Very simple to play. Game control back to basics. Graphics are not good but game-play pay off

I agree. It's not THAT bad! These reviewers are really extreme! The motion controls are actually quite good. I do find the graphics pretty poor (more like ps2 or even worse). Otherwise game play is pretty good. What's up with the 0 score from wiire (??) Suggest you rent this firstl. Don't know of any other better basketball games out there for the wii.

This is a good first try for EA. the wii is pritty hard to make a perffect sports game. the good things of this game is the shotting is really great just like real life, and the graphics are good for a game on the Wii I was very impreset. the three point shooter and most of the all star week stuff was also good. now the bad things, there is no turbo so it seems like you are as slow as a snail, it is very hard to steal the ball that instead of stealing you make a foul so you will most likely foul out, in the all star game they have last years players so you can not pick who you want on the team, and they are on old teams. and the dunk contest is so sentitive it almost make it imposible to stand. if you do not have another system then nba live 08 for the Wii is your choice. the good thing for Live is this is the 2nd best LIVE game next to the ps2 version, but that could be a bad thing! this is not even worth a rental.… Expand

Absolutely atrocious. When EA reps announced that they would be taking NBA Live '08 back to basics, I'm not sure this is what we had in mind. The lack of a turbo button, and the absence of freestyle dribbling (beyond a basic crossover) -- how could they have left out those basic elements? The waggle controls are hit and miss. Raise and forward-flick the wiimote for a jumpshot is spotty, as the player does not always jump on demand. In addition, recognition of the three point line seems off -- i need to shoot from at least a foot or two back of the line to register a three. Dunking by flicking the wiimote left-right (when your player indicator turns green, signalling your basket proximitiy for dunking) is slightly satisfying, they come down pretty hard and vicious. On defense, the lack of turbo really hurts, and you end up riding and leaning against the offensive player, while he still makes his way diagonally towards the basket. Going for a block is absolutely awful, again, with similar up-waggle sensitivity issues. The lack of a franchise/dynasty mode was also quite disappointing. As a positive, "directional" direct passing with the crosspad was fairly intuitive. the freethrow mechanics was clever -- you are required to perform a soft shooting motion with the right pace/force. Shoot/flick too quickly and you'll overpower the freethrow, too slowly and you will hit the front rim. I wonder if allowing for an alternate dual analog (either GC or Classic) controller may have solved some of the issues (with the additional analogs/buttons allowing for mapping of turbo/freestyle/non-waggle). I need a basketball game to play on the Wii, but I might just need to go back to playing NBA Live 06 on the PC, which was a much more polished product in terms of gameplay and control.… Expand

Complete and utter garbage. No Sprint, one useless dribble move, no jab steps, no pump fakes, no dynasty mode, awkward controls. Overall, this game is a waste of time to even bother playing, as it is impossible to enjoy. The controls are terrible. Half the time the game will not register your movements at all, and when it does, it will often register the wrong movement, so you will throw up an ugly looking layup attempt from beyond the three point line. The ONE dribble move you can use in the game is an ineffectual crossover, which is supposedly performed using the nunchuk. However, the game rarely registers your movement, and even when it does, the crossover never frees up a player. Shooting is not intuitive at all. In order to shoot, you must flick up and then down, and the process feels nothing like an actual shot. No turbo means that even with 5 seconds left in a quarter, you must jog up the court and then hope the game registers your shot movement. No dynasty mode makes it all that much worse, as all the fun of being a GM is gone, which would have been this game's only chance of being enjoyable. The most irritating thing is the fact that the computer can and does use spin moves, pump fakes, ball fakes, and jab steps quite regularly. Also, there is absolutely no defence against a dunker at all, but a Dirk Nowitzki fade away gets blocked regularly by players much smaller and less athletic. At harder difficulties, it is impossible to stop a shot, as the CPU almost always makes every shot. It is as if EA thought "how can we drive the most people to the Xbox". Don't buy this game, you will find yourself regretting it, and it even may make you wish you hadn't bought a Wii.… Expand

All these scathing reviews that NBA Live 08 are totall BS. Seriously 30 out of 100? It was not the best NBA game ever(not even close) but it was'nt all that bad. Sure the game mechaniques are a little mesesed but thats pretty well all thats wrong with it.

My son (10) and I really enjoy playing NBA Live 08. Neither of us are hard core gamers, so the simpified controls work well for us. We wanted a basketball game that was simple to learn/play, but still fun. We found what we were looking for in this game.

Far from perfect but still much better than most reviews. Controls are very responsive -- I have no idea of what some reviewers are talking about -- and the game play feels like the real thing. Some campaign options are lacking but then, I like basketball but I don't care for the NBA tourney.