NBA Live 2008

NBA Live 08 Interview

If you've been a fan of EA Sports' long running basketball franchise, NBA Live, you've probably been somewhat concerned over the state of the series on next-generation platforms. In the past two years, the critically acclaimed basketball game has performed like the Boston Celtics over the past two seasons: a major disappointment with only a few highlights here and there. Plus, with the release of NBA Live 07 for the PS3's launch window officially benched, hoops fans, and even some critics, questioned whether or not the series was beginning to lose ground to its competition.

At an event last month, a very select group of journalists were gathered to get a very early glimpse at the latest installment of the basketball franchise, NBA Live 08. The reason behind this was simple: to show off the new direction the series is headed in for this year, as well as highlight some of the adjustments that are being made to remedy Live 07's problems. With both games running side by side, the first, and perhaps most immediately noticeable difference between Live 07 and 08 was the frame rate. Unlike Live 07, which consistently featured a large amount of slowdown, Live 08 was running at a stable 60 frames a second regardless of the action on the court.
Another change that's been made is the overall presentation of the game. No longer will you find yourself practicing in the austere, atmospheric "temple-like gym" with T-Mac. While that looked cool, NBA Live 08 rips players away from that metallic cargo hold with a basketball hoop and places them in an actual team's arena. In effect, it emphasizes the concept of a player on the court before a game, taking a few warm up shots or practice shots on the court before he goes into the locker room and gets into his pre-game routine.

Speaking of shots, the wild, errant trajectories of last year's title was definitely fixed. Now, when a player was making a baseline jumper, the ball didn't look like it was about to hit the rafters before it approached the backboard. Shots had realistic arcs to them and, as a major change from last year's title, would fall or miss based on the player shooting the ball. Another surprise was that players could actually make layups without fearing that the ball would bounce off the rim, a frustrating problem that plagued Live 07.

Live 08 also showcased a new attention to detail in the rebounding department. Last year's game simply featured guys jumping straight up, and the ball would literally warp to a rebounder's hands as if drawn there by a string. In Live 08, players are now angling their bodies and their arms towards the ball, grasping for the loose ball or putting themselves in position to make a play. Subtle little changes like this make a significant difference towards improving the realism of the game.