NBA 08 review

Variety also abounds. Naturally, you've got your obligatory exhibitions, playoffs, seasons, and so on (no franchise, though - d'oh!). The beloved Conquest returns, this time with a couple of extra improvements to flesh it out even more. In case you missed it last season, this addictive little gem of a mode has you taking over the world one five-man team at a time, combining turn-based strategy with playground ballin' that could conceivably be its own stand-alone game. A full-fledged All-Star Weekend, droves of Carnival minigames, and online play round out a fat list of gaming options that will guarantee plenty of happy commutes.

Of course, we've still got some gripes. It's easy to lose control of your player when trying to spin your way past a defender, often ending up with the fans in the expensive seats instead of facing the basket. Missed foul shots turn into offensive putbacks far too often; we suppose that wouldn't be as noticeable if we didn't suck so bad at shooting free throws, but we digress. Our biggest complaint is still that players inexplicably stop their dribble too many times when a defender gets in their grill, no matter if it's a ballhandler extraordinaire like Jason Kidd or a clumsy center such as Yao Ming.