Customer Reviews

NBA 2K8

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Finally got my fix of basketball. Realistic - yes, this is much more realistic compared to Live08 on Wii, even with the motion control on Wii.

Is it worth the $60?
1. Much improved graphics. The motions, shots, falling on the ground, all looks and feels real. Huge improvement on the arena & crowd.
2. Controls are very tight, which is always important for sports games.
3. Camera angels - wow there's a ton of em, too many to count.
4. Addition of dunk contest
5. Addition of little things like player option on contract, training camp points, player emotions, it's like fun little side quests on RPGs. You don't have to mess with it, but it's a great diversion.

Just a few complaints
1. Controller setup - there's literally no variation now.
2. Manual - $60 for the game, please give us a little thicker manual with more content.
3. For new comers - there isn't any training or explainations, if you haven't played any of the 2k bb series, might take a while to learn it.

For the BB fans, we gotta get the new version every season. There isn't many simulation choices out there. You've got Live, 2K, NBA by sony - These last few years, Live has been going down hill, though Wii motion is kinda fun, it does get old and tiring. NBA by sony, played the 2007 version, that was beyond bad. Have to 2K would be the preferred choice for a BB fix.

Having just received my new PS3 I was excited to play this game. Although I still can't get my HDMI to work, the graphics are stunning. I found the gameplay to be difficult but very realistic at first, then easier to get used to. The bad part is its shortcomings such as continous shoddy defense get annoying. Overall, here are the highs and lows.

Graphics 10/10: The graphics even without my HDMI working still look perfect.

Animations 6/10: This game has realistic animations, but not enough of them. Players will do the same dumb falling motion when they get the ball stolen while driving. If you attack the basket at about a 45 degree angle with the defender running parallel it always gets blocked with the same animation. Players sometimes won't recognize defenders in there face and will put up a soft lay-up that is easily blocked in front of the basket.

Fun 9/10: This game still has the monster arcade style dunks but has much more realism. Its cool to watch signature styles of players you see on tv in real life.

Offense 9/10: Not enough animations hurts offense, but the wide variety of plays are helpful. Players don't run the pick and roll that effectively, but they will cut to the basket and get open jumpers. Scoring in the post is too easy, but thats mainly because of defense.

Defense 5/10: The defense really bogs down this game. First of all, help defense doesn't seem to exist very often. Its almost impossible to contest an inside shot without fouling someone. Post defenders, even players with a 99 in that category, will let players like Dwight Howard establish deep position without a contest. The CPU makes too many of its inside shots to off-set these shortcomings, I often have to handicap them.

Depth 10/10: Many gameplay modes, with association being the best, team chemistry and scouting adds more realistic depth. Tons of plays and player tendencies. Many customizable features and game sliders to adjust the difficulty to your choosing. Game sliders can off-set game problems such as bad defense.

Overall 9/10: Even with poor defense, 2k sports still made a good attempt at this game. With some improvements this could be the cream of the crop of basketball sims. I would definately buy this game especially since its dropped to [...].

First off, I have ALWAYS been a strong supported of EA SPORTS games all across the board -- until now. My friend has NBA LIVE 08, which is a good game in its own right, but NBA 2K8 BLOWS ITS DOORS OFF!!!!

Here's how it is better:

* The graphics are much better than LIVE 08 - you really feel, more than any other basketball game, that you are watching (participating!) in a REAL NBA game!

* The play mechanics are flawless. (One of my buddies complained about not having a 'dunk button' (in 2K8, square is used for ALL shooting, whether it's for a jump shot, a layup, or a dunk). But the shoot button is flawless - and also prevents you from doing something that happens to everyone at some point in NBA Live - inadvertantly hitting the dunk button when you're trying to shoot a 3-pointer).

* The features are AWESOME - the Dunk Contest and 3-Point contest are great fun - especially if you're having a party!

* The multiplayer is incredible fun. I played an amazing game with 3 friends, doing a little two-on-two.

* The added little touches are A+++: The mascots, the cheerleaders, and GET THIS -- a REAL TIME scoreboard that posts score of REAL LIFE sports and carries off-the-wire sports news!!

Again, I reiterate that I've always been in EA Sports' corner - until now. I will also say that I bought EA Sports NHL 08 for PS3, and that blows the doors off of NHL 2K8.

So if you want a great hockey game, buy NHL 08. It is the best hockey ever. And if you want to play the hands-down BEST basketball game made for any system EVER, buy NBA 2K8.

Don't believe me? RENT IT AND YOU WILL SEE - AND THEN RUN OUT AND BUY IT!!!!!!!!

In an effort to make this game as real as possible, it seems that designers decided that dunking and driving the lane are not part of the NBA. I disagree, but then again I only watch NBA games I don't design them. A graphically superb product is dragged down by completely unbelievable gameplay. Can anyone please explain why my player would do a fadeaway jumper on a fast break? Over and over?? I understand that jump shooting and defense are necessary parts of the experience, but DANG! I should be able to complete a dunk on a one-on-none fast break.
Maybe basketball is just to fluid of a game in real life to translate well to a gaming console.

I've been a NBA Live fan for a couple of years but after a friend told me about this games I decided to do some research on Youtube to see what the gameplay was like. Soon after comparing two games, NBA 2K8 had won me over easily. The movements in the game are great, exacty what you would expect in a real NBA game. The AI in the game is also good because each team has their own style of play that you have to adapt to. Pretty much every feature you want in a basketball games is included. Online gaming is great very easy to use. Great all around game.

If you're going to buy one basketball video game, this should be it. I can't believe users are even comparing this game to EA's Live 08. It's not even close. 2K8 is a significant upgrade over 2K7, and Live 08 is still playing catch-up and has a long way to go. Download and play the 2 demos first and you'll quickly see which is the better game.

NOTE: I omitted Sony's entry, NBA 08, from the discussion because it's unacceptably horrible for Next-Gen.

Here's a quick breakdown of 2K8:

PROS
1) Graphics are fantastic. The animations are buttery smooth and this is the part of the game where 2K8 outshines Live 08. The players in Live 08 seem to move in a very clunky fashion. Just to give you an example in 2K8, players' momentum often carries them forward, so when they change direction, you can literally see their weight shifting and it takes a split-second for them to begin heading in a different direction - it's very lifelike.
2) AI is excellent - the game is challenging on the default level - fast-break-oriented teams like the Suns are tough to keep up with, even with good teams like Garnett's Celtics!
3) Controls are easy-to-learn and very responsive. The SIMAXIS approach to shooting free-throws seems improved and more responsive.
4) Dunk contest - Jump over chairs, cars, and other objects that you can have placed on the court. Use legendary dunkers like Dominique Wilkins, in addition to rookies like James "Flight" White.
5) Playground ball - it's not quite NBA Street Homecourt, but being able to play everything from 1-on-1 to 5-on-5 on the blacktop is a nice bonus.

CONS:
1) As mentioned by others, the instructional booklet is thin on content, so you end up reading a lot of the instructions on the TV screen. It helps to have a reasonably large HDTV, as well, because the instructions are not that easy to read on a standard TV.
2) Missed layups - I'm on the fence with w/this recurring complaint that other users have. Basically, it's tougher to make shots in traffic, even if they are just layups/short jumpers, but at the end of games, you'll see that FG%s are kept within reasonable ranges, just like in the NBA.

SUMMARY:
EA may dominate in football with Madden 08 and boxing with Fight Night Round 3, but basketball (and ice hockey) still belong(s) to Take-Two. I strongly recommend NBA 2K8 for both casual and diehard basketball fans and think it's one of the top sports games for all consoles. It's got a lot of different game modes, but the core game will keep you playing for hours. Pick a copy up and I hope to play with many others online!!

If you want to play a game on you HDTV and PS3 that looks like a live TV game, then this a game for you. Enough said.

he likes the game because he can chose what team he wants to play with.. he is happy, i am happy.

The graphics are great and the game is fun overall. However, it is a little annoying that the referees call things against you and do not on the other team. For example, when you are throwing in the ball, if you don't get it in in like 4 seconds it is a turnover. OK, fine, as long as it is called the same for the other team but it isn't. They have an unlimited time limit to get the ball in, I have counted almost 10 SLOW seconds before they have thrown in the ball and no whistle.

Also, defense is horrible! Unless you change the fouls to low in the game play, almost every contested shot is a foul. It is also very difficult to block their shot, but they can block your shot all day.

It is fun to play for a while but it gets frustrating after a bit. I suggest shopping around before making a decision.

This is an amazing game. The graphics look a little fuzzy on a low resolution system, but with HDTV and cables this game is a lot of fun. There are small bugs, but with some navigation most can be played through.