NBA Live has always had a long way to go before eclipsing -- or even reaching, for that matter -- the level of quality of 2K Sports' NBA 2K series. NBA Live 08 doesn't change that; however, this is clearly a better game than last year. It's obviously not there yet, and is still not nearly good enough to recommend over 2K's game, but EA Sports appears to be back on the right track.

In truth, the game had nowhere to go but up. The improvements start with player control. The old Freestyle system, where you could use the right stick to perform all sorts of nearly unstoppable moves, is replaced with the far superior Quickstrike Ballhandling that allows you to use the right stick to chain together realistic, controlled moves and not the over-the-top insanity that was possible with Freestyle.

The new Player Hot Spots make a lot of sense and work well within the framework of the gameplay. Every player in the game is rated in 14 different spots on the floor. When controlling any player, a simple bumper press brings up the colored grid, and you can literally see their hot and cold zones. Some outside shooters may shoot particularly well from top of the key but not so well from the baseline. A low post player might eat you alive on the right block, but in the middle of the lane he's not as effective. This goes a long way in adding a delightful level of player realism to the game.

In addition to these advances, several players have Signature Go-To Moves that reflect their real-life tendencies. Tony Parker shoots his running floater; Kobe brings his patented fade-away three-pointer; Duncan shoots his one-hander off the glass. It all looks remarkably realistic, and best of all, there is no magic button to press to activate these shots; the artificial intelligence (AI) handles it all and knows when it's best to use them. This ensures that they are not overdone, which would dramatically throw off game balance. EA needs to add these types of shots for every player in the game, so each can stand out more as an individual, because if a player doesn't have a Go-To Move, he shoots just like everyone else.

Finally, there's the low post gameplay, which is vastly improved from last year. The AI is quick to double-team good players like Duncan and Yao, and you have a solid array of shots from which to choose. It's not too easy or too difficult to score in the paint. It allows you to play the inside-out game to perfection.

These are all significant gameplay strides that promise good things to come from future editions of the NBA Live series. The problem is that you're still looking at a $60 game peppered with frustrating flaws and annoyances that make most of the positives moot.

Rebounding remains the bane of this series. It's just too hard to judge the location of the ball when coming off the glass or rim. Even the AI has trouble with this, so you end up with a slew of missed shots falling to the ground before they are scooped up by another player. Watch a real NBA game and count the number of missed shots that hit the floor. You can use one hand to do it -- it's pretty rare. In NBA Live 08 you see it every other possession. This not only slows down the fast break but also makes player ratings meaningless, because it feels like whether you grab it or not comes down to pure luck. It's extremely aggravating to see a juicy rebound coming off the rim without being able to tell whether or not your center is lined up right, so you're stuck watching the ball land on the floor to get snatched up by the other team's point guard.

Speaking of point guards, the developers must absolutely love every guard in the league, because they are virtually unstoppable in this game. Not only that, but they refuse to run the offense. It's not uncommon to see a point guard, even an average player, hold onto the ball for nearly all of the shot clock, dribble around the top of the key, penetrate, and shoot a wild floater that drops in for two. You can double-team them, try to foul them, whatever -- it doesn't matter. The AI sees the point guard as the primary means of scoring, which has a huge effect on playing against the AI. When Tim Duncan gets two shots in a game, you know you have a serious problem.

Running your own offense isn't much better, though, thanks to the fact that EA only included four plays. Four. While the competition has numerous plays off numerous base sets, NBA Live 08 gives you four generic plays in total, which is just flat-out inexcusable.

The presentation on most EA Sports games is usually a mixed bag, and Live 08 is no exception. The player models look fantastic; this is a huge improvement over last year. But the animations look stiff and surprisingly awkward. When a player runs, it looks like he's hunched over and almost hopping instead of running smoothly. The audio remains a plus with Alberts and Kerr delivering solid play-by-play and the crowd getting involved during crunch time.

Taking the game online is better this year thanks to smoother gameplay, but the new league play is a letdown. 'League play' is a bit of a misnomer, though, because it isn't really a league in the traditional sense. There are no playoffs, no game-built web sites -- there isn't even a built-in scheduler. It does keep stats and records for up to 32 players, but this is a weak attempt at league play at best. Still, multiplayer is the best way to play the game, because it removes the point-guard-driven AI.

Franchise mode remains literally unchanged from last year, and you still can't play in this mode with more than one player, which is a huge problem for dorm- and apartment-based leagues. EA Sports simply has to fix this part of the game. NBA 2K8 allows up to eight players to play in its Association Mode, so why does NBA Live keep this as a solo-only part of the package?

In the end, it's a shame to have to give the game a 'Fry It' rating, because this is without question an improvement over NBA Live 07. But with sports games you simply cannot ignore the competition inside each individual genre, and despite its positive strides, there's still no compelling reason to buy NBA Live 08 when NBA 2K8 is sitting right next to it on the shelf.

This review is based on a retail copy of the game purchased by Crispy Gamer.