| This year's edition of NBA Inside Drive for Xbox is a "little" different, just a slight modification from last year's installment. The good news is that the game has packed on more gameplay features and the controls are a bit more accessible and easier to manage this time around. The bad news is that the visuals haven't changed all the much since the series hasn't fully harnessed the power of what the Xbox can do graphically. What's more, players will still have to deal with many unresolved issues concerning the computer AI. In spite of the game's rigid design, NBA Inside Drive 2004 still has some good things to offer such as slick passing and exceptional play-calling. As it stands now, only veteran players would appreciate these small changes.
NBA Inside Drive 2004 has three difficulty settings to choose from: rookie, veteran and all-star. No matter what level of difficulty you choose, you will have no problem scoring from the paint. You can easily work your man to the basket just by dribbling between defenders. All you need is to set up a screen or a quick pass and go for a tomahawk slam! The game's default roster is relatively old for some reason, dating back to Sept. 15. Inside Drive 2004 was launched a month after its competitors and should've acquired the most recent transactions and trades. Fortunately, you can download updated rosters if you have Xbox Live.
Getting the latest trades and statistics online is all good but the players' ratings are notably inaccurate. For instance, some of the inexperienced point guards rank higher in ability than Jason Kidd, Steve Nash or Allen Iverson. How can that be? Dunk ratings seem a bit off as well. You'll see small players like Andre Miller and Stephon Marbury throw two-handed monster jams.
On the bright side, Inside Drive 2004 does a superb job of executing passes and play-calling. Passing is silky smooth without too much maneuvering in getting the ball to your man down low. There's a separate button for lob passes, perfect for high post. Double-tapping the button will execute a bullet pass.
Every basketball game has its own incomparable feature and for Inside Drive 2004, that's the play-calling mechanics. Not that you'll ever need a big boost in offense, but the play-calling in Inside Drive 2004 is actually quite useful. (In other b-ball games such as NBA Live 2004 and NBA Shootout 2004, their playbook has little of use and is not as effective during on-court session.) Once you set your offensive scheme, your players fall into their place. It's fun to watch players run their route and execute cuts for an open shot. On the defensive side of the court, things get a little weird. There are hardly any plays to begin with and your team struggle to guard their man no matter how you adjust the level of pressure on the ball and how the computer reacts to switches. As a result, your opponents get easy buckets even at the highest difficulty setting.
On defense, your chances for blocking are as slim as winning the lottery. More often than not, you get called for petty fouls. On offense, the computer will hack you continuously, making the 12-minute quarters seem like eternity to finish because you are always sent to the line. Even if you had the best guard handling the ball, you are bound for turnovers or in this case, lots of steals. Your opponent somehow manages to snatch the ball with a high successful rate regardless whether it was their center or their forward who reached in!
Graphically, Inside Drive 2004 is average at best with respect to its visual presentation. The player models display a reasonable amount of detail only to a certain distance. Up-close, the faces and fingers show a different image that doesn't conform to any normal facial configuration. The edges of player models aren't as defined as they should. Character animations are mostly stiff and constricted. They look weird running up the court, especially when they try to post up. However, not every visual aspect of this game is in shambles. Even with these graphical issues, at least the stadiums are fairly decent.
Inside Drive 2004's sound is mediocre for the most part. The crowd noise is noticeably stagnant. They don't provide a level of enthusiasm to build the game's momentum or boost the home team's spirit when their team is leading. The play-by-play commentaries (handled by Kevin Calabro, Kenny Smith and Marques Johnson) don't reflect the action on the court. They use new words to be stylishly hip such as “jimmies” (jump shots), but their phrases don't quite blend in with the actual game. The music is made of cheap hip-hop tunes that are muddled and don't hold enough adrenaline to "raise the roof." The on-court sound effects are passable at the very least. You'll hear the ball bouncing off the floor and players chatting among themselves.
Like most basketball games out there, Inside Drive 2004 can be played online via Xbox Live. The game supports XSN service in which you can view your stats, play leagues and mingle with other players. Depending on your connection, you'll experience plenty of network slowdown. The situation becomes frustrating at times as the controls stop responding. There's no point in playing online if you are going to deal with more technical problems. It's best if you stick with the game offline.
Inside Drive 2004 could definitely use some more tweaking, especially in the gameplay department. While the play-calling and passing mechanics are great, there are too many fouls and steals on the court, which ruin the tempo of the game. The graphics are not up to today's standard and the audio department needs serious help. Though the game has implemented more features, they are hardly new and most of them recycled or have been slightly updated for the 2004 edition. Let's hope next year these shortcomings will be taken care of. In the meantime, cross your fingers. | 
