Lastly, common basketball video game issues, like players running out of bounds for no apparent reason, or players attempting shots through the backboard, plague the game. One of the biggest problems is that if you cut off an offensive player driving to the baseline, he will simply dribble there for about three seconds, and then run out of bounds! Other “Mario-running” type of animation issues abound, especially when players are in traffic outside the lane.

The controls are less complex than you'll find in the competition's games, which makes the game pretty accessible. There are some basic post moves and ball-handling moves mapped to the right stick, and an alley-oop button, in addition to the standard controls in all hoops games. The shooting "halo" (a visual guide in red, yellow, and green indicating how long you need to hold the shot button down to make the basket) and the rebounding guide (showing the location the ball will travel to after a missed shot) are especially helpful. The main problem is that the controls are unpredictable. At times, they will be very responsive, and you'll feel in complete control of every juke, jump, and stutter-step. Other times, however, especially when coming into or out of a canned animation, or when your player is in traffic, the controls will go a bit haywire, and your player will lurch or swing around without the precision necessary to keep up in this fast-paced game.

The atmosphere is merely average as well, with bulky player models, a relatively small library of animations, a generic crowd that inexplicably goes silent for a few seconds and then resumes making noise, and announcers that start repeating themselves within the first quarter of game play. There is enough distinction among the player models to identify the superstars by their looks, however. And, it does appear that a lot of effort was made to make the cut scenes in “The Life” mode seem realistic.

NBA 08 The Life v3 is strictly an arcade basketball title with some pretty significant flaws. Although it is easy to pick up and play, it’s not for serious basketball fans and NBA franchise fans. "The Life" mode is intriguing, but unfulfilling, and although different, not worth the purchase price on its own. There are simply NBA games that look better, play better, and have more to offer fans than this game provides.