NBA 08

“Give that man a teddy bear!” intones play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabro.

What does that have to do with NBA basketball? No clue, really, unless it is an obscure reference to carnival arcade games and sharpshooting that earns the teddy bear prize. While NBA 08, from SCEA for the PlayStation 3, has some stumbles in terms of AI, the most glaring miscues in the release come from the sound track and the announcing that seems to not match up with the action.

Mark Jackson, the color commentator, may remark that the missed three pointer was because the shooter is not known for his ability to shoot, let alone knock ‘em down from outside. But the game stats show that the shooter has hit 10 treys and has 45 total points. His season average for hitting three-pointers in 72% and he has a league-leading 48 ppg average. Oops, missed that one.

Or how about when the opposing team knocks down a pair of free throws and Calabro states with authority that free throws could well make a difference in a tight game like this one. Problem is the opposing team is trailing by 35 late in the third quarter. No, Calabro was not being sarcastic – at least the tone didn’t imply so, especially when, moment later, he talks about how the winning team could phone in the rest of the game.

Ok, so the sound is not so great, but what about the gameplay and the graphics. Graphically, NBA 08 is first rate. The arenas look terrific; the ball dynamics are first rate. This is a game that clips along at 60 frames per second at 1080p. Put that on the big screen (in this case a 42-inch Sony Bravia) and enjoy. The cut scenes are very well done, replaying that showtime moment. (And showtime moments do collect on the scoreboard. If you perform a showtime moment, you will register a lighted bar under your team name. The opposing team can erase it by performing such a moment; but collect three showtime moments and you get a temporary game attribute buff.)

But one of the solid aspects of the showtime replay is also a game downfall. For whatever reason, you may be transitioning back onto defense after a great dunk play and the game switches to the replay, and your player movements are suspended. When the other team inbounds, you may be out of position.

Playing as the Phoenix Suns, it seemed odd that point guard Steve Nash always seemed to pop up, after the Suns made a basketball, where the shooter was. You have a shooting guard pop one in from the baseline and yep, Nash is suddenly there as the other team inbounds. This happened several times and lead to some questions about the game’s AI.

There are more than a few instances where players will step out of bounds for no particular reason, and applying a little full-court pressure on defense will garner an over-and-back call more than would happen in the real game.

Is your favorite NBA team a perennial cellar dweller? Well, because there are no trade restrictions in the game, you can turn that team into the class of the NBA. Not only will you be able to play through the 34 weeks of the NBA season, and the playoffs, but Sony has brought back NBA Replay – a mode that allows you to download the key moments of the NBA season and attempt to replay them exactly as they were performed in real life.

The SIXAXIS controller gets a bit of a revamp, in what Sony is terming the Free6 Control scheme.  Not only can you use it offensively to make crossovers and jukes, but defensively you can tilt the controller forward to put your defenders’ hands down or tilt it back to raise your hands to guard either an attempted pass over the top or to block a shooter’s view of the basket. On offense, moving the controlling will pull off step backs, spin moves, push offs, hesitation moves or crossovers. As for the game controls, the SIXAXIS aside, the game is functionally easy on gamers. The O button is the shot button with the square used for dunks and layups. The triangle is for jumping and rebounding while the X button passes the ball. There are set plays tied to the directional keys, and you can move faster with the R1 button while the R2 button, in conjunction with the triangle hotkey provides the alley-oop – but timing is key here as your players will react immediately and you had better have them in position or you will merely turn over the ball.

Just as shooting is tied to the meter (you want to hit green) that SCEA has used in previous iterations, the rebounding skill is also tied to timing. When a shot goes up that will miss, there will be a glowing area on the floor. You must position your nearest player quickly and hit the triangle button. Failure to do so will likely mean losing the board.

The game allows gamers to create a player, and edit him as you move through the season through the progression hub (tied to the start button). Accomplishing in-game goals nets big experience, which translates to credits. You can improve skills or use the credits to buy new gear; the gear, though, is tied to level and you will need to gain experience to level up and buy new gear appropriate to the level.

Game modes run the gamut from exhibition to season to playoffs. There is multiplayer online and offline, and not only includes games but skill challenges as well. You may be tasked with hitting a jumper from a certain spot, or completing a certain number of assists, or dominating the boards. The NBA Replay challenges are downloaded weekly. There are also three mini games.

When in season mode, you can control the game through the coaches’ menu – which basically entails calling timeouts, or making substitutions. The interface for this is easily managed and the learning curve is very small.

There are unlockables, like classic jerseys (some of them are just downright ugly), player cards, trophies and game balls. In all there are more than 90 challenges you can accomplish.

NBA 08 may seem, judging from the review, that there are a lot more setbacks than there are positives, but that isn’t quite true. While the game does have its share of stumbles, it also has some truly terrific elements. The shooting mechanics are great, the graphics are amazing and the game is fun. There are a lot of challenges for players of any level. Sony has a bit of a way to go to make this title the cream of the crop, but the elements are there. Building on the foundation is all that is truly needed.

Gameplay: 7.4
There are some blaring AI issues, but aside from that the games flows well.

Graphics: 8.5
Some clipping issues but the animations and physics are well done.

Sound: 6.5
The music is solid, but the play-by-play is out of touch with the game. The arena noises are solid.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 7.5
A good foundation, but there is still work to do. The SIXAXIS control scheme is solid and the shooting mechanics are very nicely configured. The lack of restraints on trading (only your conscience will govern your actions) are a bit of a problem. And the AI needs to be fixed.

Multiplayer: N/A
Not available until the game ships, NBA 08 will have full online support with downloadable challenges and online games.

Overall: 7.5
This is a case of the good versus the bad: great graphics against poor commentary, great shooting mechanics squaring off against AI miscues (stepping out of bounds or backcourt violations), solid downloadable challenges versus lack of trade restrictions … NBA 08 does score where it counts though – the game is fun to play. NBA 08 is the second PS3 iteration of the franchise. The first was a launch title. NBA 08 is the second developed for the system. This, more so than NBA 07, is the foundation that Sony needs to build on for the next title. Given that, this is a solid title to build from.