NBA '08 on the PSP provides a promising helping of what most portable gamers are looking for in a PSP game. Both the conquest mode and mini-games allow for a full gaming experience in a brief timeframe. But this is a NBA basketball game at its core, which means that portion of this game needs to measure up. Whether it holds up is a subject for debate depending on your personal preferences.
The best game mode in the game is, without question, the Conquest mode. The Conquest mode is like the conventional ladder mode, except on steroids. It's one part NBA-Jam (no fouls called) and one part strategic war game. The basic premise is that you start as one team with the intention of 'taking over' the other NBA cities. In each round, each team has the option to 'challenge' a nearby city. Once the challenge is issued, a game begins between the two cities. If the challenging city loses, the defending team gets to take one player from the challenging team and add it to their roster. If the challenging team wins, they take control of the team they beat and can use that team to challenge on the next round.
The game play in Conquest mode becomes a cat and mouse game of strategy. The location of the cities in relation to the opponents is crucial when deciding which city to challenge. Also, decision making on whether to challenge a weak or strong team also comes into play. It might be easier to take a weaker city, but that same team could be vulnerable to another challenge within the same round by another opponent. After each round, players may be moved from team to team that you currently hold (similar to reinforcements in a strategic war game). The idea is to build a perimeter of good players to fight off attacks by other teams while putting the weaker players in back to avoid using them in key challenges. It's an excellent game mode that already works extremely well. Hopefully, the developers can tinker with the game mode to make it even better without significantly altering the basic game play.
The game also comes equipped with Carnival mode. It involves several mini-games where the goal is to collect game tickets to unlock throwback jerseys, highlight reels, etc. Games similar to Pop-a-Shot and Ski-ball are available, though the controls are a bit shaky and tough to master. The best games in Carnival mode are the pinball tables. There are three tables included with the game and a 4th table is available for download. The pinball mode, while not overly intricate, makes for a nice game-on-the-go that is ideal for the PSP version of the game.
Several other mini-games are also available (Skills Challenge, Own the Court, HORSE, 3-point contest) that do not offer quite as much as the Carnival games. The one mini-game that does hold up well is the Dodge ball game. The NBA players face off against each other to determine which is the best team. Players throw, jump, dodge, and catch their way to victory. The primary game structure consists of a ladder mode tournament where you try to knock off all the other teams and be the best dodge ball team. It is not complicated, but it provides another fine example of a simple game that works well on a portable system.
There are two main game modes in the conventional NBA game: Playoffs and Season. The Playoff mode is nothing more than an abbreviated version of the Season mode, so this article will provide a discussion on the Season mode which should cover both options. The variants in the season mode are relatively basic. They consist of season length, playoff tree length and injuries, which are available for customization. Trades between teams and free agents allow virtual GM’s to try to strengthen their favorite squad, though it can be tough to improve the worst teams without any option for multi-season play. It is a bare-bones season mode that should have multi-year play to make it a better game mode.
The game play in NBA '08 is another strong point. The defensive AI of game-controlled players and teams is very good. The defensive players switch on picks to make sure the offensive player does not get an easy basket. Big-time NBA centers control the paint well and make sure that easy baskets are hard to come by. Positioning of the guards on defense is spot-on between their man and the basket. A minor complaint is that the defensive AI does not gamble enough on steals, but rather chooses to play conservatively to avoid giving up the easy basket. But overall, the defensive AI provides a great test, even on the average difficulty level.
