NBA 2k8 or live 08 the winner?

[d3wade]

The past few years EA sports have not been impressive at all. No improvements were made and reviews were horrible. 2k8 keeps on improving with the better graphics and gameplay; more simulated and realistic.

Who would you say is the winner this year? 2k8 or live 08... I used to be a huge NBA live fan but switched to 2k7 last year.

Let's get everyone's opinion on which is the better game this year.

[snika]

judging from the demos im gonna buy 2K8 this year. Ive been hearing a lot of people have already purchased 2K8, does anyone know where I can get a copy in KW ?

[Liquid]

Hands down NBA 2k8, NBA Live improved this year with 08 but NBA 2K8 is clearly a better game. Smooth gameplay.. better animations.. its just better.

[al3x89]

Every since I've played NBA 2K6, I've fell in love with the 2K series. I used to be loyal to Live, but they just completely sucked over the past couple of years.

I downloaded the Live 08 demo, and the game looks way better. I haven't had a chance to download the 2K8 demo yet though, but I will.

I'll get both games this year, since I get them for a good price anyways ;)

[BD006]

I haven't played a basketball game since Live 06 on my PC, and I hated it, so I was set on getting 2K8 (plus, everyone seems to rave about the 2K series).

Now, having tried both demos on PS3, I'm not really feeling 2K8. I feel pretty limited in what I can do compared to Live, and I find my teammates in 2K8 just stand around doing nothing while my teammates in Live 08 actually set picks or are in motion, allowing me set them up.

I'm really torn on which one to get and don't really feel like buying both. :(

[TechRock]

I haven't played a basketball game since Live 06 on my PC, and I hated it, so I was set on getting 2K8 (plus, everyone seems to rave about the 2K series).

Now, having tried both demos on PS3, I'm not really feeling 2K8. I feel pretty limited in what I can do compared to Live, and I find my teammates in 2K8 just stand around doing nothing while my teammates in Live 08 actually set picks or are in motion, allowing me set them up.

I'm really torn on which one to get and don't really feel like buying both. :(

you had to call out the plays for 2k8...which they disable in the demo...the demo was very limited considering it was set on pro and not on superstar...but on superstar, most players will play like their real self
i dont know if you have seen the trailer for 2k8 but that stuff was ridiculous (ex: when you try to save a ball from going out of bounds....the players actually stop themselves from crashing into the announcer table or they actually have player jumping..JUMPING over a cameraman on the side line)

i say you can wait for the reviews to come in and decide which game to get

[maebach]

This is what Ive found in sports games:


NBA
2kseries>EA sports
Hockey
EAsports>2kseries (this year, otherwise they're closely matched)
football
2kseries<EAsports

[jeffyjaixx]

2K8 ftw.

[dbx]

For sure NBA 2K8. I find the handling of the game a bit smoother as well as AI reaction more realistic in the 2K series in comparison to Live. They have added a dunk competition and some other stuff this year as well ..

[Lone_Prodigy]

I did a playtest for EA a couple months ago for Live 08... I don't play many basketball games, but I found it to be pretty good. The function where defenders "lock-on" to the ball handler is great for defense and makes stealing/blocking a lot easier. The various "shooting zones" were a nice touch as well, though a little too opaque (a little bit of psychological warfare if you flashed it rapidly.)

[dbx]

2K8 this year also has similar functions like the lock on defender. In addition they have the whole "hot streak" thing and show you on screen where your player is best suited for taking jumpers or if he should just drive down the lane.

[Roniin]

As a B-Ball player for the last 10 years 2K8 wins hands down, the realism and subtleness in the game play are amazing. Moves and player mannerisms are great, the floaters by parker and the way he will actually move a blocking defenders arm out of the way when he's doing a layup are sick. Lebrons ability to slice thru the defense and perform amazing dunks and layups while moving his head around to glimpse at defenders are off the hook. Plays run by the defense
are far more realistic, double team Duncan and he'll spin away from the extra defender or find the open man for a uncontested jumper-sick! If your not a true B-Ball fan you might find this game somewhat frustrating, if you just want an arcade type game buy Live.

[tegsta]

Played both demos. NBA Live 08 has improved, but 2K8 is still superior by far. Can't wait to pick up my copy, who wants to challenge me! :D

[snika]

your on tonite tegsta :)

[azn_pnoy]

2k8 for me also. 2k8's realism is unreal. i have read a lot of impressions on both & played both demos.

[d3wade]

hmmm...seems like 2k sports is the winner again this year! I sure hope raptors r ranked high this year!

[al3x89]

hmmm...seems like 2k sports is the winner again this year! I sure hope raptors r ranked high this year!

69 in Nba Live 08

and like 76 in 2k8

something like that.

Anyways, I think in a few weeks we should start a league. I'm saying a few weeks just to let people settle in, play a bit, get better, and give some people a chance to buy the game.

NBA 2K8 League FTW, whos in?

[TechRock]

pretty low score for both games

[jdmkidd]

I'll be switching to 2k8.

[snika]

Ive been playing it on Superstar tonite and its damn hard lol I suck at this game.

[al3x89]

Ok, so I've played both games, and this is what I have to say.

NBA Live 08 is smooth, and there aren't any glitches that I've experienced.

In NBA 2K8, there are still a lot of glitches and bugs... Bosh's head went through Garnett's body :confused: when he went up to dunk.

Also, that STUPID thing in 2K7 where the player would lose his shorts, it happens in 2K8's dunk contest, hasn't happened ot me in the game yet, but I don't think they bothered to fix that.

My final word.. 2K and EA sports, both games are good in their own way, but 2k8's gameplay is much better. EA Sports graphics are much better.

Both companies next year should make ONE game, and it would probably be the best game ever, with NBA Live's graphics, and 2k8's gameplay, they could make a really good game.

Oh, and they need to add a few jump shots in 2K8, like Garbo's! ;)

[jdmkidd]

just bought 2k8 last night for the ps3, how do you crossover someone? I read the manual it does not say.

[BD006]

just bought 2k8 last night for the ps3, how do you crossover someone? I read the manual it does not say.

You have to move your player from right to left/left to right while holding the right trigger for turbo/speed. I've been having a hard time with 2K's Isomotion, as I was accustomed to Live's use of the right analog stick. I don't really understand the need for the Shot Stick.

And isolation plays are pretty useless seeing as how I can never get by a defender on All-Star difficulty. >:(

Right now I suck, but I've been playing everyday and hopefully I'll be able to take the Raps to the championship. ;)

[tokajim]

do a half spin with your analog stick. combine the moves, like cross left to right, then half back spin to the left and you'll go behind the back the other way really fast.

i think the reason why they took out the dribbling with the right analog along with the cross over button it's just too easy to drive. just push that stick a bunch of times and you go by, doesn't really matter what else you do, just keep doing 'cross over dribbles' while you move forward.

i don't understand why everyone says live 08 has better graphics. nba players just don't move like that, human beings just don't move like that. live has great textures and when it's a still shot it looks pretty awesome, but as soon as the players move it looks like a cartoon character. whereas on 2k8 i can hardly tell the difference if i step 3-4 feet away.

[BD006]

do a half spin with your analog stick. combine the moves, like cross left to right, then half back spin to the left and you'll go behind the back the other way really fast.

i think the reason why they took out the dribbling with the right analog along with the cross over button it's just too easy to drive. just push that stick a bunch of times and you go by, doesn't really matter what else you do, just keep doing 'cross over dribbles' while you move forward.

i don't understand why everyone says live 08 has better graphics. nba players just don't move like that, human beings just don't move like that. live has great textures and when it's a still shot it looks pretty awesome, but as soon as the players move it looks like a cartoon character. whereas on 2k8 i can hardly tell the difference if i step 3-4 feet away.

Is there a site that explains how to get the different actions/spins/etc?

As for graphics, it's not just the textures, but also the player models. IMO, the Live ones look much closer to the actual players than 2K8. A lot of the 2K8 players look like hunchbacks, heh.

[dbx]

if you guys change the control setup to alternate b or alternate c (I don't remember which one atm) you can do your crossovers with the right analog stick. There is a mini tutorial online to tell you how to do the various isomotion moves I'll post it when I come across it again.

[tokajim]

Is there a site that explains how to get the different actions/spins/etc?

As for graphics, it's not just the textures, but also the player models. IMO, the Live ones look much closer to the actual players than 2K8. A lot of the 2K8 players look like hunchbacks, heh.

that i agree with, seems like live always spends more time on that than anything else, plus they probably just have a better database of that stuff from all their work in the past. closeups, live will win that one. but once you zoom out and play it's not like you can see the faces right.

and i don't know about the spins, just try different things out i guess, 'sort of' intuitive, as that's the motion you would be doing in person if you were playing. but yeah it's not exactly easy.

[sfu_lifer]

Sony's NBA 08 FTW


jk (hell will freeze over before that happens).

My vote for overall goes to 2K8 although I like Live's graphics and presentation better.

[needaname]

wow, i always thought 2Ks graphics were better. Since I'm not really into gameplay and just wanna be wooed, its live for me (even though it seems everyones getting 2K).

[awestruck]

2K8 is better. Rented Live 08 today for the 360 and it's basically a dunk, lay-up fest. The go-to moves are pretty nice, though.

The player stats are also messed up. Toronto is rated 69 (second worst team in the game. Worst team is Indiana) and the irony is that the game was made by EA Canada.

[tokajim]

i know their rating system used to be messed up because they would use the player averages from the previous year. i.e. if you shot 40% from 3pt you'd have a certain rating, doesn't matter if you shot 20 or 200 3s, and didn't matter if you just had one good season.

what ends up happening is probably all have terrible individual ratings (with the exception of bosh) because they're not stat stuffers, and so the team rating plummets.

[sg2386]

Is is just me or i can't seem to find 2K8 for PS3 anywhere. Same goes for the 360 and PS2 version.

I was at Best Buy, Walmart, Futureshop and my last resort EB and none of them had it. All of them had NBA 08 and Live 08 but not 2K8. Looks like its either sold out or they never got their shipment yet.

I asked the sales rep at Futureshop since it showed store stock in the Brampton location on the website and they said there was 1 left but they couldn't find it (looks to me an employee hid it for themselves)

Strange!

[M.D.]

The gameplay for 2k8 was better last year. This year its so hard to score, the defense in this game is so much better than the offense, its like watching a Pistons vs. Spurs game.

[rahzel]

i liked the 2k8 demo more than the live demo. but in 2k8, there are too many missed layups. sometimes it would seem relatively easy to score, but sometimes it seems like its impossible to score.

[jdmkidd]

what are the little bars for in 2k8? there green blue yellow orange sometimes.

[shynepo3]

what are the little bars for in 2k8? there green blue yellow orange sometimes.

They are the percentage ratings of a player's shot for that area they are standing in. As your player moves, it changes, since players shoot better in some areas than others. Had to read an online review to find that out...

[shynepo3]

Is is just me or i can't seem to find 2K8 for PS3 anywhere. Same goes for the 360 and PS2 version.

I was at Best Buy, Walmart, Futureshop and my last resort EB and none of them had it. All of them had NBA 08 and Live 08 but not 2K8. Looks like its either sold out or they never got their shipment yet.

I asked the sales rep at Futureshop since it showed store stock in the Brampton location on the website and they said there was 1 left but they couldn't find it (looks to me an employee hid it for themselves)

Strange!

Me too...can't find it anywhere, except for EB..haven't seen it in Walmart, Best Buy. But Live is everywhere. The guy at bestbuy said they only had 8 copies, and sold all.

[jdmkidd]

Still got that site on ya?
They are the percentage ratings of a player's shot for that area they are standing in. As your player moves, it changes, since players shoot better in some areas than others. Had to read an online review to find that out...

[awestruck]

what are the little bars for in 2k8? there green blue yellow orange sometimes.

Blue means your player is on a cold streak. It will turn blue when you start missing shots a lot. Orange/red (sorta) means your player is on a hot streak. It will turn orange/red when your player keeps on getting shots in.

[Toronto]

I dunno, I always thought 2K was better but I'm enjoying live more this year. In 2K8 it's so hard to block & score. In reality you don't always have to swing your arms back and jump as high as you can just to block a shot. Sometimes you need to get off the ground quickly and that just doesn't happen in 2K8. I've also missed countless wide open layups in 2K8 and the computer never bites on a fake shot. 2K8 is more detailed in the movements, etc. like when you're guarding a guy your man will stretch his arm out to guage how far his man is, etc. Small details like that make it very realistic. I dunno maybe I'll give it another shot.

[dbx]

All depends on what you value more in the game. If you're into a true sim, 2K is definitely the way to go. I must admit however, the whole missing layups/easy buckets gets very annoying at times and makes you want to put the game down. I've gotten computer to bite on shot fakes, it all depends on who you're using and who is guarding you as well as if you're on a hot streak or not.

[maebach]

anybody know if you can turn off auto-substitution? I cant find it anywhere, and the 'coach' automatically subs off players when their tired. I mean, I know Bosh is at 80% stamina, but hes still better than my backup at 85%

[wang61]

After reading through this thread and reading some reviews, I think I will hang onto my 2K7 for another year...it looks like Live made a huge leap forward compared to last years game, but they still have some work to do....I think the nagging issues with 2K8 don't justify the upgrade this year....so I will wait for 09 and hopefully give Live a try if they continue to improve like they did this year....

[common sense]

http://www.sportsgamer.com/content/1180/nba-2k8-breaking-down-your-defender/

tutorial for isomotion using the right analog stick...


live can be fun but 2k8 is the better simulator

[maebach]

anybody know anything about auto-substitution? its really bothering me.

[N1QUE24]

Select left on the d-pad when the game is on the fly, then adjust the coach settings from there..

Or, go to Coach Settings and change substitutions from auto to manual.

[Vich]

All depends on what you value more in the game. If you're into a true sim, 2K is definitely the way to go. I must admit however, the whole missing layups/easy buckets gets very annoying at times and makes you want to put the game down. I've gotten computer to bite on shot fakes, it all depends on who you're using and who is guarding you as well as if you're on a hot streak or not.
Dunk competition in 2K8 alone makes the game worth checking out.

[maebach]

Select left on the d-pad when the game is on the fly, then adjust the coach settings from there..

Or, go to Coach Settings and change substitutions from auto to manual.

where's coach settings?

[M.D.]

where's coach settings?

you're kidding right?

just look through the menu and you should easily find it.

[maebach]

you're kidding right?

just look through the menu and you should easily find it.

I found it when playing the game. but ont in the main menu. I guess I'll have to switch it to manual every game?