Great features, great graphics Once again, players can take their favorite teams through 29, 58 or 82 game seasons, although trade logic has been tightened up slightly as long as you make sure to toggle the option on, which is off by default. With Restrict Trades on, the computer will finally make an intelligent decision and refuse to take a weaker player for a star on their team regardless of how many times you badger them. However, you're still not dealing with salary caps, contracts or other standard features of franchises, which we've been campaigning for from this series for years. We can only continually hope that this is eventually fixed, but if this did ever grace Sony's franchise, we'd expect it to go to the PS3 version of the game first.
Let me start by saying the the NBA Live Franchise has been steadily going downhill over the last several years. NBA 2K has literally destroyed Live for the past few years. This year is no exception as Live takes a backseat to 2K, BUT the NBA Live franchise has taken great strides towards closing that once widening gap. The graphics have taken a step in the right direction with excellent fluidity in player movements. Commentary from Steve Kerr and Marv Albert provide a decent variety of sound clips for your enjoyment. Like all sports games, though, they get stale after a while. Playability ranks up there with the new quickstrike ballhandling ability. The entertainment value is much better than in recent years with improvements in both the in game and off court aspects. EA expanded its game modes with the new FIBA World Championships, which lets you make your own All-Star team for a quick play pick-up game, and Scenario Play, that allows you to test your skill in tough gametime situations. All in all, I liked the improvements. It seems that the franchise is on its way back to the glory days! My final rating: 8.2/10Read full review
Nba Live is not the best game for those who really love basketball and basketball simulations. However the graphics and game play are ideal if you just want to play basketball without worrying about different aspects of the franchise mode. You tend to miss easy baskets at times which allows the games to be alot closer and alot more competitive but it can be frustrating at times. I hit a jumper at the buzzer and the ref had to look at the play and determined that I released it after the backboard lit up. I thought that was pretty cool eventhough I lost. I would recommend this game for someone who doesnt know about running plays and how to set them up and doesnt really care. Alot of transition basketball. Hard to play defense so scores are pretty high. Ideal for those who like basketball but are not looking for a difficult challenge. If you are a basketball enthusiast I would recommend 2K. The franchise mode and play running mode are alot better than Live. I purchased this game to satisfy my basketball itch after watching NBA on TV. I stayed away from 2K because it looked fun but time consuming and well I just wanted to play basketball and not get too carried away with hours and hours of dealing with franchise mode.Read full review
In any sports league, there are great teams and horrible teams. Compared to a sports team, NBA Live 08 is an above average team, but not a great one. Think New York Knicks, not Chicago Bulls. Just like the Knicks, Live does some things well, and some things poorly. First, the good. NBA Live 08 is a very entertaining game. There's plenty of fun to be had on its virtual courts. The players look very good for its time of release, and even look decent when held up to today's standards. The shooting is great, as there is ample opportunity to make contested shots, unlike in Live's main competitor, the NBA 2k series. The game has good replay value, with Dynasty mode, the FIBA world championships, situational play (a game mode in which the player has the freedom to produce a situation (i.e. 10 seconds left in the game, their team has the ball and is down by 3), and a refreshingly entertaining game mode called quick pick play. In quick pick play, the player and their opponent alternate turns picking players from the entire NBA, much like a game of pick up basketball. However, Live 08 is not without flaws. While the player models look basically good, they are nothing breathtaking. Also, the game often slows down to a slow-motion drag, making it difficult to play. Thankfully, these slow downs only last a few seconds, but are still frustrating, especially when in a high-pressure scenario. Also, while shooting is fun, the game is quite easy, which might deter more experienced and skillful players. The Dynasty mode is good, but making trades is an extremely frustrating affair in which, at least on the PS3 version, the player rarely gets the upper hand of the bargain. Overall, NBA Live 08 is a good game. It is an entertaining and fun way to pass time. However, it is not a perfect game, and has some glaring technical issues. For its current asking price $10 or less, it is a good bargain, if you can put up with its issues. If you cannot deal with its flaws, I recommend you steer clear of this mediocre title.Read full review
I've spent several hours playing this game and exploring the various game modes. These include the dynasty, new FIBA competition, Online mode and quickplay categories, along with the slam dunk competition, 3 point shooting and rookie challenge. Additionally, I explored the other features such as "Go To Moves," "Hot Spots," "Quick Strike Ballhandling" and also "Own The paint". All these features give you a few more options on how to break your opponents ankles, drive to the hoop or dish it off to your post for an alley-oop. These all fun features that give you a wide array of options for your arsenal. Overall, it's a decently laid out game. There are many improvements in terms of player control but more so in the graphics department. You are able to see the shine and glow of the hardwood floors and see distinct size differences between players. Moreover, You are also able to observe signature shots and moves from the individual players. The biggest flaw of the game is it's constant choppiness and lag after a replay and while attempting to inbound the ball. This occurs on many occasions and is probably attributed to glitches in the game. Moreover, this absolutely ruins the whole experience as the lag will last for a few seconds and on many occasions during a game. I believe this game had a lot of potential but falls short because of its lack of polishness and removal of glitches. I would be hesistant to recommend buying this game, you should probably rent it first and see how you like the experience. I'd give this a 6.5/10.I would also suggest looking at ign or gamespot for an indepth review of the game, thanks.Read full review
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