As you'd expect, the game allows trading and releasing of players, but now you can create your very own basketball superstar from a selection of body parts. Graphically there's little new here. Lets just say that overall they are as good as they were last year. The players pretty much look like their real-life counterparts, although sadly the developers still haven't found a way to hide the polygon joints in the arms and legs. Fortunately the character animation is top notch, more than making up for any minor glitches.
Sound quality is excellent.
The ambient effects are clear and realistic. The play by play announcing is pretty generic, but still has enough variety in the phrases to keep from being overly repetitive. Players interact with each other, encouraging teammates, and debating calls with the referees. Improved speech and sound effects. Bob Elliott adds new in-depth play analysis.