Screenshot comparison: NBA Live 08 vs NBA 2K8

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Posted July 26th, 2007 at 3:09 pm

NBA 2K8 cover NBA Live 08 cover art

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.

Chris Paul NBA Live 08 vs NBA 2K8 Screenshot comparison Live 08 vs NBA 2K8 PG Screenshot comparison Live 08 vs NBA 2K8 Baron Davis 2

Screenshot comparison Live 08 vs NBA 2K8 tall Screenshot comparison Live 08 vs NBA 2K8 PG 2 Screenshot comparison Live 08 vs NBA 2K8 featured

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198 ResponsesLeave a comment
  • Nate
    August 2, 2007 at 9:31 pm

    You no what? I’m gonna buy both!!! HAHA!!!!!!!

  • Nate
    August 2, 2007 at 2:31 pm

    You no what? I’m gonna buy both!!! HAHA!!!!!!!

  • slamfan4life
    August 3, 2007 at 1:32 am

    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

  • slamfan4life
    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

  • Riko
    August 3, 2007 at 4:03 am

    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

  • Riko
    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

  • Phil
    August 3, 2007 at 3:14 pm

    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

  • Phil
    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

  • ReignMan
    August 4, 2007 at 10:32 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.

  • ReignMan
    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.

  • Josh
    August 6, 2007 at 9:16 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.

  • Josh
    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.

  • Jose
    August 6, 2007 at 9:20 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.

  • Jose
    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.

  • Jose
    August 6, 2007 at 9:21 pm

    I’m sorry 2K7 not 8

  • Jose
    August 6, 2007 at 2:21 pm

    I’m sorry 2K7 not 8

  • Jose
    August 6, 2007 at 9:37 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.

  • Jose
    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.

  • G D O G
    August 6, 2007 at 10:30 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.

  • G D O G
    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.

  • G D O G
    August 6, 2007 at 10:31 pm

    Compare some Gameplay Videos and then we can actually compare. Not trailer but gameplay.

  • G D O G
    August 6, 2007 at 3:31 pm

    Compare some Gameplay Videos and then we can actually compare. Not trailer but gameplay.

  • MaxMan
    August 7, 2007 at 1:39 am

    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

  • MaxMan
    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

  • Riko
    August 9, 2007 at 5:13 pm

    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

  • Riko
    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

  • Sammie
    August 10, 2007 at 3:25 am

    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

  • Sammie
    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

  • reignman
    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 !

  • reignman
    August 10, 2007 at 2:37 pm

    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 !

  • Riko
    August 13, 2007 at 3:44 am

    NBA 2k8 rules.. the only game thats going to be better then it is Grand theft auto iv

  • Riko
    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

  • yellowman89
    August 16, 2007 at 1:06 am

    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!

  • yellowman89
    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!

  • JSERG^23
    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

  • JSERG^23
    August 18, 2007 at 12:40 am

    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

  • David
    August 20, 2007 at 3:03 pm

    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

  • David
    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

  • tmac4mvp41294
    August 22, 2007 at 4:45 am

    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

  • tmac4mvp41294
    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

  • dan
    August 22, 2007 at 6:01 pm

    NBa live 08 sucks look at the tony parker picture what is this crap? nba 2k8 is much more realistic face it

  • dan
    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

  • Wilderwun
    August 23, 2007 at 5:09 pm

    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?

  • Wilderwun
    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?

  • P-dog
    August 30, 2007 at 1:09 am

    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.

  • P-dog
    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.

  • yellowman89
    August 30, 2007 at 4:55 am

    P-dog tumbs upP-dog !

  • yellowman89
    August 29, 2007 at 9:55 pm

    P-dog tumbs upP-dog !

  • k
    September 10, 2007 at 6:51 pm

    Baron dosent even have a kneepad in live 08 LoL hows that for authentic

  • k
    September 10, 2007 at 11:51 am

    Baron dosent even have a kneepad in live 08 LoL hows that for authentic