Slam Dunks
And all is right with the world of virtual athletics once more. For a few years, sports games have been inconsistent. But this fall’s slate of hockey and basketball titles scores from downtown.
Two new hockey games with pedigrees — EA’s "NHL ’08" and Take-Two’s "NHL 2K8" — are keepers. They’re good to own for the sake of slap shooting for months.
And one new basketball game, Take-Two’s "NBA 2K8," continues to be the best round ball series, by far.
Only EA’s "NBA Live ’08" is somewhat disappointing, but even it has new features that rock my socks.
"NHL ’08" is lovely in artistry. You see reflections in the ice, details in players’ faces and an overall faux-realism of body movements.
More important, the game play is as solid as can be. Plus, it’s easy to get used to the controls. You use both joysticks to move and shoot, instead of merely mashing buttons.
If you want to mix things up, you can play in different leagues around the world. You can skate as, say, the Boston Bruins in the NHL, the Albany River Rats in the AHL, the Frolunda Indians in the Elitserien league, the Helsingin IFK in the Smliiga league, or Team Denmark in the National league.
You know, since Team Denmark is a powerhouse and all.
"NHL 2K8" is even better, if easy to beat (though it’s more challenging when you play against a real person on your couch or online).
"NHL 2K8" is the descendant of the great Sega hockey, but these days it comes with the sleekest of player moves and a fairly extraordinary visual quality.
Someone could complain that the old Sega strategies here are aged, like when you ice around a goalie then hook in a score. But I love that ease of play.
"NHL 2K8" offers quicker ice running than "NHL ’08," so if you’re needing for speeding, "2K8" is the title for you.
"NBA 2K8" will remind you of "NBA 2K6" and "2K7." It’s far better than both, though, yet the game style has the same awesome slickness.
"2K8" also comes with fantastic camera angles. You can choose angles seen via broadcast TV, the nosebleed seats, the sideline, the press box, and even a hand-held camera on the floor, among other scenes.
Even if you’re playing as a team with a bad record, such as the Memphis Grizzlies or the Portland Trailblazers, your outfit still is good enough to win big games. I like that near-parity.
Only "NBA ’08" lags. It’s not bad. The alley-oop is a blast. And it comes with two awesome features. My favorite is the "hot spot" button you push to see which parts of the court a player shoots best from.
You also can enable ESPN-on-demand radio and video clips of current events to pop up, and allow real-life player and sports stats to scroll across your TV screen.
But it’s saddled with some herky-jerky movements, too many ball steals and an annoying habit of changing which player you’re controlling in the midst of a defensive play.
Worst of all, the camera angles stink. It’s so awkward looking, I sometimes feel like I’m playing basketball from another planet. B-ball should not seem like a diversionary realm from Mars.
("NBA 2K8" retails for $60 for Xbox 360 and PS 3; $40 for PS 2 — Plays very fun. Looks great. Challenging. Rated "E." Four stars out of four.)
("NBA Live ’08" retails for $60 for Xbox 360 and PS 3; $50 for Wii; $40 for PS 2 and PSP — Plays mostly fun. Looks great. Challenging. Rated "E." Three stars.)
("NHL ’08" retails for $60 for Xbox 360 and PS 3; $40 for PS 2 — Plays fun. Looks great. Easy to moderately challenging. Rated "E." Four stars.)
("NHL 2K8" retails for $60 for Xbox 360 and PS 3; $20 for PS 2 — Plays fun. Looks great. Easy to moderately challenging. Rated "E." Four stars.)