Every year I dread the day new sports titles are released. The reason why is due to that my previous installments become obsolete and the trade-in prices drop significantly. Fortunately, I skipped out on purchasing last year’s NBA 2k title due to that a colleague of mine had already bought it and I determined, through playing it, that it wasn’t worthy of my hard earned money. So when NBA 2k8 arrived at my doorsteps, I was more than happy to invest time back in the series after removing myself from last year’s game.
What does NBA 2k8 offer that 2k7 didn’t? Well, let’s begin with the Association Mode – this alone has captured my attention more than any other game mode in a sports title this year. The Association Mode has a few new bells and whistles that will make hardcore simulation fans go nuts. How do I know? Because, being a simulation fan myself, I am addicted to developing my team to its fullest. The depth of the game mode has risen farther then I had imagined. New this year is ability to assign player roles. There are five roles that players can be given: starter, sixth man, role player, prospect, and a bench warmer. If a starter is underperforming and you downgrade him to a role player, his morale will drop affecting team chemistry and contract negotiations. With contract negotiations, the developers went further in adding in no-trade clauses. If these two additions aren’t attracting, then the possible fact that all the features return from last year such as: scouting, trading (3 team trades), scheduling practices, developing players, and a ton more. If you can’t tell, the association mode is among the best I have ever played for its simulation attributes.
No franchise mode would be good without great gameplay to back it up. The gameplay this year is principally similar to last year’s gameplay with tweaks and improvements. The new superstar moves should end up being the brightest spot for NBA fanatics. From NBA 2k7, gamers will remember that their favorite basketball stars had signature jump-shots – well, this year Visual Concepts have now added with superstar moves. Steve Nash will throw no-look passes, Shaq will slam it down in the paint, and even at times, Kobe will become a ball hog trying to win the game all by his lonesome. Outside of these animations, the control of the players on the court is smooth and fluid. Using the right stick, players have the chance to play better defense as I have been wishing for a long time.
For players that want full control of how the game plays out on the court, the chance to call up plays on fly is simple. Calling plays is a lot easier than I remember from last year’s iteration and I actually had fun watching my players running through their plays. Unfortunately, if I wasn’t telling my players what to do, then they were aimlessly hawking the three-point line waiting for something to happen. It isn’t the best scenario when I am trying to get open or try to find an open man after being double-teamed.
The bad news for the gameplay is that players miss layups like crazy. I had a friend stop over to give me some authentic competition and he left quite upset about his several missed layups that cost him the game. Using the shot stick helped remedy the situation somewhat, but missing wide open layups don’t sit right with my stomach. Another minor problem with NBA 2k8 this year is that the computer A.I. on your team aren’t up to par with the team you are up against. Besides these two problems with the gameplay, I have had a fantastic time with NBA 2k8.
Speaking about having a fantastic time, NBA 2k8 returns with an amazing dunk competition. Located through the NBA Blacktop section (3-point contest, street matches, etc.) the dunk competition is one of the most thorough dunking contests I have experienced in recent memory. There are three parts in dunking: gathering yourself (jumping), a style adjuster, and a finisher. The gather can begin with alley oops, jumping over props and a lot more interesting possible beginnings to a dunk. The style adjuster has the player doing 360 spins, going between the legs with the ball, and many other actions with the ball. The finisher is exactly as it sounds, dunking it down hard with even the chance to go elbow deep into the net as if you were Vince Carter.
The last portion of the gameplay deals with the online modes where players can enjoy a plethora of elements. Hardcore gamers can join online leagues where they can participate in fantasy drafts to pickup their favorite NBA players. The usual ranked and unranked matches are available to play, but the possibility to play through the dunk contest online is great. Arguing about who had the best dunk is always better with a human opponent rather than a computer opponent. Make sure to try out the online options before getting caught up in the Association Mode for the rest of the year.
Compared to NBA 2k7, 2k8 isn’t leagues above it in visuals and audio. Visually, there is a lot going on in the background during the game with cheerleaders, coaches, fans, ball boys, and mascots. Though, outside of the animations and a few better looking players, this year’s iteration of the NBA 2k series isn’t the biggest improvement in graphics. As for the audio, it does become repetitive, but not as quickly as I have been used to with other sports titles.
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