<s>
NBA	B-Application
Live	I-Application
97	I-Application
is	O
the	O
third	O
installment	O
of	O
the	O
NBA	B-Application
Live	I-Application
video	O
games	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
,	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
versions	O
featured	O
polygonal	O
models	O
for	O
the	O
on-court	O
players	O
,	O
thus	O
marking	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
3D	O
EA	O
Sports	O
Basketball	B-Application
sequel	O
for	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
first	O
NBA	B-Application
Live	I-Application
released	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
mostly	O
positive	O
reviews	O
for	O
its	O
advanced	O
graphics	O
and	O
wide	O
array	O
of	O
available	O
moves	O
and	O
plays	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
conversion	O
was	O
reviled	O
for	O
numerous	O
technical	O
deficiencies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NBA	B-Application
Live	I-Application
97	I-Application
is	O
followed	O
by	O
NBA	B-Application
Live	I-Application
98	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
animations	O
were	O
all	O
created	O
using	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sacramento	O
Kings	O
players	O
Mitch	O
Richmond	O
and	O
Tyus	O
Edney	O
were	O
among	O
the	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
actors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
reviews	O
for	O
the	O
original	O
release	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
were	O
highly	O
positive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
you	O
can	O
get	O
past	O
the	O
poor	O
control	O
and	O
slow	O
play	O
,	O
NBA	B-Application
Live	I-Application
'	I-Application
97	I-Application
is	O
extremely	O
deep	O
and	O
beautiful	O
to	O
watch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
other	O
side	O
,	O
Joe	O
Rybicki	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
great	O
game	O
that	O
will	O
excite	O
NBA	B-Application
Live	I-Application
fans	O
"	O
,	O
Tom	O
Ham	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
said	O
"	O
Boasting	O
lightning-fast	O
gameplay	O
,	O
tons	O
of	O
moves	O
,	O
great	O
artificial	O
intelligence	O
,	O
textured	O
polygon	O
players	O
,	O
and	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
animation	O
,	O
NBA	B-Application
Live	I-Application
97	I-Application
may	O
very	O
well	O
be	O
the	O
best	O
Playstation-based	O
basketball	B-Application
game	O
to	O
date	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
GamePro	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
perfect	O
5	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
in	O
all	O
four	O
categories	O
(	O
graphics	O
,	O
sound	O
,	O
control	O
,	O
and	O
funfactor	O
)	O
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
"	O
you	O
wo	O
n't	O
find	O
a	O
more	O
complete	O
,	O
dynamic	O
,	O
and	O
in-your-face	O
basketball	B-Application
game	O
on	O
the	O
32-bit	O
market	O
than	O
Live	O
'	O
97.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GamePro	O
gave	O
similar	O
praises	O
to	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
the	O
quintessential	O
basketball	B-Application
title	O
on	O
the	O
Genesis.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
different	O
GamePro	O
critic	O
reviewed	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
version	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
issue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
he	O
gave	O
it	O
slightly	O
lower	O
scores	O
than	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
in	O
sound	O
,	O
control	O
,	O
and	O
funfactor	O
,	O
his	O
review	O
was	O
relentlessly	O
positive	O
and	O
similarly	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
the	O
best	O
SNES	B-Application
b-ball	O
action	O
ever.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
NBA	B-Application
Live	I-Application
97	I-Application
was	O
a	O
finalist	O
for	O
the	O
Computer	O
Game	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
's	O
1996	O
"	O
Best	O
Sports	O
Game	O
"	O
Spotlight	O
Award	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
lost	O
the	O
award	O
to	O
NHL	B-Application
97	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
nominated	O
as	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Strategy	O
Pluss	O
1996	O
sports	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
lost	O
to	O
Links	B-Application
LS	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
later	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
was	O
much	O
less	O
well-received	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
still	O
praised	O
the	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
options	O
and	O
features	O
,	O
but	O
reported	O
the	O
graphics	O
and	O
frame	O
rate	O
are	O
greatly	O
inferior	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
's	O
,	O
to	O
the	O
point	O
where	O
it	O
is	O
sometimes	O
difficult	O
to	O
follow	O
the	O
action	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
acknowledging	O
that	O
the	O
core	O
gameplay	O
is	O
good	O
,	O
Rich	O
Leadbetter	O
of	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
Magazine	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
issues	O
with	O
the	O
animation	O
,	O
and	O
additionally	O
the	O
speed	O
decrease	O
resulting	O
from	O
poor	O
PAL	B-Language
conversion	O
and	O
the	O
load	O
times	O
when	O
accessing	O
and	O
closing	O
menus	O
,	O
cut	O
into	O
the	O
enjoyment	O
too	O
much	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dean	O
Mortlock	O
devoted	O
most	O
of	O
his	O
review	O
in	O
Saturn	B-Device
Power	O
to	O
arguing	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
ludicrous	O
to	O
release	O
a	O
basketball	B-Application
video	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
since	O
the	O
sport	O
has	O
very	O
little	O
following	O
in	O
that	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
,	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
ranked	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
the	O
33rd	O
best	O
console	O
video	O
game	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
commenting	O
that	O
"	O
No	O
other	O
basketball	B-Application
game	O
comes	O
close	O
in	O
playability	O
and	O
realism.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
noted	O
the	O
omission	O
of	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
from	O
the	O
ranking	O
as	O
deliberate	O
,	O
since	O
it	O
"	O
is	O
n't	O
nearly	O
as	O
good.	O
"	O
</s>
