Since the release of NBA 2K way back on the Dreamcast, the 2K series has been the undisputed king of basketball games. For all of NBA Live's razzmatazz, it has never been able to offer up as realistic and comprehensive an experience as the one delivered by the 2K Sports team. NBA 2K8 is no different - although the engine has seen little more than progressive tweaks and minor upgrades over the years, the foundations on which NBA 2K has been built upon have always been first class. With NBA Live 07 being a disastrous step backwards for the series, it's completely understandable that 2K Sports decided not to rock the boat for this instalment, instead opting to again build upon what was already an excellent title. Although this might seem a touch lazy, maybe even dangerous given the vast improvement made for NBA Live 08, once again every adjustment and enhancement is just about spot on, making NBA 2K8 a superior product to its predecessor in every conceivable way and, more importantly, a game that is still vastly superior to its nearest competitor. There are still a few issues yet to be ironed out, with too many missed lay-ups and overly complicated, hard to navigate menus souring the experience slightly, but as an overall package NBA 2K8 is difficult to fault - whether you're a casual basketball fan or an NBA fanatic, there really is no excuse for this game to be missed.

Although NBA 2K8 plays a great game of basketball, on first appearance there really isn't a huge difference between itself and its predecessor, NBA 2K7. The same old horrific menus greet you as you boot up and the general presentation when you get on court doesn't stand out as a vast improvement over last year's iteration. Look a bit closer though and the refined, subtle improvements soon make themselves apparent. Okay, so the average Joe probably won't recognize every last upgrade made to the game engine, but those who take an active interest in the sport outside gaming truly are in for a treat.

Although there have been many successful updates to the features on offer, it is the improved animations that are the real money shot this year. The NBA 2K series has always been blessed with some of the best animations seen in any sports game and with NBA 2K8 adding to the package with a hugely improved and extended roster of signature moves, along with the kind of transitional animations that make Pro Evo look clunky, you are left with a game that looks and plays just like the real thing. Screenshots really don't do this game justice; it is only when the game is up and running that you can see just how smoothly it all runs. Players move and react just as their real life counterparts do, jump shots are nothing short of a joy to behold and the new player-specific dribbling animations make the entire game an absolute pleasure to be a part of.

It isn't just you that will be playing out these player perfected moves either, as the AI in NBA 2K8 has also seen a sizeable improvement, largely down to the huge increase in signature animations. Although the already stellar AI from 2K8 remains largely unchanged, it is thanks to these signature moves that the CPU-controlled opposition now feels like a real opponent, the new animations really driving home just how great the AI has always been. You will find yourself defending against Steve Nash's behind the back passes, Allen Iverson's drives to the basket and powerful Shaq dunks that look like they were lifted right out of a real game. In fact, you don't even have to be playing the game to have fun; for basketball fans simply watching a game will be entertaining, taking some time to observe and take in the subtle changes and extra animations that all come together to make NBA 2K8 one of the finest sports games around.

Beyond the spectacular new animations, there have also been some minor, but once again, effective tweaks to the gameplay for this year's release. The biggest of these new additions, one that will surely please the diehards, is the play diagram. Rather than just driving the line as usual, you can now see exactly what movement each player and you should make for specific play calls. It may not be for everyone, but for those who do use it, it really gives you the opportunity to put together plays just like the pros. If this isn't for you however, yet you still find it annoying that CPU-controlled players aren't making enough offensive runs when not on the ball, you can now take control of them and push them into position before opening up the defence with a perfect pass. It might sound slightly daunting on paper, but this is an incredibly intuitive addition to the gameplay mechanic, one that opens up a lot more opportunities and individuality on offence. Skill-based moves have also been tweaked this year, with all movements, be they crossovers or spin moves, now mapped to the left analogue stick. This is sadly one of the areas where the game is still lacking though; rather than taking up NBA Live's exemplary skill moves, 2K Sports have decided to stick to their guns and attempt to improve upon their own system. Sadly it just doesn't quite come off and the controls still feel slightly stilted and forced. Don't get me wrong - they are far from terrible - it's just that they tend to tarnish an otherwise near-perfect control scheme and feel too randomised in comparison to Live's hugely intuitive method.

With all this talk of offence, you would be forgiven for thinking that defence has been untouched for 2K8. Luckily, there have been a couple of tweaks that once again have proved to be largely beneficial. When on defence you can now raise and lower your arms with the right analogue stick, which gives you a better chance of blocking passes, something that's vital given the severe regularity of reach in calls. Thanks to the new animations, defence also feels more refined, with player-specific match-ups becoming more important and fiercely contested than in previous releases.

Another improvement in the gameplay has come via changes to the free-throw system. Due to the unforgiving difficulty and annoying changes in camera angle for each free-throw, it often became a frustrating experience in NBA 2K7. For 2K8 the annoying camera changes have been removed in favour of a fixed baseline camera view, allowing for the perfection of timing. They have also been made a little more forgiving, allowing for more realistic percentages come the end of the game. No more seasons of Kobe throwing up 67% - thank God!

The NBA 2K series has never been short of game modes and NBA 2K8 is no different. Although all the same modes from 2K7 are present and accounted for, there have also been some welcome additions, along with some pleasant refinements. Yes, the menu is still ridiculously poor, but get to grips with it and you will soon come to realise just how much there is to the NBA 2K8 experience. Beyond the usual staples of quick play and season mode, there is the all encompassing franchise mode, a hugely improved street-ball mode, outstanding online play, three point shoot-outs and the brand new slam dunk contest.

The outstanding Franchise mode returns for NBA 2K8, albeit with few updates. The menus have been mercifully updated, yet still come across as overly and unnecessarily complicated, while some of the new options feel laborious at times - yet this is still far and away the most in-depth, comprehensive franchise mode out there. Some might argue that it is due a rework sooner rather than later, but with NBA Live coming up short in this department every year, you can hardly blame 2K's choice to evolve and tweak their franchise mode rather than overhaul it. The options available in franchise mode are nothing short of staggering; this is a game mode that hardcore NBA fans could lose months in, with trade-clauses, contracts, scouting reports, position placement and minutes on the court all controlled by you and all having an impact on your team and individual player morale. Of course, not everyone is going to want to immerse themselves to this great an extent, and for that reason NBA 2K8's franchise mode allows you to play the game in as deep or as shallow a way as you like. Beyond the franchise mode, if you are only interested in the trades and basic tactics then you could always play the extremely solid season mode that offers a no-frills alternative.

Street ball also returns this year and I believe the majority of players will be glad to hear that the atrocious storyline from 2K7 has been dropped. This immediately makes this mode a much more pleasant and playable experience in comparison to last year's outing and once again makes it a viable alternative to the franchise and season modes. Although street mode has been revamped as NBA Blacktop and has seen some nice refinements, it is the return of the always fun three-point shoot-out and the all-new dunk contest that really completes the package. Okay, so a dunk competition is hardly innovative or revolutionary, but it does serve as another well-implemented game mode that rounds off an already stellar package.

Although the three-point competition speaks for itself, it is the dunk competition that tries to be a little unique. Each dunk is split into three parts - the gather, the air and the finish. Each of these steps feature a wide variety of choice and when combined allow for some truly spectacular dunks. The gather is how you start; here you can throw it off the board or bounce it to yourself etc., which is carried out easily with the right analogue stick. Secondly is the air aspect of the dunk, in which you can spin, pose or twist before planting the dunk with a timed push of the right trigger to finish in style. Once you have mastered this, you can even throw in an array of props that are offered. Although this is a touch confusing at first, after a few goes you will be throwing up complex dunks in no time. As much fun as this is, down to the judges handing out some appallingly inconsistent scoring, playing against the computer soon becomes arduous and frustrating. Online however, the dunk competition soon turns into a riot, as you argue amongst friends at the suspect scores delivered!

And speaking of online play, NBA 2K8 once again proves the 2K series as the master of online options. There is the usual array of ranked and unranked matches, with up to eight players in a match. You can also play any of the Blacktop modes, including three-point shoot-out and the dunk contest. You can create tournaments, leagues and even play through an entire online season with full online draft if you are so inclined. Once again, 2K8 also plays like a dream for the most part, with little or no slowdown for the majority of games. The free-throws do take a hit with timing made that bit more difficult, but on the whole, the online experience is solid and enjoyable throughout.

As mentioned previously, there hasn't been a huge overhaul in graphical quality for NBA 2K8, but thanks to the added signature styles and superior transitional animations between moves, the game ends up looking leaps and bounds ahead of NBA 2K7. Saying that, player models have been improved, with the superstars of the NBA looking especially impressive. Sadly, the same cannot be said for some of the fringe players, who look nothing short of terrifying at times! All the arenas once again look great, with incidental touches really adding to the on-court atmosphere; cheerleaders, mascots, substitutes, coaches and the crowd all look fantastic. The audio is also top notch for the most part, with the commentators calling the on court actions with surprising accuracy while coming up with some genuinely useful and entertaining half-time analysis. The on court effects also excel at making the whole experience that little more immersing, as players make impromptu calls and trainers squeak against the hard court surface.

All the improvements, additions and exceptional gameplay really should make NBA 2K8 a monumental sports title. Sadly, due to a few underlying niggles, it falls just short of greatness. For all of the great game modes on offer, most of them are hidden amongst the mazelike menu screens. Online options, of which there are many, are especially well hidden, with access to Blacktop events buried under layers of screens and unnecessary options. Also, from a gameplay standpoint, the problems of far too many missed lay-ups and open shots in the paint that tarnished NBA 2K7 have sadly not been amended. For every sweeping move that ends with a glorious fifteen footer over a stranded opponent, there is a wide open lay-up missed with the basket at your mercy. Also, as good as the AI is, there are still issues with teammates making themselves open on offence and covering positions on defence. These really are minor issues in an otherwise exemplary package though and should not put off anyone with the least interest in basketball from picking up this game.

NBA 2K8 is still far and away that best game of basketball you are going to find. EA might have got their act together this year, but they are still a way off challenging the almighty 2K series. Naysayers might argue that the engine is due an overhaul, but honestly, when you can release a game this good with the engine that you have, what's the point of starting from scratch? The day that 2K sports have to completely revamp their NBA title probably isn't all that far away, but for the time being this more than suffices; the animations are breathtaking, the gameplay as solid as ever and the list of game modes is as robust as any game on the market. Believe me, this might only be a refinement of previous instalments, but it is a game refined to the point of near perfection.

Reviewed by Liam Pritchard for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).