the team controls, where you instruct on an offensive or defense style to have. Once you start using team calls during the game you’ll notice an advantage in the game, and it helps give you an edge over your friends. Passing is done accurately with ease along with shooting, dunking and juking with the right control stick.

The pace of the game is mimicked after the real life court rather than taking an arcade approach. This helps the game feel more lifelike, along with the great AI and small differences between players. One area where NBA Inside Drive is lacking is the game modes consisting of your typical exhibition modes and an attempt at the season mode. The season mode is average and doesn't give us anything to be impressed by. Since XSN is like one large season mode, you could overlook the weak season options, but that’s only if you are considering online play. Besides the season mode, another issue people are having with NBA Inside Drive is that the game was released a month later from the beginning of the basketball season, and showcased out of date rosters within the teams. The hope is that they will soon have an update on Xbox Live to bring the game up to speed.

Graphics & Sound:The graphics in NBA Inside Drive pay great attention to detail. The players look great, as well as the courts. They did a great job on making the different textures stand out more than last years. I didn’t find any problems with the animation, or other areas of the graphics. The graphics are not revolutionary, but it keeps the eyes happy.

In the sound department NBA Inside Drive is satisfactory. The commentary from Fever’s Kevin Calabro, Kenny Smith and Marques Johnson, is an acquired taste. The commentary trio is something people love to hate, for me I’m indifferent towards them. The other effects and atmospheric arena noises are pretty good, including chanting and cheers all in 5.1 Dolby digital.

Innovation:With a Microsoft sports game you’ll have the Xbox Sports Network, which I said before and I will say again is an innovation onto itself. Accessing online leagues, statistics and schedules gives more out of the game and expands its life. If you love sport games, you have to be hooked into XSN.

Mojo:I really enjoyed NBA Inside Drive more than last year’s game. They bumped this version up enough to a little more polished and accessible. The definitely has the mojo, but it seems like they been a little more innovative. I love XSN and Its helping hand to Microsoft’s Sports titles; I believe that this franchise will continue to improve over the years.

Lowdown:NBA Inside Drive is worth the investment if you want some quality basketball online or offline. Although with sports games, its best to try them before you make any hasty decisions. Keep in mind that only get the great features of the XSN with NBA Inside Drive 2004.

Gameplay: 7, Graphics/Sound: 7, Innovation: 6, Mojo: 7. Final: 7