Wayback Wednesday: Was 2008 The Weakest Season For Basketball Games?
This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the basketball games of the 2008 season, and explaining why I believe it was the weakest lineup to date.
As much as I miss having multiple annual releases in the basketball gaming space – especially when we had at least three or four companies throwing their hat into the ring – it clearly wasn’t sustainable. The quality of those games was inconsistent across the board, and it didn’t help that some of them were console and regional exclusives. To that point, it’s no wonder that many series didn’t last nearly as long as NBA 2K, or even NBA Live. Still, it was great having so many choices that brought their own ideas to the table, and there were usually at least one or two fantastic games each year.
Nominating the best or strongest year in basketball gaming is tough; in fact, that’s a topic that Dee and I might have to tackle on the podcast, with the community’s input. If we’re talking about the worst or weakest season for basketball games though, I do have an answer that – while obviously subjective – I am confident in. After going back and reviewing NBA Live 08, NBA 2K8, and Sony’s NBA 08, I believe that 2008 is the frontrunner for the weakest season for basketball video games. I certainly wouldn’t expect everyone to agree, but I have my reasons. Let’s take a look back…way back…
Before we dive into the basketball games of the 2008 season though, I want to touch on the real life campaign. I have mixed feelings about the 2008 NBA season, as for me, it was simultaneously frustrating and exciting. It was tough to see my beloved Bulls falter and fall to the lottery after becoming a Playoff team again, with the Ben Wallace “experiment” coming to an abrupt halt. On the plus side, that did end up landing them Derrick Rose! Apart from that, as someone who became a hardcore fan years after the Lakers and Celtics’ last Finals clash in the 80s, I enjoyed seeing that rivalry renewed, with the stars of the 2000s joining a legacy that goes back decades.
When you’re both an enthusiastic basketball fan and gamer, your nostalgia for any particular season is often a combination of fond memories of what you watched in real life, and what you experienced on the virtual hardwood. To that end, struggling to enjoy either version of NBA Live 08, while also watching the Chicago Bulls struggle, hasn’t left me with the best impression of the 2008 season! It’s not my least favourite campaign though, and there were two other games I could’ve been playing, both of which I now own. However, giving them a shot has led me to conclude that 2008 was the weakest season for basketball video games. Allow me to explain, title-by-title.
NBA Live 08: Another Rebuilding Year
Let’s begin with the game that I was playing: NBA Live 08. The version that we were focused on in our community – the PC release, obviously – was frankly a disaster. As a port of the PlayStation 2 version, it was an afterthought, outsourced to HB Studios. It had watered-down versions of concepts seen in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version, such as Go-To Moves and Hot Spots. The new rookies were lacking portraits, and the Player Lock function was implemented but missing from the menus. Players lined up around the paint during free throws couldn’t move until the final attempt hit the rim, a restriction that only applies to the shooter. It was a half-baked, buggy mess of a game.
The Next Gen version on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 was much better, though that was a low bar to clear, and it certainly wasn’t exceptional. Credit where credit is due, though: it was miles ahead of the complete bust that was NBA Live 07 for Xbox 360, making it a pleasing course correction and commendable improvement in the space of a single development cycle. Of course, NBA Live 07 was a massive hole for the series to dig itself out of, and it was therefore no surprise that NBA Live 08 for PS3/360 was still plagued by janky animations and awkward movement. Removing shot timing and leaving success up to ratings-based dice rolls also proved to be an ill-advised decision.
Sure, the new “push” approach to Dynasty was quite welcome, being the most love that the mode had received since the rebrand and revamp in NBA Live 2004. Go-To Moves were an early example of signature animations that are now a staple of the genre, and despite the questionable decision regarding shot timing, Hot Spots were a good idea. Unfortunately, it was still a rebuilding year for a series that had stumbled upon its leap to the seventh generation. These days, I can dust off NBA Live 08 on 360 or PS3 and have some fun with it, but it’s not my first choice for retro gaming. It’s also devoid of fun additional content, such as throwback jerseys and NBA Legends.
Despite arguably being the weakest of the 2008 season games – or at the very least, definitely not the strongest, all things considered – NBA Live 08 remains my favourite title in the lineup. Admittedly, nostalgia and fond memories of the community event are a factor here, as is familiarity and accessibility compared to its contemporaries. I also spent countless hours creating rosters for the PC version, so there’s a connection there even though it’s not an all-time favourite. Of the three sim games that came out for the 2008 NBA season, NBA Live 08 for 360/PS3 is the one that I’ll most readily play, though to reiterate, it’ll never be a staple of my retro basketball gaming rotation!
Even if it isn’t the worst game in the series, or even just the worst NBA Live of its generation – again, it was actually a remarkable improvement on the game that does hold that distinction – the flagship version of NBA Live 08 remained quite flawed. As for the prior gen version that was ported to PC, it was a major disappointment. For a community that remained dedicated to NBA Live during the 2008 season, NBA Live 08 wasn’t the game that we were hoping for. I’d suggest it encouraged many of us to return to an old favourite, or give 2K a chance. When the best-selling basketball game is considered mediocre at best, it’s probably not a good year for the genre as a whole!
NBA 2K8: An Odd Misstep
Of course, while NBA Live was still the best-selling annual basketball game as of the 2008 season, NBA 2K was on the verge of surpassing it, and already had much better critical reception year-to-year. I struggled to get into the NBA 2K series back in the 2000s; partly out of brand loyalty, yes, but also because of its approach to gameplay and controls, especially dribbling. Now that I am a fan of the series and nowhere near as close-minded about NBA Live’s competitors, I’ve been able to go back and enjoy the older NBA 2K releases. NBA 2K6 is now an all-time favourite, and had I given it a proper chance back then, NBA 2K7 might’ve become my game of choice in 2007.
As I explained in my retrospective of NBA 2K8 however, it probably would’ve turned me off the series again. That may sound odd, since I’d still say that it’s the best NBA game of the 2008 season! It has the most realistic animations, the deepest controls and modes, and the widest array of additional content, namely retro jerseys and historical players. And yet, I just can’t get into it! It doesn’t feel as good on the sticks, with the revamped dribbling controls somehow feeling worse than their clunky predecessors. The new movement system wasn’t as good as advertised. The lack of balance to the gameplay is maddening, as is the CPU’s tendency to blatantly cheat in order to win.
When I went back and read some contemporary reviews of NBA 2K8 after I’d taken notes for my retrospective, it was vindicating to see that my observations were shared by reviewers back in 2007. The lack of precision with dribbling controls, defensive frustrations, a plethora of missed layups, and nagging legacy issues – some of which are even worse than they were in previous games – are among the common criticisms that were cited in those reviews. This proves that it wasn’t just me applying modern standards and expectations to a 17-year-old game. In fact, GameTrailers’ review went so far as to suggest that the gameplay took “a definite step backwards”, and I’d agree!
Other reviews were kinder, ultimately still recommending the game as the one to play during the 2008 season. I can’t agree with that endorsement, in hindsight or as a retro basketball gaming experience, but I also get it. As I said in my retrospective, it feels like I should be enjoying NBA 2K8, because it does have some good bones and is the most technically sound of all the 2008 season releases. However, every session with the game has been frustrating for me. When I’ve lost, it’s never felt fair, or the result of my play. Even when I’ve won, it’s felt more like I’ve survived an onslaught of cheating and ruthless comeback logic, rather than deftly outplaying some tough AI.
After so many sessions with NBA 2K8 in which I tried to find the great basketball gaming experience that seems to be there, and I occasionally caught glimpses of, I had to admit defeat. It appears that I’m not alone in my criticisms, even if others do enjoy the gameplay more than I have to date. NBA 2K8 had somewhat of a mixed reception upon its release, and it isn’t usually recalled as an all-time classic now. That makes it one of the weaker entries in the NBA 2K series at a time when it was becoming the choice of many sim basketball gamers. It doesn’t bode well for the overall strength of the 2008 season releases when you can say that about the best game in the lineup.
NBA 08: Fun, but heavily flawed, and certainly niche
In some ways, Sony’s NBA 08 is the most fun out of all the 2008 season games. It’s much looser than NBA Live 08 on the sticks. Thanks to a shot meter that resembles modern mechanics with a Green Release, jumpshots are more satisfying than both NBA Live 08 and NBA 2K8. The AI can be challenging, but it’s fairer than NBA 2K8’s unforgiving rubber-banding. There’s an innovative challenge mode featuring the kind of live service content we see today. Unlockable content adds replay value, and the commentary and NBA on TNT presentation is impressive. Unsurprisingly for the studio behind MLB: The Show, NBA 08 can be fun, and has some creative ideas.
Unfortunately, that’s about the extent of the game’s strong points. On the court, it’s not sure what it wants to be. It’s more casual sim than sim-arcade hybrid; that approach can be enjoyable, but it’s lacking the realism that hardcore sim heads desire, while also being too grounded for more casual hoops fans. The clunky, imprecise right stick dribbling doesn’t compare to Freestyle. Stats aren’t realistic, many staples are oddly-designed, and even some basic rules aren’t implemented properly. There’s a barebones single Season mode, a Playoff mode with randomised brackets, limited roster editing, and no practice mode. Overall, it suffers from a severe lack of depth and authenticity.
On top of being generally mediocre at best – albeit still kind of fun in a way – NBA 08 was also hampered by being a Sony exclusive. Obviously many people did own a PS3 – and PS2, which it was also available on – but that still left it with a smaller audience than NBA Live and NBA 2K. Additionally, while NBA 08 was released worldwide, most of Sony’s NBA series was exclusive to North America, thus it lacked the global popularity and brand awareness that Live and 2K enjoyed. The point is that quality aside, a lot of gamers simply couldn’t play NBA 08 on their platform of choice, or weren’t really familiar with the series, thus it wasn’t a strong competitor in the space.
Innovative as it was, NBA Replay wasn’t enough, nor was the story-driven “The Life” mode on PS2. It was a novel idea long before MyCAREER’s cinematic stories, but it’s basically a series of mini-games rather than a full-blown NBA career experience. It’s no better (or for that matter, worse) on the sticks than the PS3 version, so it’s fair to say that it probably wasn’t what most sim heads were looking for. NBA 08 is a game that I’m inclined to visit every now and again because of NBA Replay, as its scenarios remind me of NBA Live’s somewhat underrated BIG Moments. There are also some unique throwback jerseys and retro floors to unlock, so it can be fun in small doses.
Still, that’s far from a ringing endorsement for a Triple-A release. I can’t see myself ever playing through an entire season, even on shorter quarters. Interesting concepts and unique gimmicks such as NBA Replay and the Skills Challenge had merit back then, and hold some retro gaming appeal today, but it’s still a big drop-off as the third place game behind NBA 2K8 and NBA Live 08. Granted, in some ways it feels better on the sticks than NBA Live 08, and it doesn’t have the cheesy AI of NBA 2K8, but I’m still far more inclined to try to make the most of those two games as they’re much stronger releases. Of course, none of them are at the top of my list for retro kicks!
Wait, what about the 2008 season college basketball games?
Of course, those three titles only comprise the NBA games for the 2008 season. Both EA Sports and Visual Concepts developed college basketball games that year, namely NCAA March Madness 08 and College Hoops 2K8. As I noted in my retrospectives of those games, while I do enjoy aspects of both – and it was fun to finally get my hands on them all these years later – there’s a reason that I’ve excluded them from this list. The NBA is definitely more popular with basketball fans and gamers worldwide, so I wanted to focus on the titles with that license. However, even if we do include the college basketball video games, I don’t believe that they carry the 2008 season lineup.
First of all, it doesn’t change the fact that the three NBA video games set in the 2008 season all have their flaws, as outlined above. If you wanted to play an NBA game that year, then NCAA March Madness 08 and College Hoops 2K8 weren’t going to scratch that itch! Second, because they shared tech with their NBA counterparts, both NCAA March Madness 08 and College Hoops 2K8 have some familiar flaws. Third, and perhaps most importantly, they were console and North American exclusives. If you’re from another part of the world – as I am – the only way to get those games is to import them, and if you don’t have a PS3 or a modded console, then that isn’t viable.
That puts the college basketball games of the 2008 season in a similar position to NBA 08. They weren’t as widely available as NBA Live 08 and NBA 2K8, and even harder to get hold of internationally than Sony’s NBA offering that year. For many basketball gamers worldwide, NBA Live 08 and NBA 2K8 were the only options, with PS2 and PS3 gamers also having a third choice that wasn’t as well-known or highly-regarded. Even if you were interested in substituting collegiate gameplay for the virtual NBA experience, it’s a moot point if you can’t get your hands on those games. It’s hard to include them as a factor when they weren’t an option for everyone.
For the sake of argument though, if we were to consider NCAA March Madness 08 and College Hoops 2K8 here, I still don’t believe that the 2008 season saw the best lineup of basketball games. College Hoops 2K8 is a favourite that many gamers still love revisiting, and I do understand why. However, while I can see its strengths, I’m not a big fan of it for similar reasons as NBA 2K8. NCAA March Madness 08 has its moments, but technologically speaking, it’s halfway between NBA Live 07 and 08, so it definitely has some problems! I’ll certainly play both of those games, but neither is likely to inspire an extended retro kick, or retroactively become an all-time favourite.
Also, even with College Hoops 2K8’s reputation as a classic, it’s still just one of five basketball games released that year. Furthermore, as noted, it wasn’t widely available compared to the three NBA-licensed titles, and doesn’t cater to anyone who desires an NBA game set in 2008. I’ll concede that it lifts the lineup’s quality slightly, though it’s arguably balanced out by the shortcomings of NCAA March Madness 08. Like a star player on a terrible team that they can only carry so far, College Hoops 2K8’s impact on the quality of the 2008 season lineup is limited by a lack of global availability and popularity, as well as the shortcomings of its rival and the more popular NBA titles.
Three 2008 Season Games, No Ideal Choice
With a lineup featuring no NBA-based alternatives beyond NBA Live 08, NBA 2K8, and NBA 08, and only two college basketball games that had limited availability, the 2008 season was the weakest in my opinion. NBA Street Homecourt also came out that year of course, but was set in 2007, so it’s not really part of the same lineup. Also, while NBA 2K’s recent monopoly and NBA Live’s eighth gen struggles haven’t left us with a plethora of strong choices in some time, I’d argue that the quality of the recent NBA 2K titles has still remained higher than any of the 2008 season releases. Even with 2K fatigue, greed, and online toxicity, I’d still deem them to be better games.
In other words, although I haven’t loved the ninth generation NBA 2K games for the most part, there’s one or two that I could recommend. If you asked me to recommend a 2008 season game to revisit – an NBA title at least – I’d probably suggest a game from another year, using a roster mod! Even when they were new, none of these three 2008 NBA games were the pinnacle of their respective series, or indeed basketball gaming as a whole. When the only options in a given year aren’t the best their series has had to offer, and all of them have some key problems, that doesn’t make for a strong lineup! Yes, we had alternatives, but no clear-cut great choice among them.
For the sake of argument, even if we wanted to include NBA Street Homecourt as a game released within the same calendar year, it too is widely considered to be the weakest entry in its series. I do like it, but other years have given us much better selections of sim and arcade basketball games, or at least one strong release in both subgenres. I can absolutely name games that are worse than NBA Live 08, NBA 2K8, and NBA 08, as well as NBA Street Homecourt, NCAA March Madness 08, and College Hoops 2K8 for that matter. It wasn’t a high point for any series in the NBA lineup though, and the college games aren’t available for or appealing to everyone.
Thankfully, this weak lineup didn’t do lasting damage to the genre, and gamers still found ways to have a good time on the virtual hardwood. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to look back and notice how all three NBA games represented a lull for their series. NBA 2K8 is technically the best of the trio, but the ruthless AI and lousy dribbling controls are off-putting. NBA Live 08 left its troubled predecessor in the dust, but it’s still rough itself. NBA 08 has a loose, casual style that can be fun, but is potentially unappealing to sim heads. Once again, individually there have been far worse games than these three, but no standout release lifted up and carried the 2008 season titles.
As I noted, while a few of their generational peers have retroactively become some of my all-time favourite games, I’m seldom in a rush to revisit any of the 2008 season titles, and make them a staple of my retro gaming rotation. That’s not to say that I’ll never touch them again, but I can’t think of many other seasons with multiple hoops games to choose from, where I couldn’t eagerly pick a favourite. More often than not, at least one release had made significant progress, or was good enough that I was still able to get hooked on it for a year or so. I’m interested to hear others’ picks for the weakest season in basketball gaming, but for me, that dubious honour goes to 2008.
The post Wayback Wednesday: Was 2008 The Weakest Season For Basketball Games? appeared first on NLSC.