NBA 2K8 – 360 – Review

Every year I dread the day new
sports titles are released. The reason why is due to that my previous
installments become obsolete and the trade-in prices drop significantly.
Fortunately, I skipped out on purchasing last year’s NBA 2k title due to that a
colleague of mine had already bought it and I determined, through playing it,
that it wasn’t worthy of my hard earned money. So when NBA 2k8 arrived at my
doorsteps, I was more than happy to invest time back in the series after
removing myself from last year’s game.

What does NBA 2k8 offer that 2k7
didn’t? Well, let’s begin with the Association Mode – this alone has captured my
attention more than any other game mode in a sports title this year. The
Association Mode has a few new bells and whistles that will make hardcore
simulation fans go nuts. How do I know? Because, being a simulation fan myself,
I am addicted to developing my team to its fullest. The depth of the game mode
has risen farther then I had imagined. New this year is ability to assign player
roles. There are five roles that players can be given: starter, sixth man, role
player, prospect, and a bench warmer. If a starter is underperforming and you
downgrade him to a role player, his morale will drop affecting team chemistry
and contract negotiations. With contract negotiations, the developers went
further in adding in no-trade clauses. If these two additions aren’t attracting,
then the possible fact that all the features return from last year such as:
scouting, trading (3 team trades), scheduling practices, developing players, and
a ton more. If you can’t tell, the association mode is among the best I have
ever played for its simulation attributes.

No franchise mode would be good
without great gameplay to back it up. The gameplay this year is principally
similar to last year’s gameplay with tweaks and improvements. The new superstar
moves should end up being the brightest spot for NBA fanatics. From NBA 2k7,
gamers will remember that their favorite basketball stars had signature
jump-shots – well, this year Visual Concepts have now added with superstar
moves. Steve Nash will throw no-look passes, Shaq will slam it down in the
paint, and even at times, Kobe will become a ball hog trying to win the game all
by his lonesome. Outside of these animations, the control of the players on the
court is smooth and fluid. Using the right stick, players have the chance to
play better defense as I have been wishing for a long time.

For players that want full control
of how the game plays out on the court, the chance to call up plays on fly is
simple. Calling plays is a lot easier than I remember from last year’s iteration
and I actually had fun watching my players running through their plays.
Unfortunately, if I wasn’t telling my players what to do, then they were
aimlessly hawking the three-point line waiting for something to happen. It isn’t
the best scenario when I am trying to get open or try to find an open man after
being double-teamed.

The bad news for the gameplay is
that players miss layups like crazy. I had a friend stop over to give me some
authentic competition and he left quite upset about his several missed layups
that cost him the game. Using the shot stick helped remedy the situation
somewhat, but missing wide open layups don’t sit right with my stomach. Another
minor problem with NBA 2k8 this year is that the computer A.I. on your team
aren’t up to par with the team you are up against. Besides these two problems
with the gameplay, I have had a fantastic time with NBA 2k8.

Speaking about having a fantastic
time, NBA 2k8 returns with an amazing dunk competition. Located through the NBA
Blacktop section (3-point contest, street matches, etc.) the dunk competition is
one of the most thorough dunking contests I have experienced in recent memory.
There are three parts in dunking: gathering yourself (jumping), a style
adjuster, and a finisher. The gather can begin with alley oops, jumping over
props and a lot more interesting possible beginnings to a dunk. The style
adjuster has the player doing 360 spins, going between the legs with the ball,
and many other actions with the ball. The finisher is exactly as it sounds,
dunking it down hard with even the chance to go elbow deep into the net as if
you were Vince Carter.

The last portion of the gameplay
deals with the online modes where players can enjoy a plethora of elements.
Hardcore gamers can join online leagues where they can participate in fantasy
drafts to pickup their favorite NBA players. The usual ranked and unranked
matches are available to play, but the possibility to play through the dunk
contest online is great. Arguing about who had the best dunk is always better
with a human opponent rather than a computer opponent. Make sure to try out the
online options before getting caught up in the Association Mode for the rest of
the year.

Compared to NBA 2k7, 2k8 isn’t
leagues above it in visuals and audio. Visually, there is a lot going on in the
background during the game with cheerleaders, coaches, fans, ball boys, and
mascots. Though, outside of the animations and a few better looking players,
this year’s iteration of the NBA 2k series isn’t the biggest improvement in
graphics. As for the audio, it does become repetitive, but not as quickly as I
have been used to with other sports titles.

Gameplay: 9.2
The Association Mode is fantastic! Visual Concepts needs to fix the layups for
players to have an even better time with the next NBA 2k game.

Graphics: 8.9
While still beautiful in motion, a few of the NBA players aren’t represented
correctly. The coaches and crowds need to be spruced up in addition if they want
to make the series look more aesthetic.

Sound: 8.1
The announcers get the job done with humorous lines, on the spot calling and a
few history lessons here thrown in.

Difficulty: Easy/ Medium
This all depends on if the player is accustomed to basketball titles.

Concept: 8.0
Progress with the dunk contest is big steps in the right direction. If Visual
Concepts can work on a better straight up street game, then that will be icing
on the cake.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Online leagues with fantasy drafts are a godsend to gamers looking for something
more than picking players at ESPN.com for their teams because in NBA 2k8, they
actually get to play on the court.

Overall: 8.7
This is the best version of the NBA 2k series in a long time. It’s a fresh
breath of air and I am glad to see where the series is heading. If you are tired
of the World Series hunt and the unpredictable NFL, pick up NBA 2k8 for a
preview of what’s to come with the upcoming NBA season.