NBA Live 08 – PS2 – Review

In the left
corner stands FIFA Soccer: tough and resilient on the old-gen consoles, sleek
and dynamic on PS3 and Xbox 360. In the right corner stands NBA Live: gorgeous
on the next-gen, flailing on PS2. Every year we see FIFA thrive on all
platforms, old or new. NBA Live, however – like Tiger Woods and other sports
franchises – have not had the best of luck. Their next-gen iterations are
getting better with every update. But the PS2 versions don’t give gamers much to
get excited about.

NBA Live 08
is a chance to turn the tide – a sequel to breathe new life into the previous
generation’s most popular console (the only seven-year-old console still
being manufactured and still kicking butt at retail). But will it? Or will
players want to go next-gen instead?

Live’n It
Up

NBA Live 08
starts off reeking of higher production values than most PS2 sports games. The
basic, 2D menu windows are backed by full-motion video clips from real NBA
games. Flashes of dunks and three-pointers appear on screen as you select from
the large list of game modes. FIBA World Championship joins the mounting
selection, which includes Season, Dynasty, Playoffs, NBA All-Star Weekend,
Freestyle Challenge, 1-on-1, Individual Practice, Slam Dunk School, and Play
Online. Season doesn’t seem as important with the superior Dynasty mode in
place, whose content is virtually the same as it is in the NHL and FIFA games,
plus the ability to intervene during simulated play.

Spot On

The list of
new features for NBA Live 08 begins and ends with Player Hot Spots. These
off-the-court, color-coded designations show each player’s strengths and
weaknesses. Actually, their weaknesses aren’t highlighted at all, which should
cause players to analyze the game more carefully. You may want to replace faulty
players with those who are better equipped to get the job done.

Strengths
are spread across 14 points on the court: five in the three-point range, five
just a little closer to the net (but not within the three-point range), three at
close range, and one so close you could touch the net.

Hot Spots
are coded in blue when a player is not so hot in a particular area, and coded in
red when a player is king. Ben Wallace’s distant highlights (in red) indicate
that he is best suited for three-pointers, though he also has one close Hot
Spot. Tim Duncan’s Hot Spots are similar, while Corey Maggette’s are closer to
the net and catered toward dunks. According to his chart, Maggette is most
successful at shooting from the left side of the net. That doesn’t mean you
can’t score with him while shooting from the right. In practice, the Hot Spots
aren’t perfectly accurate.

NBA Live
08’s graphics are like a supermodel with makeup on just one side of her face.
The good side – the one with caked on beauty – has a shiny, reflective court and
a collection of motion-captured animations. The ugly side – the one whose warts
and dark circles have not been covered up – is made of bland, faceless players
and the realization that most, if not all, of these animations are from last
year’s game.

Pretty side:
a full basketball arena. You won’t find an empty seat in the house. Ugly side:
bad lighting and no real-time shadows. Air-brushed: the occasional
through-the-net view as the camera adjusts after scoring. Mugshot: adding a FIBA
logo to the court doesn’t make NBA Live 08 feel any different from a regular
season game.

International Basketball

“We are
basketball,” touts FIBA, the organization that governs basketball
internationally. NBA Live 08 marks the first time FIBA has been a part of any
video-game series. Its mode – FIBA World Championship – thrusts players onto a
competitive tourney with some of the world’s strongest basketball teams: China,
Argentina, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, and of course, the United
States of America. Expect the FIBA team selection to grow if this mode returns
for NBA Live 09. (They could make things really interesting by adding the female
teams to the next NBA Street.)

Championship
games are split into quarters as usual, which can range from 2 – 12 minutes,
allowing players to battle for short or long periods. Simulated injuries may be
turned on or off before the game begins. You can also choose to be notified of
injuries, and select from two simulation types: regular or intervention. Only
four teams will be standing once the first tier has finished. After that only
two teams will remain, leading up to the final battle.

Your first
FIBA match will be met with a startling revelation: the gameplay is exactly the
same as it is in the other modes. Players are given new jersey colors, while the
court is garnished with a FIBA logo. The game’s commentary has been slightly
adjusted for international teams, but it’s not overly specific. There are a lot
of “he” and “this team” remarks – rarely is a player mentioned by name.

Today’s
Game, Yesterday’s Gameplay

Player Hot
Spots and the FIBA World Championship are the only additions to NBA Live 08. The
other 95% of the game is the same as NBA Live 07.

Review Scoring Details for NBA Live 08

Gameplay: 6.0
Excluding the
removal of Superstar moves, NBA Live 08’s weak engine remains unchanged from
last year’s game. The gameplay is just as slow and sluggish as it was before.

Graphics:
5.5
A game of severe
contradictions. You can’t be impressed without also being disappointed.

Sound: 6.0
NBA Live 08’s
urban/rock/techno/oddities soundtrack collection is moderately catchy. The
commentary and sound effects, however, are in need of a major overhaul.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
No more
challenging than before. With multiple difficulty settings that pop up at the
start of the game, the ball is in your court.

Concept: 5.0
NBA Live 08 is
NBA Live 07 with Player Hot Spots and a FIBA World Championship mode.

Multiplayer: 5.0
It’s hard to
enjoy playing this game with a friend if you don’t enjoy playing it by yourself.

Overall: 6.0
PS2 owners that
have yet to play through NBA Live 06 and 07 may be excited to run through this
year’s edition. All other players should dedicate their time to sports games
whose annual updates actually mean something, such as FIFA 08.