Screenshot comparison: NBA Live 08 vs NBA 2K8
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I went ahead and placed an NBA Live 08 screenshot side-by-side with each of the five new NBA 2K8 screens. I didn’t use the dunk contest ones from 2K8 since there is nothing comparable from Live in terms of the environment. I attempted to find two that were at least close to matching up. Both games are set to come out on the same day (October 2nd) so they should be in similar states of development.
Before anyone makes the comment, obviously screens don’t determine which game will end up being “better”. However this is all that 2K has released thus far making it the only comparison between the two games that can be made.
Click the thumbnails below to view the full size images.
99 ResponsesLeave a comment
August 2, 2007 at 2:31 pm
You no what? I’m gonna buy both!!! HAHA!!!!!!!
August 2, 2007 at 6:32 pm
the jerseys and shorts look way better on 2k, I own 2k7 and live 07 and 2k owns it, live is realllly unrealistic, so I’m gonna stick with 2k until I see something major, on the 1st screen on your right, both screen shots look real but the 2k has his brace and I’m sure things will be added to both games since that huge Garnett deal went down
August 2, 2007 at 9:03 pm
ok there phil.. i can enlighten u about other things that are frusturating with the live.. lets completely put the sucky gameplay out to the side.. 1st thing wrong is the foot sliding on the court which u hardly would ever see in the 2k basketball, with live it sometimes seems like ur on skating rink when u do the dribbles.. the crowd absolutley is terrible they look like cardboard and in 2k basketball they are walking around and standing the whole last minute of a close game which they dont do in live.. another thing i noticed is that 2k basketball has more signature shots not just on stars but even for bench players you dont hear about, nba live 08 is putting the signature shots also but it’ll be only on the more common athletes u hear about.. another thing is they are horrible in features, 2ksports always has cutscenes and half time shows unlike nba live all they have is the entrance.. and to ur dunk contest dispute 2k8 basketballs dunk contest will be way more realistic, half of the bull shit u pull of in live is an impossible dunk to do… im sure im missing alot more things but u’ll see what i am talking about once u play it, and i’ll rent the demo also just to see how they did this year cause im really anxious to see if the game has been fixed cause last years was a joke and i’ll figure out if this years live was all hype
August 3, 2007 at 8:14 am
ill admit, last years sucked. but im not talkin about last year im talkin about 08. the foot sliding can be fixed and 2k7 had a lot of foot slidin so i dont no wat ur talkin about. Both crowds look pretty bad in all the screens but ur playin basketball, not lookin at the crowd! And in the stage demo the dude said they had hundreds of sig shots. And nobody even plays the dunk contest! its just an added feature. Both games will be good but im buyin Live
August 4, 2007 at 3:32 am
NBA Live 08 looks great, just like it did last year. That was not its problem. Everyone is amazed, how good the screenshots are, but this is not enough for a good game. There were different reasons, due to it got only 60-65% from the criticists. It is just so obvious, even the hardcore live fans agree with it.
What bball-game-lovers are looking for, is realistic 5on5 gameplay, great atmosphere (like halftime report, authentic stadium feeling, with dancers, cut-scenes etc…), fair franchise mode, excellent mocap moves, it all should be as similar as possible to a real NBA game. I do not care about dunk-contest, or FIBA license.
Well, I was watching all the live 08 gameplay videos available, I found interviews, trailers, animations. It looks better, but I can NOT see major changes in gameplay, but I see the same old animations, the players act like robots, or dolls, skating on the floor, not much interaction between the ballers. AND THE SAME OLD MARKETING SHIT, AND PROMISES, I AM LISTENING SINCE 2000. Certainly we can make up our mind after the release, but this is my pre-verdict.
I have started playing with NBA games since ‘97. I play with basketballgames in 95% of the total gametime. I play ball in reality too. I do know, what I am talking about.
August 6, 2007 at 2:16 pm
NBA Live’s graphics suck and the court sucks balls. NBA 2K8 is too easy. But better but they need to make both games funner. Theyre both boring 2 me. So they need to work on making both games funner. But at least Kevin Durant and Greg Oden are in the game.
August 6, 2007 at 2:20 pm
NBA Live needs to make the game more fun. I got the 2007 version and it sucked. NBA 2K8 is boring as hell. The game is too easy but boring. I stop playing after 2 or 3 games. So both games need to improve their way of making the game funner.
August 6, 2007 at 2:21 pm
I’m sorry 2K7 not 8
August 6, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Also both games should make the basket better. Especially NBA Live 2008 because theres sucked in 2007. Also NBA 2K8 should make it more realistic. Also make the shooter shoot the way they really do. Because Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant and other players shot a completely different way.
August 6, 2007 at 3:30 pm
I know this article is about the graphics but gameplay is what counts and LIVE hasnt been good since the SNES Days. 2k is still the king of B-Ball. As for a comment on the graphics, well both games look good but which one will make those graphic look good through gameplay. Screenshots dont mean anything unless it is an actually gameplay shot.
August 6, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Compare some Gameplay Videos and then we can actually compare. Not trailer but gameplay.
August 6, 2007 at 6:39 pm
no1 knows if Live is better than 2k(vice versa) this year unless u actually played both games so quit complainin whos better. just buy wat u want. if u think 2k is that great, go buy. u dont have to tell eveery1. both games will be solid so get off the boards and play real basketball. Peace
August 9, 2007 at 10:13 am
no maxman everyone knows that 2k8 will be better.. another bad year coming from live the only new edition i like nba live will have is the internatioal play but still the gameplay is going to be wack
August 9, 2007 at 8:25 pm
man idk i was a live fan 02-04 and a 2k fan k5-k7 this year im gonna rent nba 08 with amare live and 2k and see which is better b4 i get one i have a feeling agent 0 is gonna make live better this yr
August 10, 2007 at 7:37 am
well.. seeing you over here arguing blah blah blah…
i myself was a live fan to… although this year i bought xbox360 and also got nba2k7. well i never played nba live again. the distance between these two games is HUUUUUUUUUGE. nba2k7 got almost everything BUT the faces. if they could get the guys that make tha faces for live and bring them to 2k then its all over for ever. i mean even now the odds are 90-10 for 2k. guess what’ll happen if the faces come to 2k . i’ll say it in on word : P A N I C !
August 12, 2007 at 8:44 pm
NBA 2k8 rules.. the only game thats going to be better then it is Grand theft auto iv
August 15, 2007 at 6:06 pm
the bottom line is game play last year 2k delivered live didnt so obviously their going 2 improve big time in dat department so for all the pll sayen 2k is for real ballers or trowen up the 3pt flotters tht are sooooo easy 2 make {in live 07}cut it! plus 2k will cost like a ton more,im a live fan so yeah im a littel bias, but yeah live looks better HANDS DOWN!
August 17, 2007 at 5:40 pm
ill stick with 2k but im not sure cause live got better graphics than 2k but the gameplay is another thing…i wanna see both gameplay videos! 2k is better for people who wants to enjoy real basketball and i dont know bout live lol
August 20, 2007 at 8:03 am
i like 2k’s gameplay but the graphics for NBA Live 08 look better but if they changed the gameplay for nba live thats different
August 21, 2007 at 9:45 pm
imma 2k fan but since faggots up their wanna talk bout how the jerseys look lets just say 2ks are all shiny and lives look real fuck it im gonna get both
August 22, 2007 at 11:01 am
NBa live 08 sucks look at the tony parker picture what is this crap? nba 2k8 is much more realistic face it
August 23, 2007 at 10:09 am
Ok,lets talk about gameplay,if you want real basketball or simulation get 2k8. Its the most realistic gameplay ever.
Now graphics. Lives faces look better on the screenshots but thats it,everything else goes to 2k8. I have owned all the basketball games even the wack ones.
You want arcade style go with 08. You want realism in all aspects of the game go with 2k8. Oh yea i been playin ball for 15 years. Download the demos and make a choice based on arcade ball or simulation basket ball. And what?
August 29, 2007 at 6:09 pm
i read somewhere 2k is completly starting the gameplay over because live is doin relly good but they screwed up and they are tryin to fix the game play thats why there is like no info on 2k. so people who have played 2k8 said its worse than live 07. i didnt believe it but it makes sense. i really liked 2k but live will do better just because they screwed up. They also are gonna try to copy alot of lives feature like fiba and hotzones. 2k is done.
August 29, 2007 at 9:55 pm
P-dog tumbs upP-dog !
September 10, 2007 at 11:51 am
Baron dosent even have a kneepad in live 08 LoL hows that for authentic
September 10, 2007 at 4:07 pm
i have gotten nba live games ever since 2003 and i got live 07 cus i always thought nba live was the best b-ball video game series but that changed when i went to a friends and played 2k7 on his 360. i was AMAZED at how much better the gameplay AND graphics were plus the halftime report and shit like that was awesome!! the only thing i didnt like better about it than live 07 was the dnasty mode. u cant do as much stuff and when trading a player u atomatically get wut u want, the team doesnt even reply to reject or accept the offer and they forgot about player’s salary!….thats not realistic! and u cant train players, sign staff, etc. if these nba games didnt have dyansty then i wouldent even buy them! so im praying that they 2k8 change to just what live 07 was like then 2k8 will be perfect!
September 14, 2007 at 2:59 am
nba live 08 has improved heaps…even though the legs are skinny and the shorts are skirts..whos gonna look at that wen theyre playing?
if you wanna see videos of gameplay and the improvements of 08 go to
http://www.easports.com/nbalive08
September 14, 2007 at 3:00 am
oh and look at the baby oil on the players on 2k8
who looks like their already exhausted when they havent even played yet?
September 14, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Freddie what you wrote was exactly what happened to me, i turned into a 2k guy, but man i just downloaded the live 08 demo on xbox and that thing is incredible. seriousley im thinking bout going back to Live, as a matter of fact im gonna drop a deposit tomorrow.
September 16, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Live demo Sucked. Im stickin definitely wit 2k. When is it available in stores??
September 16, 2007 at 4:15 pm
october 2nd, like 2 weeks from now, i cant wait. both live 08 and 2k8 come out on that day
September 17, 2007 at 7:27 pm
i am getting both games, but im worried that i am going to fall in love wit 2ks game play and not go back to nba live, and it could be a waste of money
September 19, 2007 at 5:58 am
Anyone who cares about playing a game that remotely resembles basketball would play 2k8. Anyone who wants to play arcade ball plays live. If you have ever played ball in real life, or watch basketball as an avid fan, you get 2k8. If you are 10 and only care about graphics and arcade games. Get live.
September 21, 2007 at 5:12 pm
NBA LIVE 08 BABY ALL THE WAY
September 23, 2007 at 1:19 pm
t-mac looks better than the cover boy chris paul and t-mac ain’t the coverboy
September 25, 2007 at 1:10 am
LOL live fanboy using bad 2k8 pics as comparisms!
September 25, 2007 at 12:40 pm
got to go live with real faces and no sweat that could fill the great lakes
September 27, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Nba live is the best, the ones saying live sucks dont know what they are talking about. Nba live last year was surpose to be the best but instead it was Nba 2k7. This year it will be the other way around, Nba 2k8 is the flavorite this year but Live will be the winner in the end. Gameply also must do with graphics.
September 27, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Stop haten on Nba live 2008 just because all the 2k8 fans know 2k8 sucks ass.All you haters start jumping on the ship because last year 2k was boring and so will it be this year. Listen to the game master when I tell you live has improve. With just alike nba moves, better post play and better defence Live has 8 International teams,some Teams is Italy, China, Spain, America, France, Argentina, Brazil and Greece with a better dynasty mode and better online play,liVE HAS MOVE TO THE NEXT GENERATION. Also Graphics is part of game play if it dont look a like how can it be better gameplay.Foe exzample look at chris paul in both 2k and live ask your self which is better,live right? also I know what I am talking about because I play basket ball in college so because I play I should know if its real or not even the pros said its real all of them have said live is the way to go. Kobe said in the LA times “I have both 2k8 and LIVE 08 personaly live gives tha fan a tast on how we play 2k8 Shows only half of our game and I cant lie I love lives animations this year when they gave me the second copie of the game I didnt know what to think of the game ( THEN KOBE ENDED ) I will tell you go get live 08″.so if not belive kobe.
September 29, 2007 at 5:32 pm
the live demo is off the hook and its just a demo i cant wait till the real game comes out. The only good thing i hear about 2k is in the franchise mode each player has a personality thats it. We all have eyes and lets not lie to are selves (fanboys)live looks better this year and the gameplay is better than ever its so real. i hate how ppl just go off of the past this game is the shit 2k is boring and online it is the king of arcade. all ppl do is dunk and shoot three’s at least this year in live there air collisions and u cant just dunk on anyone and live got the international teams. give it a chance last year was last year and 2k was still not great it was just the fact that live wasnt that good either. this year u all will be shocked and stop taking video games to serious u guys are killin me with all this shit about the croud. i like both franchises the same but it seems like to the 2k fan boys as long as the croud is cool than its ok to be boring. Any true baller will get both games anyway i do every year and i know that 2k fan boys will rip me but its cool u guys are loyal just please just dont lie to everybody about this shit who ever is comfused just get both.
and this is to the true ballers at one point in time live was king and then 2k took over so why is it a shock that this is lives year????
Enjoy both games on october second i will
September 29, 2007 at 5:40 pm
i’ve played both demos..
Live 08 owns in realistic graphics but player movements seem stiff and robot like.
2k8 owns in realistic movements, and smoother gameplay, but graphics seemed only slightly improved from a year ago.
Live has improved and is great to look at.. but 2k8 is more fun to play.
why cant the NBA gaming industry come together and combine the two so we can enjoy both, the beauty of the graphics and realistic gameplay. sucks we have to choose from the two.. but i’ll go with gameplay.
September 30, 2007 at 7:46 am
im definatley going with live 08. i looked at its gameplay and 2k8’s gamplay and live has really improved. in 2k8 all the players look too skinny and tall for their actual height and weight.
September 30, 2007 at 7:50 am
and i trust nba live 08’s dynasty mode more. thats my favorite thing on it. i wouldent buy these video games if they didnt have dyansty mode
September 30, 2007 at 10:39 pm
NBA Live 08 all the way, hands down. Key word Go-to-moves : ) two days away.
October 1, 2007 at 4:20 pm
just played the 2k8 demo and damn i feel bad for the fanbos the players are skinny as hell and they have skin tone prob (i play on high def so its not the tv) manu is slightly red in this game and the game play is the same shit as last years sam exact thing it looks like they took last years game updated the roster and f*cked up the colors i was shocked i thought this game was going to kill it looks like the same thing as last year they did nothing new and it sux im still getting both but live 08 is looking way better and live let the demo out way b4 2k i thought 2k was keeping it a secret cause they had some special shit but no same game so if fanboys hate live i know what u can do put your money in your pocket pop in 2k7 yes 2k7 update your roster player create Kevin Durrant and punch your tv a few times and you got 2k8. just tape the number 8 over the 7 next to 2k, and u cant even tell th differece.
October 2, 2007 at 1:15 pm
OH MY FUCKING GOD NBA LIVE 08 IS THE BEST, I JUST GOT IT I DONT EVEN KNOW WHY IM ON HERE NOW. BYE IM GOIN TO PLAY IT ITS SO AWESOME!!!!
October 2, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Yeah yeah yeah, i hear every1 talkin bout graphics. both look good, now lets talk bout the game play. Live is a playground nba and 1 game, and thats the bottom line. if you a real b ball guy you know that 2k has the closet to real life gameplay.
October 3, 2007 at 3:36 am
Would everyone quit comparing and say which one is the better! I haven’t opened either of the $140+ dollar games here.
October 4, 2007 at 7:00 am
nba 2k8 looks like its taking over
but Live i’m hoping that you all can come back tremendously