Let’s face it; the past few years have not been kind to EA Sport’s flagship
basketball franchise. The past few NBA Live titles have paled in comparison to
2K Sport’s NBA 2K games, getting trounced on the court for having weak gameplay
and dismal features. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that EA Sports would go
back to the drawing board, focusing on making the gameplay mechanics smooth and
playable, while bringing the next-gen iterations up to speed with a good feature
set. NBA Live 08 ups the ante with some features that range from pretty good to
great and long overdue, as well as some excellent on-court mechanics and
animations to pull you into the game. While not without a few foibles, NBA Live
08 is still the most compelling game to hit the franchise in years.
Anyone who’s played the series as of late would know that it didn’t exactly have
the most fluid gameplay out there. In fact, the inside game was rubbish, the
passing game made some utterly confounding mistakes, and the overall on-court
experience was pretty weak. However, the team behind NBA Live 08 has attempted
to address these issues as best as they can, and have been mostly successful in
their efforts. As a result, NBA Live 08 plays leaps and bounds better than
previous games in the series.
One element that the dev team have implemented to fix the on-court game is the
new “own the paint” feature. This allows you to press the left bumper button and
perform a variety of moves, like fake shots, alley oops, and so on to leave your
opponents in the dust. This feature takes a bit of getting used to, as doing the
wrong thing will often cost you possession of the ball. However, mastering it is
extremely rewarding, and shows how the inside game has been vastly improved from
last year’s iteration of the series.
Additionally, the ball handling has been improved quite a bit. You can link
together skill moves like combos in order to get the drop on your opponents. Do
this right and you’ll clear yourself a patch to the hoop every time. However,
only certain players can do this properly, and trying to do the quick strike
ball handling with “less capable” players will cost you the ball.
However, while the on-court play has been updated substantially, it’s still not
perfect. The game still has some nagging issues. Shots are still mishandled by
the game often, with players attempting to shoot from behind the backboard, or
flubbing simple lay-ups and dunks. The AI is also a bit problematic, especially
on defense, leaving areas wide open and allowing a clean lane to the basket for
your opponent.
Aside from those issues, there’s a lot to love in NBA Live 08. The features from
last year’s game, like the All-Star Weekend and dynasty mode, have returned.
However, there are some great new features as well. The FIBA World Championship
opens up the team roster to international teams, allowing you to face off
countries against each other or even NBA teams. The scenario mode is also a nice
addition, letting you play through randomized pseudo mission-based scenarios to
test your B-ball mettle, and the quick pick mode lets you choose your own dream
team of ten players from any team in the game and pit them against another team.
One huge addition to the game is the online leagues, which has been something
that fans have been clamoring for some time now. The leagues have persistent
rankings and rankings for each player, as well as a variety of tweaks that you
can do in order to cater your own preferences, matching you up with similar
players.
Graphically, the game is a big step-up from NBA Live 07 as well, thanks to its
framerate boost to 60 frames per second and some much improved animations. The
character models are also done very well, showcasing different body types and
sizes as well as accurate facial models. Soundwise, the game is also quite good,
with a diverse soundtrack, accurate commentary from Albert and Kerr and solid
on-court effects.
NBA Live 08 isn’t without a few problems that have lingered from last year’s
game, but the whole experience is generally much improved. The on-court game
plays much better than before, and the new features are great additions to the
franchise. This is the next-gen NBA Live that we’ve been waiting for since the
360 launched.
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Gameplay: 8.0
While
there are a few quirks in the gameplay that have returned from previous
versions, the on-court play has been drastically cleaned up and plays much more
fluidly. The new features are great, including the quick pick play feature that
lets you play as your own personal dream team, the scenario mode, and the FIBA
World Championship.
Graphics: 9.0
The most noticeable graphical update in the game is the jump to 60 frames per
second, giving the game a generally smoother and more realistic look. The
players themselves also look extremely accurate and realistic, with realistic
body dimensions, facial mapping, and great new animations making the game look
better than ever.
Sound: 8.5
NBA Live 08 comes with the same brand of eclectic soundtrack that you’d expect
from an EA title, featuring a variety of tracks ranging from hip-hop to rock and
dance-punk and several other genres. The commentary is also well done, as are
the sound-effects.
Difficulty: Medium
Multiplayer: 8.5
The
online leagues are a great, albeit long overdue touch.
Concept: 8.0
While
it doesn’t get everything quite right, the fundamental changes made to the Live
formula are much appreciated.
Overall: 8.0
NBA
Live 08 is a big improvement over NBA Live 07 (or 06, for that matter), offering
some great features and cleaner gameplay. If you’ve been waiting for the next-gen
iterations to catch up with the current-gen versions, then this is one to get.
