NBA Live 08

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.

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.