Difference in Opinion

2K Sports brought the heat again this year with another of their popular basketball games, NBA 2K8. Much like with hockey, I have had very little basketball videogame experience. I do however know a lot about the sport and watch college and NBA games on a regular basis, which made this game that much more fun to put myself in the (oversized) shoes of the people I regularly watch on television. Not only is 2K8 as solid as it’s previous iterations, but it offers new modes and challenges that are new to this year’s game.

As I said, I haven’t played many basketball videogames. Fortunately, the only other one I have played (and own), NBA Jams Tournament Edition for the SNES, is still one of my favorite games of all time. NBA 2K8 is expands on the same sort of premise. Basketball is a pretty simple sport. Sure there are your technicalities, but the basis of the game is pretty straight forward. That is great for a videogame since it can build off a solid and simple foundation, and had plenty of room for expansion. The game itself is simplistic, yet extremely strategic, which will appeal to all sorts of gamers.

Like most sports games, you can go through a Franchise Mode and be responsible for a team as it progresses through its season (and the following seasons). This mode, called The Association, is a bit different though. It allows for you to realistically be involved in all the elements of the team. You make coaching decisions, play the games, and can even hire and fire scouts. If you don’t do a good job, your job may be in jeopardy (an option you can turn off). This is a great way for you to pick your favorite team and really see if all those comments you yell at your TV would actually make the team better.

New to this years game is the Dunk Contest. You can navigate your way to the “NBA Blacktop” in the menu and practice dunks, play pick up games, play to 21, and enter yourself in dunking competitions. There are a variety of objects you can place on the court for you to jump off of, as well as all sorts of ball bouncing/throwing methods that allow for almost any style of dunk you can think up. It is a fun way to pass the time in between actual matches.

This game’s simple mechanics appeal to a wide audience. If you are an NBA fan or college basketball junkie then I would highly recommend grabbing a copy of this game for your collection. If you are new to basketball games, or have been away from them for a while like me, now is the time to jump in and have fun. Online capabilities offer endless replay value to these new sports games, making them even better bangs for your buck. Go grab a copy and look me up on Xbox Live. I challenge you to beat me and my Pheonix Suns.

Final Score
Gameplay: 8 out of 10
Graphics : 8 out of 10