NBA 08 is the next in the yearly installments from Sony for the PSP. This year’s game shares many gameplay elements with the PS2 and PSP while adding a few gameplay modes of it’s own. Here is a breakdown of some of the facets of NBA 08 for the PSP:

Presentation and Graphics: The graphics are okay for the PSP. Not the best we’ve seen by far, but not that bad either. Some character models look great, while others are way off the mark. Jason Kidd looks great, while I couldn’t pick Lebron James out of the 5 guys on the court. The camera stays closer to the action than the PS3 version of the game, which is nice. I would have liked to have seen a few more replays, but I’m guessing that was a space issue on the UMD discs with adding that feature. 3.5 of 5

Sound and Music: The sound in NBA 08 is killer. The game boasts an amazing soundtrack, with the inclusion of Gang Starr, my personal favorite. The squeaks from sneakers on the court and the sounds as the ball hits the rim and backboard are spot on. For the PSP, this is some of the better sound you’ll hear. There seems to be much more commentary than the PS3 version of the game, which is a welcome addition. 4.5 of 5

Gameplay: The controls for NBA 08 are solid and feel a lot like it’s console cousins. You control the characters with the left analog stick and use the face buttons for most of your actions. Like the PS2 and PS3 versions, you get a shot meter to help time your shots properly. Instead of the meter in the console versions, with the PSP you get a halo around the ball. If it’s red, you’ll certainly miss your shot. If the halo turns yellow, it’s about a 50/50 chance of the ball going in. Time it right and get the halo to turn green, and you’ll get nothing but net. A plus over the PS3 version is the colored circle under the player to show how much turbo is available. If it’s green, you’re good; yellow means you’re running low, and red means there’s nothing left in the tank. The PSP version of NBA 08 also sports a Block Party gameplay mode. In Block Party, you can play in the events of All Star Weekend, including a Skills Challenge, a 3 Point Contest, and the All Star Game itself. There are also a bunch of cool mini games to hop in and play, ranging from games of Horse to Carnival games like Pinball. By winning Carnival games, you earn tokens to unlock new new jerseys and videos in the game. For the PSP, these mini games are a great addition to give gamers some quick basketball action on the go. 4 of 5

Multiplayer: Online play is available for NBA 08 in both Ad Hoc and Infrastructure WiFi for 2 players. You can take on friends to see who’s the better baller. In a few games online, I did not experience any lag (do you see a good pattern here with Sony games?). The problem I found was finding a game, as there were never that many players online. Along with the multiplayer, there are roster and gameplay downloads available online. At press time, a roster update from the end of August and a Pinball game mode update were available. More roster updates will be made available once the NBA season officially gets underway. 3.5 of 5

Lasting Appeal: With the Block Party mode, there’s a decent amount of depth to NBA 08. From a portable gaming perspective, the addition of these mini-games is a great idea. If playing online if one of your major hopes for the game, be warned that the online community is very sparse. 3.5 of 5

Final Word: NBA 08 does a pretty good job at delivering a fun basketball experience on the PSP. The addition of the mini-games is great, however there could be a few more, like the Slam Dunk Contest. Sony has made great improvements every year with their NBA games, and I think with the way they’re going, next year could be the hit title they’ve been aiming for.

Overall: 3.75 of 5

1 = Not worth the bandwidth.

2= Demo is enough, not worth your money.

3= Game is good, depending on the price, seriously consider picking it up.

4= Worth your money. Should provide some good times for quite awhile.

5= Buy the game. Lock your door. Pick up a case of beer. This could take all night.