NBA Live 08 (Xbox 360)

NBA Live 08 is clearly a step up from last year's disaster, but it still lags behind the competition.
1/31/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 2

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.