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Gameplay
There are some things that NBA Live 10 does than NBA 2K10 and vise versa. In terms of game pace, NBA Live 10 runs at a faster rate. Sometimes, it is easier to score by breaking off from the set play, and just going at it one on one, as compared to the more deliberate game that 2K10 offers. Fast breaks, too, seem to be much easier to execute in Live 10 than 2K10, because the players in Live 10 seem to know how to fill the lanes better and get stopped by defenders.

When the game crawls to a half-court set-up, NBA 2K10 starts to shine over Live 10. 2K10 has the smarter teammates, and will cut and slice through the lanes as the play is called. And even when there are no plays called, there is almost always a teammate of yours that is trying to get free from his defender or jockey for position in the lowpost. In Live 10, those things do happen too, but unfortunately it feels more half-hearted. Sometimes, your teammates just stands around as you dribble by the three point line, rarely trying to get open or get others open.

At certain times, both games do have their quirks and glitches, like players suddenly deciding to step out of bounds, or referees holding onto the ball for a length of time, those kinds of things. So really, it’s your choice if you want Live 10’s faster, run and gun arcade style or 2K10’s sim-like experience.

Special Features

The challenge for every sports game creator is to come up with a new feature every year that will make their game look less like a simple roster update. In NBA 2K10, that mode is My Player mode and in this mode, you create a character with really bad stats, and you try to improve upon those stats by trying to land a spot on an NBA practice team, and the D-league or participating in drills. The journey from the cellar to being a bonafide NBA All-star is a long one in this mode, so it’s like a role-playing game in this sense. Once you get to the top, it’s so rewarding considering what you had to go through. Live 10 has a similar feature but isn’t as nuanced and detailed as 2K10’s. 

Overall

Both games are good, and each has their own style. Unlike a few years ago when the 2K series was king, and the Live series kind of stunk, this year’s battle royale between the two has no clear cut winner. It’s simply a matter of which game style you prefer. But if we have to make a recommendation, it would be NBA 2K10 as it remains as solid as ever. We reckon Live 10 still has some fine tuning to do.