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After quite a few years of dissapointing releases the NBA Live series has done itself proud with NBA 2008. The biggest improvement being the realistic games play, and the shotting, passing and all-round movement graphics.
GAMEPLAY Simply outstanding. With 100s of different moves and the control you have over the dribbler with the right analog stick, the gameplay is more realistic then ever. The rebounding battles are fantastic. The new OWN THE PAINT feature is great, with posting up giving you an array of options to use in order to create your shot. The artificial Intelligence is also greatly improved, with defensive covers switching and helping each other out, and back door cuts etc.
GRAPHICS Looks better than ever. Not as huge an improvement as the gameplay but it really looks great, and the players have their own features and facials are great.
LONGEVITY Fantastic, you can play untill the end of time with the great dynasty mode with more features than ever, statistics and management options making it even more enjoyable.
FEATURES The new international mode has been introduced. As yet only 8 countries to choose from but a big step in the right direction with world championship mode. As well as this feature all the usuals, practice, dynasty, all star weekend etc.
SOUND The commentry in particular is excellent this year. With far less repetitions, and far more natural talk in what is actually happening in front of you.
OVERALL BUY THIS GAME!! Finally an NBA game with non stop enjoyement and realism, you wont be disapointed.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
I definitely have some gripes about this game but they weren't enough to make me put my controller down. It is fun but how much the little things bother you will certainly be a factor in how much you enjoy this game.GAMEPLAY (the most important part): The controls are nice. I don't have any problems getting my guys to do what I want them to do. The use of the right stick to do crossovers, spins, etc. is nothing new but still works really well.
The CPU will still violate your personal space when you are trying to maneuver, making it hard to get past them unless you can blow by them before they get to you. As far as the Pro-Hop feature, or whatever it's called, it doesn't seem to work for me. I've coughed up the ball each time I've done it.
As a previous reviewer mentioned, jumpers are hard to come by and scoring your points in the paint is the optimal way to do it. I have more success with mid-range jumpers than long-range and 3s. One possible reason for this may be the addition of the Hot Zones, which tell you where a player is prone to making/missing shots. I don't pull it up all that often but it's very possible I'm taking shots from the cold zones.
Easy layups are still missed far too often. The split isn't 50/50 but I'd guess it's somewhere near 80/20 (making/missing).
Rebounding is more evenly distributed than in past games. I've never been able to grab rebounds and my CPU teammates always got out-rebounded as well. This year your teammates will do a very good job at grabbing those boards to get you started on your fast breaks.
Fast breaks work pretty well, provided you adjust your Transition Style to allow for more fast breaks. By default it, it is a 50/50 split for fast breaks and taking it up the court slowly.
Reach-in fouls are called a little too much in this game but offensive and shooting fouls are called just about as much as you would see in a normal game, maybe a bit less. Adjust the sliders to fit your preferences. As far as shooting fouls go, you definitely get your share of "and 1s."
There is a slight learning curve with free throws. I didn't play Live 07 so I'm not sure if it is the same system or not. It consists of you pulling down on the right stick and then pushing up at the right moment to successfully make your free throw. If you miss, there is an overlay that pops up giving you hints on what you did right and wrong. Overall, it works pretty well once you get the hang of it.
Alley-oops looks a little cheesy because the flight of the ball is like half of a McDonald's arch. I know they are supposed to be lob passes but the trajectory just looks funky. I've yet to miss an alley-oop though.
AI: The CPU AI still makes the PG the one you have to worry about the most. Who needs Elton Brand when you have Sam Cassell? Kevin Durant? The Luke Ridnour/Delonte West combo is what will bring the Sonics to the promised land. They will also use up most of the shot clock, so you can forget about both teams consistently pushing it up and down the court.
ANIMATION/GRAPHICS: I think the graphics are great. Everything just looks really clean. The lighting is great. Player models work out well, for the most part. Baron Davis looks spot on, as does coverboy, Gilbert Arenas.
The animation is great too. Baron Davis' stepback jumper looks just like it does in real life. Gone are the days when the CPU would set a pick and your guy runs into him and just looks like he is running in place. Now you actually see some effort by your player to get around the pick.
MISCELLANEOUS: Commentary by Marv Albert and Steve Kerr is done pretty well. You won't hear too many repeat phrases in one game but they will probably repeat it in the next game.
The menu system works well, as you use the D-pad to navigate pre-game and in-game menus.
The music hasn't been too inspiring yet, but this is all subjective. I prefer to hear more upbeat music but so far I've only heard lower BPM songs.
There are online leagues as well. I believe you can go with a public league or create a private one. There is also supposed to be a patch released in the near future which will allow for 5v5 games.
OVERALL: It's the things like the frequency of missed layups and CPU PGs being beasts that make me give this game 3/5 stars. The former shouldn't even be an issue and I can't understand why EA wouldn't address this. It really is a downer. Despite the missed layups, I rated the fun factor higher because of the improvements in gameplay. These improvements compensate for the shortcomings, leaving you with a fun, yet slightly frustrating experience.
Best Deals for NBA Live 08 - Xbox 360
Every year, it's the same debate. Should I get the newest incarnation of NBA Live with all it's promises of better gameplay than the year before or should I stick with the reliable, yet bland 2k series? Well this year, I actually find myself playing NBA Live 08 more than I do NBA 2k8. That's not a knock to 2k8, but I find Live 08 to be a more straight-forward basketball experience. There are no crazy gimmicks that detract from the gameplay.So what's new this year? Everything. The game has been completely rebuilt from the ground up with gameplay being the biggest improvement. Low post players can now dominate the paint with a variety of offensive moves (spins, hook shots, pump fakes, etc.) Cross-overs and juke moves using the right thumbstick are more fluid and realistic and new signature moves are also a nice addition. For instance, while holding the right trigger and pushing either the dunk or shoot button, your superstar will pull off a power move only unique to him that increases the chances of having the shot go in. There's even a nice video tutorial during the shoot around session at the main menu which shows each superstar's primary signature move.
The graphics have been given a complete overhaul and surprisingly, I found that the player models in Live 08 were much better than the ones in 2k8. Facial modeling is superb and dead on. EA really went out of their way to create eaThe courts look accurate and are cleanly rendered. The crowds are also very nice and don't resemble spray-painted card board boxes as they do in other sports titles.
Despite the vast improvement in this year's game as opposed to the year before, there are still a couple of glaring problems that are downright maddening. The worst is the ridiculous loading times before a game. I once clocked it at four minutes. Online games are not much better.
The A.I. substitutions can also be a little loopy as point guards will occasionally be substituted for centers. Point blank shots near the rim tend to clang off the metal and there are instances where a player with the ball will be standing clearly out of bounds and nothing is called.
Despite these bugs, I still enjoy playing Live 08. It's not much better than 2k8, but I appreciate the fluidity of the controls and the excellent visuals and player models. Good job, EA.
Honest reviews on NBA Live 08 - Xbox 360
I follow both EA and 2k sports basketball games....as I am an avid basketball fan. Both offer unique styles of gaming. Seeing no review of this game made me write a brief one.NBA Live 08 is a great game. I would consider it the first next-gen basketball title to date. The graphics are very polished, textures and all, and is by far the best looking basketball game made to date. The updated physics are great, much more realistic than the past Live games of the series.
Dynasty mode is great as usual, all-star weekend is great(3point contest and slam dunk contest), practice mode, and so many others. The variety of modes is a good add on. The online play is great, with online leagues that work great, never having to play at a certain time or set schedule.
Controls are near perfect, but some delay. The dribbling moves dedicated to the right thumbstick are still present, and are remarkable. The game plays more uptempo compared to a 2k game, as Live always has...but that's what we love. The ability to post up, run offense, isolate and drive by your man, run pick and rolls, as well as many other things make this game a must have. The only con is the arcade style, which makes it to easy to get to the rim and dunk at times. Other than that, I have invested many hours and days into this game the past year, and definitely think it is a turning point in EA's Live series franchise. With 09 coming out, and it's demo displaying even more realism and physics, they got it right with this game, and are only building from it!
Easily the best 360 basketball game to date....a close one to 2k8, but Live08's graphics make it the true next gen experience!
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