There was a day when EA’s NBA Live series of games were the king of video game basketball. I can still recall how much fun I had in my teenage years with NBA Live ‘95. I remember how incredible the Create-A-Player mode was for me in ‘96, allowing me to create the unstoppable 6′ 10″ albino power forward with as dominant a dunk as the afro on his head. Those were the days.

For the past three years, 2K Sports has held the torch for NBA basketball simulation. Their dominance continues again this year with NBA 2K8 on the Playstation 3. 2K8 is a gorgeous, wholly enjoyable game and without question the best basketball game this year.

Presentation

As you can see in the media below, 2K8 is absolutely stunning. Beyond the fantastic player models and near-picture perfect arenas, the general ambiance of a ballgame is absolutely fantastic. Cheerleaders, mascots and mop boys litter the sidelines, wandering on and off the court during any pauses in the game play. Inanimate objects like Gatorade coolers and towels litter the sidelines as well, all adding up to a very believable basketball simulation.

Just like any other sports sims, the character models generally look like their real-life counterparts. I found the coaches to be way off, Isiah Thomas looks more like Don Cheney, for example. The coaching models wouldn’t be a huge detriment to the game if the camera didn’t cut to them as often as they do.The crowd is also equally fantastic. Vendors wander the aisles and fans shimmy their way to the over-priced seats. There are many moments that the action stopped for a free throw and the digital arena continued to pulse with energy. It’s these moments that make the game that much more enjoyable and will keep you coming back for more.

If you can enjoy the game in full DTS Surround Sound, you’ll be treated to an excellent aural experience. Sneaker squeaks echo around you and basketball bounces will resonate off of your sub woofer. The crowd is generally fantastic, ooh’ing and ahh’ing with every big shot. I felt like there were way too many whistles coming from the crowd and in surround sound you’ll be hearing the whistling in your ear all too often. I’ve been to a lot of New York Knick basketball games and I can’t remember one person ever whistling. That might be because they suck, but I don’t recall anyone whistling in the 90’s either.

The announcers are forgettable but get the job done as a whole. I really can’t stand listening to Kenny Smith on TNT chiding players for a missed layup but as I said, the announcing doesn’t get in the way. I’ve come to accept average announcers in sports simulations and eventually, I simply turned it off.

Interface and Modes

One dark spot on the sun is the menu layout of the game. Overall, it’s always confusing and often pretty frustrating. I’m still not comfortable with selecting players for a non-game event like the Blacktop street ball mode, 3-point shot or the Dunk Contest. Navigating through the Association franchise mode is equally as confusing and while you’ll eventually get a hang of it, I doubt it will ever make much sense.

Theres plenty to do in 2K8, the 24/7 mode (which I enjoyed) vanishes and is replaced by a much simpler NBA Blacktop mode which can be anywhere from 1:1, 2:2 all the way to 5:5 matches. The 3-point contest is here again but I have yet to play that in any game more than once. The Association returns from last year, allowing you to control ever bit of a franchise down to hiring assistants and scheduling practices. Player morale will also be effected by your managerial decisions, although I wasn’t able to see it effect their play in my time with the title.

Other modes include the standard Season, Playoffs, Rookie Challenge, Situation and what 2K calls, “Practice.” It would be nice to actually have true “Practice” mode that teaches you how to play the game because the manual is completely worthless. A tutorial to basketball basics is really needed next year, hopefully 2K antes up for a b-ball expert and a basics walk of the game. I know the game but I know others who enjoy basketball video games more than the NBA itself, why not nurture that interest instead of alienate it?

Tisk Tisk, Isiah. That court case has not been kind.

The Dunk Contest is new, allowing you to customize dunks using unlockable props to jump over. The interface and controls here were a little annoying but it was enjoyable for a few minutes in single player. The draw for this mode is to get some friends around your HDTV with a choice beverage and start rockin’ the rim for some laughs. I didn’t particularly enjoy it, I believe that dunks are what’s wrong with the NBA so any glorification of that isn’t my cup of tea.

Gameplay

In the end, it’s all about the basketball and this is, by far, where 2K8 shines above all. A new Signature style mode allows a very realistic feel to the players. Thanks to the new Signature Style, player movements make NBA stars sprint around the court just like they do in real life. You’ll still see some canned animations here and there but generally, the game is beautiful in action. You’ll rarely see players clipping through the backboard and rim or see a bounce pass pass through a player’s body in 2K8, which is pretty obvious in Live ‘08.

Free-throws are controlled with the SIXAXIS, turning the controller up and then leveling it out during your player’s release. I mentioned earlier that there wasn’t any legitimate practice mode, but there is a basic free throw practice mode to help you get a hang of the SIXAXIS controls. One note: When playing online, shaking the SIXAXIS will shake your opponents screen which I found pretty amusing. You know nameless dude in nameless city is wriggling his controller around like a maniac hoping you’ll miss. That’s definitely a nice addition to the online multiplayer.

Another nagging point is the post game, which is still a mystery to me. I can’t get a handle on what the best methods of attack on the rim are and how I would accomplish my favorite moves. If I had a practice or tutorial mode to be able to refine my post skills, I’m sure I’d improve. Without that, I just end up botching easy layups.

It looks even better in motion in full 1080p.

Online Play

Online play is where all of the 2K Sports games reign supreme. All of the game modes are available for play online and generally lag free. Voice chat is available although from what I experienced, many players opted against using it. At the time of this writing, there were a thousand players online and just sitting into a lobby (if you haven’t played 10 games, you can enter a beginner lobby and the lobby ranks increase from there) for a few moments is sure to earn you a challenge.

The online play is definitely fun but as usual, there are caveats. I kept finding players abusing the Denver Nuggets all too often. The combination of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony seems to be a player favorite, so expect to get assaulted by that duo often. Overall though, the online community is fun and respectful and if you can get yourself into an online dunk contest with some experienced players, it’s a sight to behold!

Conclusion

In the end, NBA 2K8 for the Playstation 3 is a fantastic basketball game. Reading through my review now for the first time it seems rather negative but don’t let my nitpicking fool you, it’s definitely the best basketball available on any console today. While new players might be taken aback by the lack of a true practice or tutorial mode and a completely worthless manual, the everyday hoops fan will definitely have a lot to love here.

Oh and those questionable foul calls? Rest assured, its bad programming, not bad ethics.

I give NBA2K for the PS3 a 4 out of 5