Though NBA Live 06 may not look as great as its console counterpart, it is still a very good port of a 3D game. It has a lot of rough edges, literally, as players tend to look jagged. The animations are also a bit jerky from time to time, but the overall effect of a game of professional basketball being played is pulled off. Other minor instances include models not correctly aligning themselves to the rim during dunks and such, but these are usually only apparent in a replay. The great news is that there is no slow down, letting you play the game unhindered.

The sound is top notch for this caliber of game. Licensed music, as always, is present but does not dominate the game at all, and you can select which tracks you want on the play list. The commentary is done by the famous Marv Albert and compliments the action without getting annoying or repetitive. A good amount of effects are thrown in as well, like sneakers scuffing and rims being shaken, and add up to create a very realistic experience.

Despite the fact that its only competitor is NBA 06, NBA Live 06 has pushed the envelope further than would have been expected. Instead of cutting corners and simply putting out a sports title with a few of the basics, EA has gone above and beyond the call of duty and delivered a well-rounded and enjoyable experience for the PSP.

Topping off the list is a solid Season mode. Here you can take any team in the NBA through an entire season, all the way through the playoffs. You are able to manage your team, set the rosters, and trade players in order to put together what you think the winning combination is. A simulation mode that lets you interrupt the game being simulated is present, allowing you to quickly go through games that wouldn’t be worth the effort, but also letting you come in at the last minute to avert a catastrophe.

If a drawn out season isn’t what you’re in the mood for, the Superstar Challenge can offer a fun alternative. This mode pits you in various situations during a game and requires that you meet the goals specified in order to advance to the next challenge and unlock hidden goodies. These quick challenges give you a brief period of entertainment and are a nice alternative to an entire game.

The All Star Weekend also offers a getaway from the regularity of a league game. Slam Dunk contests, 3 Point Shootouts, and All Star games are available to the player here. These veritable mini-games (save for the all star game) are just as fun as the challenges, but provide a completely different experience.

Of course, Multiplayer support is included, but not in the amount that we would all have liked. Though it supports both ad-hoc and infrastructure modes, NBA Live 06 only allows two people to play against each other, and only in an exhibition match. Support for the challenges and the All Star Weekend would have been nice, but at least the game met the lowest common denominator.

There are a few other minor annoyances that are worthy of note here as well. One is the poor loading time that occurs between the various modes of the game. It’s not dreadful, but it will wear on your nerves. The other is the instant replays of baskets made during a game. There is no way to turn these off, and though you can skip them, they begin to break up the flow of the game.

NBA Live 06 is a surprisingly easy game to get into. Not being a basketball fan in the first place, I had reservations about reviewing this title. However, upon playing my first game without even having read any of the manual, I found the controls very intuitive and the speed of play easy to manage. Of course, the setting was on easy, but the difficulty can be ramped up quite a bit to provide a challenge to even the most hardened of basketball veterans. NBA Live 06 is also accompanied by an extensive in-game FAQ that goes into much more detail than the paper instruction booklet.

Though at first the controls seemed rather simple, they are actually quite deep. The game does not require you to learn them to the n’th degree, and you can enjoy the game a great deal without ever exploring these intricacies. However, the amount of control that can be attained in NBA Live 06 is what we have come to expect in sports games that have come out of the EA factory. The movement of players is controlled entirely with the analog stick, and the D-pad is used for quick plays. Quick plays allow you to conduct plays while on offense or defense, including Isolation, Basket Cut, Double Team, and Post Up, just to name a few.

You are also able to control a player off the ball. This nifty little mechanic puts you in control of any player without the ball (when your team is on the offensive) and maneuver yourself into a good position to receive support from the player with the ball. It takes a little time to get used to at first, but after some practice this method of play will undoubtedly find its way into every game you’re in.

Individual players also have some unique abilities, which is where the Freestyle Superstars come into action. There is a select amount of players in NBA Live 06 that are designated as one of four types of Freestyle Superstars: Power, Highflyer, Scorer, and Playmaker. Each superstar is represented on the court by their respective superstar icon, and when you are able to get them into the right position, you can unleash their powers by holding the L button and pressing any of the regular buttons. The plays that ensue are not only fun to watch, but also lend a strategic hand to the game.

NBA Live 06 is simply a very good handheld basketball game. It is not just a port of the console original, as it utilizes new features the franchise has never seen before. More importantly it is very easy to pick up and play by gamers of any caliber. This game should definitely be checked out by anyone with an interest in the sport.