I'm about to get an NBA game, but I can't decide which of these 4 choices:

1) NBA Live '07
2) NBA Live '08
3) NBA 2k7
4) NBA 2k8

I can save $20-30 for the '07 versions. Besides the updated rosters, are the '08 versions worth the extra money? I mostly play single-player.

Thanks!

Live 08 is a pretty good basketball game and I've been a 2k junkie for years. I was surprised at what EA put out this year.

NBA 2k8 makes NBA Live look last gen. You'll be blown away by 2k8's graphics.

NBA 2K8 is the best basketball game out, ever. Well sans NBA 2K3!

NBA 2K8 is the best b-ball game ever released.

Definitely NBA 2K8.

The difference is negligable. Ask people who own 2K, they'll say 2K. Ask someone that has Live, they'll say Live. I have both (well 2K7 and Live 08). They both have their quirks.

2K to me feels like ice skating, Live has the famous EA cheating AI. 2K has better graphics, Live has better online. I really don't think it matters which one you get.

if you want to play a true sim game then get nba 2k8. if you dont really care about gameplay then get live 08.

Nba 2k8

My experience of the two in the past was that the EA offering looked better, but the 2k offering played better.

I'd go with NBA 2k8...

2k8 is addicting. Very good game once you get used to the shot stick.

2k8. Game is so incredible. Still playing it like it's brand new.

So is anyone playing the 5 vs. 5 online for live 08? Would that feature be worth trying live 08?

i bet 2k8 is the best, but I've seen 2k7 in bins for 5 bucks. Grab it now, then get 2k9 when it comes out

So is anyone playing the 5 vs. 5 online for live 08? Would that feature be worth trying live 08?Depends on your tolerance level for immature ball hogs. I stopped trying. I have a short temper for certain things, and couldn't find any like minded adults that played.

get 2k8 nothing eles.......nba live is a joke

Largely based on the poll and reading some reviews, I've splurged and ordered NBA 2k8. (I usually like to save money by buying last year's version of sports games.)

I read that there's a free roster update download from Live. My 360 does not have online access. Is the manual roster update the only way I can do it?

Also, if I can get online in the future, are 2k Sports' roster updates compatible with older games (for example could I use the 2k9 update for my 2k8 game)? Or would I have to use the manual update method again?

Thanks!

You made a good choice,NBA live looks good in still shots,but once the ball goes up,2k8 mops the floor with it gameplay-wise.

As for your question,roster updates are limited to that particular year's game.So the available update today won't be compatible with 2k9,and vice versa.

The manual update method, while sounding somewhat cumbersome, does seem like a great way to keep your game roster updated, even well into the future. Is it feasible to manually adjust the NBA 2k8 roster so I don't have to buy a new sports title every year?

I've never liked spending $40-60 each year for new versions of sports titles for a roster update and a few new gimmicks.

The manual update method, while sounding somewhat cumbersome, does seem like a great way to keep your game roster updated, even well into the future. Is it feasible to manually adjust the NBA 2k8 roster so I don't have to buy a new sports title every year?

I've never liked spending $40-60 each year for new versions of sports titles for a roster update and a few new gimmicks.

Seriously, why would a game company do this? They'd slit their own wrists. Not gonna happen. If $60 a year is a problem, then you may want to consider another hobby. (Not intended as smart-alecky as it sounds)

I've never liked spending $40-60 each year for new versions of sports titles for a roster update and a few new gimmicks.

With game prices hiking up this gen,I've had a similiar mindset.I actually have skipped the last 2 NBA 2k games,may get 2k9(or wait till 2k8 hits $20).I used to buy the latest sports game every year,but they have the lowest resale/trade value.

Does 2k8 have a franchise mode like live? Since thats my favorite feature

Does 2k8 have a franchise mode like live? Since thats my favorite feature

Yes it does.

Plus, it has a bunch of features that nba live doesnt. One example is putting players on the "Trading Block." When you do this, other teams know you want to trade these players and if they need them, they will offer up trades for them. You can also see what players are on the Trading blocks for other teams.

It also has three team trades which is a totally cool option.

Wow that does sound awesome! Since I only had played the live series before. Hmm how far does the franchise mode go into? Like in Live I been able to go up to 6 years and every year there is a new draft with simulated players. Does 2k have that?

Wow that does sound awesome! Since I only had played the live series before. Hmm how far does the franchise mode go into? Like in Live I been able to go up to 6 years and every year there is a new draft with simulated players. Does 2k have that?


I haven't gone past 3 yet. I'm sure it does though. There's new players drafted every year. HOWEVER, some of them look QUITE funky! =) I had that same thing happen to me with Live in the past though.

Another thing I like more about this is the way you set rotations for the simulated games. It makes a HECK of a lot more sense. You simply have your entire roster laid out and you assign minutes to all the players(I can't believe that Live never thought of this).

Also, in Franchise mode, you can do individual workouts throughout the season which is cool. You for example get points for achieving goals like winning 5 in a row, etc. After you get points you can pick a player on your team and work on a skill. For example, if you select "Stealing" as something you want to work on, it takes you into a mini game where you are the selected player, and two CPU players pass the ball back and forth and you have to steal it so many times within 2 minutes. If you do it, your players "steal" attribute goes up. They have these mini games for everything including shooting, rebounding, defense, etc.

Little additions like that make this game SO much better than live, but the main part that makes 2k better is the overall gameplay. It's a bit more challenging, but if you can do it on the basketball court, you can do it in this game.

Check this thread out from the 2ksports forum. It's a tutorial on how to execute offense with videos posted on Youtube. It REALLY illustrates how deep this game gets. Especially the kickass things you can do with the shotstick in the post.

http://2ksports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146369

If you want a game that acts like a TRUE simulation, 2k8 is the way to go dude.

If you like a game that's arcadey/simulation, Live is the way to go. I was able to kick ass in NBA Live on the hardest setting within a week.

With 2k8, I'm still on the 2nd (of 5) difficulty setting after having it for months.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the "Slider" settings. Every single team has a LARGE set of sliders that you can adjust. This will make the team play that certain way when you play against them.

It get's extremely deep with these sliders too. So you can pretty much change the AI of every single time separately so every single team has a completely unique style(which they are already preset to be pretty accurate).

Alright I just bought this game and lol yeah I play live on the hardest setting and hardly loose.

Alright I just bought this game and lol yeah I play live on the hardest setting and hardly loose.

Sweet, you will definitely have to adjust slightly. Trust me. Especially to the fact that there is only one button to shoot/layup/dunk/etc.

Also, Live's graphics are a bit easier on the eyes especially on the closups, but in motion 2k8 is REALLY nice looking.

I recommend that you check out that link I gave you. You won't regret it.

Also, the first thing I would do when you boot the bad boy up is to turn off Automatic Timeouts and Substitutions.

Much better to do those two things manually IMO.

Alright hopefully It will get here soon since I bought it online.