Out of all the sports to come out of America, basketball is probably one of my favorites, I don’t know why, maybe it’s because it is fast and frantic or maybe it’s just because I understand the rules, either way it is for this reason that I am happy to see NBA 08 from Sony finally hit the UK.

NBA 08 like Motorstorm (I bet you never thought you’d here these two games compared), makes use of the Sixaxis in a very unique way, this due to the new Free6 control system which allows you to control your players with the motions you make. Tilting your controller performs a defensive move which puts your players hands up to prevent a basket or tilting it the other way will put your players hands down, therefore enabling you to blocks passes etc, however that is not all as you can also perform moves such as jukes, crossovers and spins with similar movements. The motion controls aren’t restricted to defense as you can also use them offensively by utilizing them to shield the ball, or by rolling the control you can even dribble the ball between your legs. All of the moves I have mentioned can be tricky to pull off but if done correctly the effects are pretty good.

There are some other quite good ideas added in as features this year, pressing L1 acts as your key control, this lets you assign a set player as your go to guy, so whenever you are stuck and can’t get by the defenders pressing L1 and the corresponding button will then allow you to utilize this selected player to get by defenders, get baskets easier and maybe even pull off the odd alley oop.

Unfortunately there are a few issues with the new game, the player AI doesn’t seem to be as good as It should be, they will run down the clock when they are losing instead of shooting, they will also take defensive stances again offensive players most of the time instead of running with them and trying to get the ball as the play gets closer to their basket, it’s all quite odd and something it seems, that could have been quite easily amended.

Another new feature included in this years game is the Upside Progression System, this allows you to collect points by completing set goals, there are roughly 90 different tasks throughout each of the six game modes (Exhibition, Season, Playoffs, Online, NBA Replay and Mini-Games), completing a goal will result in you getting rewards such as trophies, new balls, etc as well as experience points that help improve your level which in turn helps you open up new levels of gameplay such as access to classic jerseys, new intro sequences etc. There is certainly plenty to unlock so should this be the sort of thing you look for in a game, you will be very happy.

The experience points you earn in a game can also be spent another way though, by creating your own player. At the beginning of the game you can create a player of your choice and the creation system is pretty sound, there are certainly plenty of options as far as looks, build and stats are concerned, however it’ s once you build up your experience points that this feature really comes into it’s own. By using your points you can improve his stats and also kit him out anyway you like, this is a great part of the game.

The different game modes included in NBA 08 really add some good variety, NBA Replay allows you to re-enact the great performances of the previous NBA season, which is a great idea. There are also some mini games just to add to the value, there are quite a few to get through including favorites such as 3 point shoot and own the court. Other game modes include season, playoffs and of course online.

Graphically it is hard to fault NBA 08, it really looks fantastic in all it’s Full HD glory, the players have a good likeness to their real life counterparts and the way the crowd react to play really helps add to the authenticity. The sound is also spot on, the fans sound wonderful and the commentary keeps up with the game well, which can’t be said for all sports games.

NBA 08 is a great basketball game, sure it has some glaring faults in the gameplay that really should have been addressed and for this reason we have been a bit less generous with our score, however if you can forgive these issues then you will be hard pushed to find a better looking sports game anywhere else on your PS3.

Overall Rating: 8/10