Even with the addition of new animations as the years went by, we were at the mercy of contextually-based moves that weren’t always appropriate. As it turned out, the left stick controlled player movement, while the right stick provided comprehensive control over dribbling and other moves.Īlthough we’d had crossover and spin moves since NBA Live 98, the controls were quite limited. I remember one rumour suggesting that the sticks would control the left and right hands, and while that wasn’t the case, it was on the right track. As the NBA Live 2003 preview season was getting underway, there were rumours that the game was going to make use of dual analog sticks. While that’s usually the kind of marketing that makes basketball gamers roll their eyes, in this case, EA Sports were on the mark. The blurb on the back of the NBA Live 2003 box boldly describes Freestyle Control as “revolutionary”. It’s since gone back to its original name, and we’ll be seeing more of it in NBA Live 18.įreestyle Control changed the game, and for those of us playing on PC, it also meant picking up a dual analog gamepad to take full advantage of it. Although the name has changed a couple of times over the years, taking on monikers such as “Quick Strike Ballhandling” and “Quick Strike Ankle Breakers”, the basic concept of Freestyle’s right stick control has remained essentially the same. I did talk about it in my retrospective of NBA Live 2003, but being such an important development in terms of controls, it definitely deserves its own article.

It’s funny that it’s taken me this long to do a Wayback Wednesday feature on Freestyle Control, especially since I talked about Freestyle Superstars just a few weeks ago. This week, I’m taking a look back at Freestyle Control in NBA Live 2003. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia.

Nba live 2003 controller