NBA Live 08
NBA Live 08's biggest push is "The Crown". The Crown is an accomplishment tracking database for various aspects of the game. While playing the game in different modes (e.g., 5-on-5, season/dynasty/playoffs, all-star, and mini-games) you can acquire points for specific accomplishments at the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels. Each accomplishment level has an increased difficulty. For instance, at the bronze level for 5-on-5 accomplishments you need to score 70 team points and 80 team points for silver.
The Crown also includes unique challenges, which is a pretty cool notion. In some cases an NBA star will challenge you to a mini-game. In other cases, you have to replay significant moments in NBA history. You might have to score a certain amount of points with a specific player to win and appease history. It adds some challenge and history to the game. In general, the idea is to complete all of the accomplishments and be an NBA legend.
As for the actual game play, NBA Live 08 features single- and multi-player gaming modes. However, the majority of the action comes from the single-player options. Here is a breakdown of the different modes:
- Play Now: is the basic exhibition mode. It is a standard 5-on-5 match where you can pick the teams (or use a random set), choose the starting five, the players from a fixed roster, select the venue, and other related options. In short, it is the quickest way to a 5-on-5 match without the concerns of team management.
- All-Star Weekend: is a collection of different games/challenges. They include "Rookie Challenge", a team of rookie players face off a team of sophomores, "3 Point Shootout", score as many 3 pointers in sixty seconds as possible, "Slam Dunk Contest", fight your way through a slam dunk competition, and "All-Star Game", a match between the eastern and western all-star teams.
- Dynasty Mode: is one of three modes where you take on the hat as general manager. Dynasty is the most comprehensive and complex of the three, requiring you to really put thought into the development of an NBA team. You will need to recruit a coaching staff, negotiate player contracts, satisfy the team owner, conduct team management, build team chemistry, etc. It is similar to other EA Sports games.
- Season: is the second mode where you wear the general manager hat. It is not as complex as Dynasty and does not require as much thought to play. The most work you do is managing your roster and acquiring new players in fantasy draft.
- Playoffs: is the final mode played as general manager. Like the season mode it is managerial-duties lite. The duties are limited to team roster organization. The goal of the mode is to play through a tournament and win the final game. The team selection can be manual or automatic.
- Mini-games: is made up of "2 Ball" and "Handles". (While there are only two "mini-games", you can consider the All-Star Weekend games/challenges as mini-games.) "2 Ball" is a fun and challenging game. You face another player on a half-court and need to sink as many baskets as possible. On the court there are different colored spots, which make the field goal value vary. You can also acquire power-ups to increase shot accuracy, speed, or freeze the opponent. The next mini-game "Handles" is similar to mini-game found in FIFA 07 and UEFA 2006-2007. It is a dribbling game where you flip the PSP unit sideways, memorize a specific button pattern, and press them in the corresponding order at the right time to maintain an intense dribbling session.
- Multi-player: support is included for ad-hoc and infrastructure wireless modes. You can compete against your friends (or complete strangers) in 5-on-5 head-to-head action.
Overall, NBA Live 08 has strong game play and controls that feel more fluid than its sister series NBA 08. Live 08's single-player modes also offer a solid experience in NBA team management, covering several different aspects from contract management to team chemistry. The game's weakness, when compared to NBA 08, is the lack of mini-games. NBA 08's collection of mini-games have a lot more to offer. Still, the exemplarily game play far outweighs the value of the mini-games.
Another strength of NBA Live 08 that was not previously mentioned is the notion of Go-To Players and Go-To Teams. The Go-To's are specific players or squads that develop a strong chemistry while on the court. They will become really good at performing certain tasks on the court or playing against specific teams. They'll get automatic boosts in performance and do better than normal.
As for the technical aspects, NBA 08 has decent visuals and audio. The game plays out pretty smoothly. However, on that note the game's detail is not very deep. Character models are somewhat limited when it comes to details, but they look good enough for the PSP. Although some players look odd as the size difference between large and small players makes players look like giants and midgets. The courts are also a little on the generic side. For audio, the game has solid play-by-play commentary.
In the end, NBA Live 08 is far superior to NBA 08 in regards to basketball game play. The game play is exciting and feels right for basketball. The only downside is that it does not have the same arsenal of mini-games as NBA 08. Still, if you are looking for straight-up fun basketball for on-the-go-gaming, NBA Live 08 is the right choice.