Electronic Arts' latest sports game, NBA Live 2002, may not meet the standards set by Madden 2002, but it's a great game nonetheless.

Bugs and nuisances abound. The rebounding is seriously screwed up, overtime games sometimes end before the extra period is played and the franchise mode lacks some of the capabilities of the season mode and vice versa.

But Live 2002 has so much going for it that the problems are easy to overlook. Michael Jordan's on the game as a Wizard, gameplay is smooth and the graphics are fantastic.

Furthermore, rosters are extremely accurate, load times are faster than on other EA games, and overall playability is top-notch.

The game doesn't get old. Despite the NBA's grueling 82-game season, the franchise mode stays fun through computer-proposed trades and a plethora of stats that users can track.

-- Reviewed by Justin Stranzl