Another year past and even with the NBA’s image taking a beating over the summer, we approach October and that is when the next series in each 2K Sports and EA’s basketball entry will be released. Even if the NBA referee scandal is still in our minds and the freshly number one draft pick Greg Oden being out for the season; I am still excited about being able to play as the Celtics and using Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Can you imagine that?
This will be the third year for both company’s producing their respective software on both the XBox 360 and PS3. My expectations are very high and after playing around with both the demos, the game plays for both are very smooth and they both have incredible high definition graphics. But I have not logged enough time to clearly say which one is a winner nor can I base a game on a demo. I played the demo version on the XBox 360 and you can download it at the XBox Live Marketplace for free. You are able to play a couple quarters to get a feel for the game.
However, I can point out some of the negatives that I saw on the demos. To me, graphics on 2k Sports NBA 2k8 entry is more realistic from a spectator viewing standpoint. The character models look amazing and the overall aura feels like watching an authentic game. It is a demo so as I am playing the game, I notice some of the buttons are not reacting or functions have not been implemented also the game seems kind of jaggy.
As for EA’s NBA Live 08 entry, it is already a vast improvement over last year’s game and with reason. The demo ran smoother than NBA Live 07 and that speaks volumes. The control scheme is different but the game ran smoothly. The only gripe I have is that the body on the character models seem out of proportion; either the head is too big or the bodies are too muscular for my tastes. I give the facial modeling to EA’s game though.
I look forward to the game being release next month and will probably pick up 2K Sports 2K8 as I have been playing that series since the Sega Dreamcast days. NBA Live 08 is looking to be a strong contender and I am excited to see the final game; it might justify to have both games.
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