NBA Live 08

"Horrible..."

A portable basketball game does not need perfect graphics or beautiful sound. It needs a great gameplay system in order for the game to turn out well. If you like realistic basketball then stop reading this review cause this game is not for you. If you like arcade style basketball then stop reading. If you like a horrible game continue reading!


Gameplay : 3/10

The game play has not improved from last year's edition and it has the same basic basketball shooting system that 07 yielded. The best offense is a good defense right? Well in live 08, there is neither good offense or defense. Probably the best part of the game are the payers running up and down the court. Nothing can go wrong with that, right?

The controls are not bad, but not very good either. Unresponsive and clunky. It takes time to get used to. If you are very patient then you'll be able to take the time to get used to the controls.

The AI does not take shots very often and when they do, swish swish swish. They almost never miss. The AI likes to bring the ball directly to the basket and they smash right in the face of your best defender. Defense is poor in this game. No matter what you do, the opponent will get past your defense. Rebounding is probably one of the biggest challenges to accomplish. It is so hard and frustrating that why even bother?

One major problem with this game is that it freezes a lot. It freezes after games, after mini games, and even during mid games. This is truly of one of the biggest flaws that EA did not bother to fix.


Graphics/ Sound: 5/10

The graphics are updated from 07, but no significant changes were made. The graphics aren't bad at all but at times some noticeable flaws are visible.

The game features good commentary, although at times it can get repetitive. The overall sound is decent. The commentary can pretty much get frustrated when you're losing due to the opposite team's awesome AI. The commentator drones on and on about what you're doing wrong. Good thing you can turn the commentary off.


Playtime/ Replayibilty: 3/10

There is not too much to keep you interested as you'll get bored of playing the same teams over and over again with such a bad AI. There are mini games as well as "The Crown" system which keeps track of your progress throughout the game and they sometimes give you Unique Challenges and if you complete them, you'll receive bonus old school jerseys for the various teams.

The Crown is all for show and it cannot be shown to your friends or others online. If you enjoy managing rosters and such then Franchise mode is great for you but if you are going to play all the games, then you'll hate this game.

The mini games are fun once in a while but don't expect them to be a time consumer.

Another thing is that the player ratings are exactly the same from last year. They did not include many rookies and sometimes many players are placed higher or lower than others for no reason.

Final Say: 2/10

My opinion is save your money and stay away. If you are looking for a reasonable and fun basketball game don't get this game, as this game will drive you to the point where breaking your PSP is a possibility.

Unfortunately EA's newest rendition is not only bad but also boring. EA didn't really improve on flaws but instead created many more.

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 10/25/07, Updated 01/22/08

Game Release: NBA Live 08 (US, 10/01/07)