For fans of Electronic Arts basketball series NBA Live, the past couple years have been torturous.

First, there was NBA Elite 11, an attempted rebranding of the franchise shelved at the last minute thanks to a demo that featured such classic bugs as "Jesus Bynum."

The publisher tried again, this time with NBA Live 13, only to cancel once again due to quality issues.

So, I approached the demo station for NBA Live 14 with some anticipation and extreme caution. On display at the Electronic Entertainment Expo was a tiny slice of NBA Live 14, slated to launch for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this fall.

The key feature for the game, promoted by Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving, is BounceTek, which adds dynamic dribbling. BounceTek essentially treats the ball as a separate entity from the player, which would result in a more accurate portrayal of ballhandling.

A demo at E3 featured Irving, alone on the court with ball in hand, to demonstrate how dribbling works. Players perform quick flicks of the right thumbstick to switch hands, crossover, dribble behind the back and other moves. Pressing the left bumper opens up signature moves with a bit more flair. The goal is to string together these moves in a way to stay a step ahead of the defender.

The dribbling and shooting in NBA Live feels solid. It's easy to perform the basics, but requires some skill and timing to nail down the more complex combinations. It still needs a little polish in terms of fluidity between picking up the ball and taking the shot, something rival NBA 2K has mastered over several seasons.

Where NBA Live has an advantage is in visuals. Kyrie Irving's digital likeness looks highly realistic. While 2K has made strides in this area, the E3 demo at EA's booth reminded me how far ahead they seem to be in modeling each player virtual persona. Then again, graphics aren't why NBA 2K dominates.

There's still a lot to learn about NBA Live. How will this game feel 5-on-5? How will teammates not control by the player operate? How will game feature CourtQ, which accurately breaks down players based on statistics and tendencies, work in the game?

At this point, NBA Live fans would be happy just seeing a fresh game to play. And does EA really have much to lose? NBA 2K is clearly the frontrunner in this space. They've recruited big names, including Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the cover star for NBA 2K14. NBA Live comes in as the underdog.

So far, NBA Live 14 is intriguing. Let's just hope video game players get to enjoy a final version this time.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @bam923.