NBA Live 2000 Demo

For starters, NBA Live 2000 looks as if it will surpass even the lofty standards of visual excellence set by last year's Live. You'll get the same fluid player animation, even more highly detailed modeling, and the facial movements that, despite their being innovative, received a somewhat lukewarm reception last year.

But what's really interesting is that, this time around, EA Sports has improved upon that feature to make it fit more seamlessly into the overall look of the engine. They've also synched mouth movement with the phrases often uttered in the game, for an effect that would be downright eerie if it weren't so dang cool.

Expect to see the real faces of NBA stars both old and new, as well as realistic player movement courtesy of motion capture work by Minnesota Timberwolves wunderkind Kevin Garnett. Other graphical touches include an on-court ref who actually has a physical presence (but that hopefully won't get as tangled up in the action as real-world zebras do) and a wider range of signature moves such as Tim Hardaway's crossover dribble or Reggie Miller's fadeaway. Now if they could just perfect Dikembe Mutombo's elbow-to-the-face, it'd be perfect.