NBA 08
Playstation 2
Sony


When you first see this game, you might think 'NBA Live' without the 'Live'. But the truth is, 'NBA 08' isn't a carbon copy of EA's own long-running basketball series. The series has actually been around for a while, but has never been as popular as the 'NBA Live' games. The main draw of this series is a reasonably cheap, single-player game mode called 'The Life'. This is a continuation from the previous games, so unless you have played previously this may be a little confusing.

Before starting, you'll create a character using a very limited creation tool, and then place the character in the team of your choice. You'll then run through a few training sessions and then some actual matches with varying objectives, such as scoring a set amount of points. These are all tied together with some rather bad-looking cutscenes and an underlying narrative that is easily forgotten. Aside from this, there are other modes that you can dive into. You can play through a regular NBA season in the aptly named Season mode, play against your friends in Exhibition mode, do some training exercises and run through a few simple mini-games.

While there are plenty of modes, after about 10 minutes in each, you may well be ejecting the disc and looking for something more challenging and stimulating. The problem is that every single one of these modes is really repetitive. Basically all you're doing is trying to shoot as many baskets as possible to beat the opponent and that's about it. The lack of variety between modes is unfortunately not the only negative feature of 'NBA 08'.

The graphics, music, and computer players do nothing to improve the situation. The graphics are worse than other basketball games, with the players looking blocky and very similar to every other character. The best looking thing in the game is actually the court, with realistic reflections and a polished shine.

Music throughout the entire game is also very repetitive, nowhere near the quality of the licensed music on 'NBA Live'. The music all sounds the same, and none of the songs appear to have lyrics. One more disappointment is the computer-controlled characters. Okay, when you play against them, they hold their own and play reasonably well, but when they're on your team, they're just plain stupid. If you even try to pass the ball to them from halfway down the court, they'll stand there and wait for the ball to come to them. Most times, the opposition will snatch the ball away before it gets there. If you want to get to the ball first, you'll have to switch characters, and then move to catch it.

Controls are simple, but a shot meter comes up when you shoot, and you'll have to stop the meter in the green or yellow to get the ball in. This is also annoying, and often distracts you from the game. All in all, the lack of depth, varied gameplay and general fun means that this game doesn't have a lot going for it.

Connor McKenzie