NBA 2K8 builds on the solid foundation of the 2K series to bring basketball to the next-gen. The game looks good, is fast paced, and provides a great deal of fun. Here is a breakdown of some of the facets of NBA 2K8 for the PS3:

Presentation and Graphics: NBA 2K8 looks pretty good. It’s nowhere near the best sports game I’ve seen, but it’s fairly good. Visually, I think NBA 08 from Sony is a good bit better than NBA 2K8. The player models are decent, but there are quite a bit of jaggies present. The uniforms look spectacular and move fluidly with your player’s movements. Facial mapping for the most part is good, but some players just look slightly off. Lebron James, for example, just doesn’t look quite right. The arenas look good with a nice shine to the floor. Nice detail was put in to all the intricate pieces around the court (trash cans by the benches, medical supply buckets, men with mops, etc). The crowd needs a lot of work. Crowd movement and modeling isn’t very good. There’s a lot of times you’ll see someone waving their arms that are completely flat or just look like a string. I think with a bit of polish, the graphics could be great. My biggest issue with the presentation, however, is the menu system that 2K Sports has implemented for all of this year’s games. When you load the game, you’re taken to a Quick Game screen with no apparent options. You have to hit the right analog stick up or down to pull up the standard menus. Nowhere on screen is this indicated, which is both confusing and frustrating to anyone who doesn’t know what happened to the menus. 3.75 of 5

Sound and Music: 2K Sports really nailed the sound in NBA 2K8. From the soundtrack to ball effects to the crowd, every bit is spot on. The announcing in the game is handled by Craig Sager and Kenny Smith from NBA on TNT, so you really get that authentic feel to the play calling. The crowd gets into the game very well for many situations. If you’re getting killed, they’ll boo you. If you’re on a hot streak they’ll cheer like crazy. Sometimes if you take a three point shot, the whole crowd will yell “THREE!”, which just puts a big smile on my face. A key part of sports games it making you feel like you’re really playing the sport, and NBA 2K8 does this in spades. 5 of 5

Gameplay: The 2K series has always been known for great controls, and NBA 2K8 is no exception. All the controls feel very tight and responsive as you would expect. New for this year are updated Signature Style moves for the biggest stars in the game and updated post play so you can control how and where to move your player in the low post. This comes in handy with a great big man like Shaq or Kevin Garnett. Along with these additions, there is better AI where you’re teammates will react quicker to a mismatch on the fly. If you Kobe Bryant is being guarded by a small point guard, he’s going to post up and call for the ball.

There are quite a few modes to choose from in NBA 2K8. Your standard season, playoff and exhibition modes are there. A franchise mode is available, called The Association, where you can set everything from ticket prices to contract terms for your players. The game. There is also a newer mode called NBA Blacktop, where you can play street-style games. There is a Sprite Slam Dunk Contest where you battle it out for the best dunks. This is one of the best mini-games I’ve ever seen in a basketball game. Every year gamers have said “Where’s the slam dunk contest?”, and this year 2K delivered. You use the right analog stick to control your jump and type of dunk and have to time slamming the ball down with the R2 button. Miss slightly anywhere and you’ll mess up and fall on your face. Other modes in NBA Blacktop are a 3 point contest, games to 21, and street pick-up games. 4.5 of 5

Multiplayer: Online play works very well with NBA 2K8. Like all 2K Sports games, you choose an opponent from the lobbies and play single games. I didn’t experience any lag online with the game, which has been true for all PS3 online titles. The game does support up to 10 players online, so if you can get 9 other friends, you can each control your own player in a huge basketball game. You can download newer rosters from the Online Desk for use offline as well. One addition I would like to see is online leagues and tournaments. Hopefully 2K adds this next year. 4 of 5

Lasting Appeal: If you’re a big basketball fan, there’s a lot here for you. From The Association to NBA Blacktop to online, NBA 2K8 has a lot of offer. The problem with sports game is online community support dwindles quickly after the seasons begin, as gamers get pulled away by other games. 4 of 5

Final Word: NBA 2K8 isn’t the best looking basketball title of the year (we’re giving that award to Sony’s NBA 08), but it’s definitely the most fun. From the solid gameplay to the amazing sound and commentary, the game offers a truly immersive basketball experience.

Overall: 4.25 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.