NBA Live 08 review

The biggest new addition is "The Crown", an all-encompassing feature that surrounds each aspect of Live, from games in your dynasty to the mini-game shootouts and exhibitions. As you accomplish various tasks, ranging from the simple (beating the Bobcats by 8) to the ridiculous (winning three NBA titles), your rank increases and scads of unlockables become yours. It's a nifty way to keep you coming back for more even if the trials and tribulations of running your dynasty's team become more than you can bear. Which, inevitably, they will.

Between the dynasty, season, playoffs, All-Star Weekend, mini-games, and online matches (ad-hoc and wi-fi), you won't lack for action. We do have our share of gripes, though, the biggest being the exceeding difficulty of playing good team defense. We lost count how many times opponents split double-teams in the post and took it strong to the rim for easy deuces.