Luckily, NBA Live 08 is playable. In fact, it’s actually not that bad at all. One of the biggest issues with last year's game was that the default camera angle made it difficult to see what was going on half the time, and made some plays really challenging when they should have been simple. Thankfully, this has been rectified, with a much closer, broadcast-style perspective, which rarely causes trouble. Some plays are still a little awkward from this perspective though, and the camera angle does still confuse when it comes to working out just how close to the ring you are, but for the most part the new angle works and works well.
My ball. MINE!
There are some additions to the gameplay which add positively to NBA Live 08. These include low-post play, which allows you to pull off certain spins and get a bit tricky with the offense when holding the ball, as well as go-to moves, where certain all-star players can gain the advantage to get the ball in the hoop without a problem. These features work well in making the game flow more realistically, and also add to the broadcast style to make it feel like you’re actually participating in an NBA game.
While dunks and lay-ups seem to work much better and more realistically in this year’s version, they changed the shooting mechanic in the game so that there is no way that you as the gamer can really impact whether the shot will go in or not. Just hold the button down, and based on the player’s stats and defensive situation, the ball will either go in, or bounce off the rim. It makes the game really simplistic in terms of shooting, and for that reason, players will want to avoid taking shots from a distance too often, as it’s just a little bit too random. Defending has also been simplified, as now all you need to do is hold down the left trigger and move the left stick a bit to keep up with the offensive player. The game even switches players for you to follow the ball as it’s passed around, so there isn’t as much control for people who prefer to play a defensive game of basketball.
He looks focused...
The artificial intelligence in the game also could use with a bit of a tune-up, with players on the same team sometimes causing fouls for your team in situations where they could so easily have been avoided. There are also moments in the gameplay where players will miss really easy shots. That means no defenders nearby, just you and the ring, yet the ball will still miraculously miss. It happens way too often, and professionals in the NBA simply wouldn’t make those kinds of mistakes, and so it detracts somewhat from the experience.
Dynasty mode is back this year, and it’s basically more of the same, where you’re able to pick your team and make it the best in the NBA through training, clever roster decisions and of course winning games. There are a couple of new modes that make an appearance, but they’re nothing overly exciting. NBA Live 08 offers Quick Pick Play where you can pick your ‘dream-team’ for a match, Scenario Play where you can modify specific elements of the game like time left on the clock and score to suit your own style and the FIBA World Championship which is essentially a special 8 team tournament where you pick your country and take on the rest of the world.
Visually, the game looks impressive when the players aren’t moving around too much. The team introductions and huddle animations are nice, with the sweat clearly dripping from the detailed character models. Unfortunately, in-game it goes back to looking average. Animations are a little awkward looking at times, but there isn't much in the way of slowdown, so overall the graphical package is good, but not great. The commentary and crowd noise in the game is also fairly effective, but we experienced a couple of moments where the majority of the audio dropped out completely, leaving the players in silence apart from the bouncing of the ball and the squeaks of their shoes.
The detail is great - until the camera zooms out that is...
EA’s sports games are usually very polished in terms of presentation, and NBA Live 08 is no exception. While sitting in the menus, you can practice on the court just like last year, which is still a nice touch. There’s trivia during the loading screens, but only the hardcore NBA fans will know the answers, so the practice court is missed here. Upon changing to a different all-star player through the menus, a video plays showing their trademark ‘go-to’ move in real life, and then shows you the same move in game form and tells you how to do it. Combining these elements with things like constantly updated ESPN results via Xbox Live and many other statistical features, it will certainly keep the NBA fans out there very busy.
NBA Live 08 is definitely an improvement over last year’s effort. While the gameplay is improved in some ways, in other ways they’ve taken a step backwards. As an overall package, this version of the game is a much less cringe-worthy attempt from EA, and shows that NBA Live 09 could be the title that finally brings the franchise out of mediocrity. If you’re an NBA lover, it’s hard to ignore all the fan service that has gone into the game, but other gamers can probabaly give this one a miss, or seek out the alternative.
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