NBA 2K8 (XBOX 360)

NBA 2K8
XBOX 360
Rating: G

Hoops fans gather round: the greatest (basketball) game ever to grace an optical disc is back, and 2008 is looking to be a classic year.

The Visual Concepts team have been putting out NBA games for nine years now. The first edition that came out on the Dreamcast was hailed as one of the best sports games ever, and a major challenger to EA Sports’ NBA Live franchise.

Nine years later and with the help of Next Gen technology, the game that was already close to perfect has been refined and improved year by year. We now have an unbeatable, ridiculously good looking and well-playing basketball experience.

One thing that will strike you when you first fire this baby up on your Xbox 360 is how slickly presented the game is. 2K Games have always provided a pretty slick presentation, however this year it is stepped up a notch.

The on-screen scoreboard and graphics are well presented in a bottom line format that is probably better than anything you would see on a real life basketball broadcast, and delivers timely stats as they happen.

The default camera angle gives the impression of a real life broadcast. The close-ups and wide stadium views that take place during stoppages in play really add to the feel that you are watching a broadcast. They provide some very tasty eye candy, too, if you are lucky enough to be playing in hi-def.

Game play is much more in depth this year. You will really have to think to exceed your opponent. Pump fakes and sneaky passes are no longer guaranteed easy ways to score. Instead you will have to delve into your play-calling. This is something I’ve always avoided in previous editions, preferring to play an even-flowing and fun game. However the plays do give you step-by-step guidance as you pull them off. To complete it successfully, leaving your opposition stunned and confused, does give a great feeling of accomplishment.

As always there are a variety of ways to “get your hoop on”. The guts of the game, as always, is the ‘Association’ mode. I’ve found this less tedious then in years past. The training aspect (which let’s face it, we all hated having to do) is just as simple as selecting the days to train and what aspect to focus on at the beginning of each week. No endless mini-games that get in the road of the real thing.

If you don’t have time to play every game in your season there is an active simulation mode. This lets you simulated through the game, but with the added control of calling subs, time outs and setting strategy throughout the simulation, so you are not just leaving the result entirely up to the computer gods.

The street mode is back, and with vengeance. It’s renamed (or perhaps re-branded is a better word) to ‘Blacktop’. Thankfully (for me) play-calling is not a requirement here – but is available should you want it. There is also a Slam Dunk Comp mode. After a week I still can’t master the dunking technique. It requires some skilful button mashing and analogue stick manoeuvring, as if you are pulling of a fatality in Mortal Kombat.

One area where 2K sports has always been the leader in is online play – and this is no different in NBA2K8. You can play the traditional Xbox Live way of being assigned an opponent. Or you can enter the 2k lobbies where you can talk some trash before sending a challenge to an opponent.

There are a variety of lobbies for different game modes, from full on simulation and 10min quarters through to quick arcade and street games. There are some amazing leagues to join, some which go so in-depth they begin with a player draft at the beginning of the season.

The 2K system does rank pings of players, and most were pretty miserable. The ones with good pings were almost always based in Australia. So I suggest if you come across players with low pings that you whack them on your friends list so you can challenge them again on a later date.

In summation, NBA2K8 is the mother of all basketball games. It’s just about perfect in every way. The only things I can fault are the menu system, which uses the right analogue stick (what the?), and perhaps the in-game advertising.

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