Customer Reviews

NBA Live 08

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Part of the frustration of playing a game like this on the Wii is that you have to completely change the way you think about game controls, and there are many new controls to learn. Thus, this game is actually more enjoyable in Family Play mode. You can jump right in and get the basic moves down before attempting to use full control mode.

Some basic moves: rather than shoot the ball by pressing a button, you shoot by making a shooting motion with your hand. Rather than pressing the left or right arrows to steal, rebound, and block, you're flicking your wrists left or right. The B button is to pressure defense or to drive the ball down the lane. The A button or the arrow pad is used to pass.

The graphics are nowhere near NBA 2K8, but they aren't bad either. Players faces look like the players, and there's a nice variety of dunks and finger rolls to give the game some authenticity.

The most difficult thing to do is shoot free throws. You have to do the shooting motion at the right speed/power level to make the shot. The better the free throw shooter, the greater the area on the meter for a successful shot.

Overall, a decent game that's a part of my rotation during basketball season.

This is your only choice for basketball with Wii controls right now so if you are a Wii owner and love hoops you should just grab this title as overall it is satisfying. The graphics are just good enough to represent the updated rosters well, the music is a nice mix of new tunes, and the Superstar Challenge mode is a blast even if it doesn't really lead anywhere. The controls are the real caveat here, at times they feel very good (flicking to steal, popping up to shoot/rebound/block etc), and other times you will feel like you are flailing them madly under the basket trying to get ANY kind of shot off let alone the dream dunk you had intended. The game doesn't really feel rushed but there is a "blockiness" to the gameplay that VG basketball really should have gotten past at this point. The best things about NBA LIVE 08 for the Wii are the the SLAM DUNK CONTEST which requires you to move the Wiimote a few different directions to pull of some spectacular rim rattlers. The soundtrack is good, the FAMILY PLAY controls are easy enough for anyone to pick up and the Superstar Challenge is something I could see becoming a staple of NBA games (they just need to add some unlockable/RPG style content to make it more compelling to return to)
Overall this is going to deliver what most Wii owners will expect, I just hope the controls are a little smoother and reliable in future editions.

I was up in the air about getting this game on the Wii version after bad reviews. I decided to rent the games first and try it out before dishing out $30. I must say that it's not all that bad. I played a few games and won all but one. The hardest part was trying to figure out the moves to make on the controller. I would of likes to see an option where you can go, to familiarize yourself with the moves instead of just instruction. If you have the Bigs on the Wii system you know what I am talking about. The slam dunk contest is a but challenging since you have to be quick about your hand movement to ensure that 10 scoring dunk. The three point shoot out is great, which was easy for me to knock down the whole rack and win. There should of been more challenges to complete where you can unlock. Overall I am going to buy the actual game.

If you have never played a basketball simulation/video game such as NBA live or the NBA 2k series this game may not be overly disappointing. If you have, however, I would recommend not purchasing this game. The play experience (independent of having few of the more entertaining features such as franchise mode, or create-your-own player) is not particularly rich in part because there are simply less options, and in part because inconsistent controller responsiveness make issues such as whether you can trigger a layup attempt much more relevant to your results than whether you can create a good shot opportunity in the first place.

For those with young kids, the game is not terrible (the dunk contest and 3-point contest might be fun group games) but for those looking for a basketball experience similar to that on other platforms, stay away.

Wow! Where to begin? Let's start with the pluses.

Upon first play this game is a great graphical improvement over Live 07 on the Gamecube. It also is extremely easy to play. Dunks are easy and can be executed pretty much any play no matter what.

Now on to the minuses. First and foremost, the game has absolutely no replay value. The game was released in October, but has not seen a roster update since July 27. Along with this goes the fact that no player ratings have been updated since Live 07; there have just been new players added. Very realistic... Next, there is no dynasty, no create a player, and no fantasy draft. However, this is a blessing because there is no desire to play more than one game. The game includes a season mode, but after your season is completed, you can start right back over from the beginning of the season you just finished! Hooray! So there is basically no replay or long term value for playing by yourself. Next, the game is incredibly unrealistic. As aforementioned, anytime you want to, you can dunk it. You just take it down low and dunk it on the whole freakin' team. Just like the real NBA! It happens all the time that SGs dunk it right in Ben Wallace's face as if he wasn't even there... Next, the computer is even more unrealistic. My first game I played Kobe. I don't even bother mentioning the rest of the team because he took every shot and made every shot. He ended up with 72 points. I figured it was probably a fluke, I mean he has scored 81 before... So I played a second game against the Spurs. Duncan finished with 67 points. He had quite the record breaking night. Lastly, just to give it one final shot, I played Peja Stojakovic. He hit a whopping 61 on me! All of these featured solid D, it was just a night of NBA all-time record breakings. The first 3 games I played all featured record-breaking scores!!! Things like this make this game almost unplayable. With Kobe this is somewhat believable, but c'mon, Duncan and Stojakovic?!? And I won't even get started with all the gameplay glitches. That is a term paper in and of itself.

All in all, this game is a rushed out piece of crap. I am a long time Live fan, but this is the last one I will buy. This installment is completely unacceptable even if it is a fraction of a percent better that 07.

Avoid NBA Live 08 at all costs. It has no redeemable value. I would buy it only if I could find it for $5 or less.

This is a great game. Enjoy playing it very much and it's the last version of NBA Live that contains the Seattle Super Sonics.

i totally luv this game. i have i wii and this is the game i play the most.
if u like basketball and video games you would love it

According to my son it is awesome game. He's played the game everyday since we bought it. He would highly recommend this game to his friends!!!

I am glad I took a chance on this game. I knew I was not going to spend more than $10 for this game. My 5 yr old son always wants to play NBA 2K7 on my PS2, but I know it's just to hard for him. I reviewed Backyard Basketball & Kidz Sport Basketball. They were just too basic & I wanted him to learn about basketball. Of course this game is nowhere near the 2K basketball games in my opinion, but it is a lot of fun! I play with the advanced mode & he plays in the Family Play Mode. He can play with me or against me. It is fun playing on the same team with the game set on "Starter" or "All-Star" mode. The computer will make it very challenging, because the high rated players will hit most of their open shots. I would recommend this game for parents of young kids who are just learning basketball.

It's a fun game if you play online only AND THE PERSON ONLINE U PLAY AGAINST DOESN'T CHEAT.... which he can do OH SO EASILY. You can play online with anyone else that wants to play online. It would be best to have a friend you know who also has the game. Then you can both play online against each other. Guess what? Online play is FREE! The bad thing is sometimes the server disconnects you after you win and you get a loss. SO ONLY PLAY ONLINE AGAINST YOUR FRIENDS.. BECAUSE PEOPLE ONLINE WILL CHEAT ON YOU ALL THE TIME AND YOU WILL GET LOSSES FOR WINS FOR REASONS YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW... AND THAT WILL SCREW UP YOUR WHOLE DAY..... They DO have rankings online. And you do feel ripped off when you win and don't get credit for it, and on top of that you get a loss. Alley oops are very fun to do, and shooting threes is simple when you choose the best 3 point shooters to shoot with, who are Nash, and probably ray allen.

I hated this game at first. I didn't know how to shoot 3's. And my opponents online unfortunaley did. Now I know how. And I can win. Playing in close games online is very fun and competitive. it gives you a rush. So I suggest this game or recommmend it for online gaming purposes.