EA Sports has announced that a new feature is set to come soon for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 version of next-gen hoopfest NBA Live 08 (PS3,  PSP, Xbox 360, Wii). It's called Online Team Play and it's going to allow us all to compete in some nice five-on-five games. Who will be the scorers? Who will play roles? It's an exciting development and we can't wait for it to hit.

 

Electronic Arts is really trying to outdo itself with NBA Live 08. The developers are taking realism up a notch in the game, making it feel even more like a live broadcast of an NBA game with over 20,000 lines of speech from commenters Marv Albert and Steve Kerr.

To really capture the feel of a live NBA game, the developers had Albert and Kerr record their lines without scripts, ad-libbing their comments just as they would do in a live game. This preserves the spontaneity - not to mention flaws: the commenters will also be stumbling in their speech sometimes - of a live commentary.

To preserve authenticity, Albert and Kerr have also recorded 800 lines of player-specific comments for 130 players in the game. The lines will be played in the game when a specific player does a specific move (even their own signature shots) so players won't be hearing ambiguous lines referring to players who could be anybody. The commenters will really be specifying who is who in the game.

Another move for authenticity is the game's new default camera is no longer the baseline camera but rather a sideline camera, like the ones you see on a live broadcast. The change of default angles is to immerse players more into the game, but the baseline angle is still available.

Watch out for NBA Live 08 as it is released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and PC on October 2.

As if we need more reasons to look forward to EA Sports' NBA Live 08 (PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii), the folks behind the long-running NBA franchise just revealed this year's soundtrack to tease us. With 19 songs to choose from, something is sure to satisfy your need for a music fix.

There's a good selection, from Kid Beyond's Mothership to Stephen Marley's Hey Baby. Electronic Arts is quite proud with what it was able to cook up, with worldwide executive of music and marketing Steve Schnur saying that "the NBA Live soundtrack is the music industry's top playmaker."

We're inclined to agree, what with all the popular artists in the roster. "The NBA Live soundtrack is now officially a dynasty," Schnur added. Everyone's entitled to his or her opinion though, so don't be shy to give your piece after checking out what's in store. Here's the list:

• Aasim - Customer
• Cool Kids - 88
• Datarock - Fa-Fa-Fa
• The Dey - Get the Feeling
• DJ Jazzy Jeff ft. CL Smooth - All I Know
• DJ Vadim ft. Emo and Syrus - Fear Feats
• Dub Pistols ft. Terry Hall - Running From the Thoughts
• Eve - Tambourine
• The Hives - Well Alright
• Kid Beyond - Mothership
• KRS-One & Marley Marl - Hip Hop Lives
• LCD Soundsystem - Us v Them
• Stephen Marley - Hey Baby
• Kevin Michael ft. Wyclef Jean - It Don't Make Any Difference
• Mr. J. Medeiros - Silent Earth (Ohmega Watts Remix)
• Mark Ronson ft. Tiggers - Toxic
• Joss Stone - Tell Me 'Bout It
• Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson - The Way I Are
• UnkleJam - Love Ya

Buy: [NBA Live 08 (PS3)]
Buy: [NBA Live 08 (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [NBA Live 08 (PSP)]
Buy: [NBA Live 08 (Wii)]
Buy: [NBA Live 08 (PC)]

It takes a certain amount of class for a big development team to admit that they came up short for a game. In this trailer, EA Canada didn't hold back anything and admitted that NBA Live 07 didn't live up to expectations. The good thing about their acknowledgement is that they've set out on a motivated effort to make up for it by revolutionizing the franchise with EA Sports' NBA Live 08.

To prove this, they even sat down with the best NBA Live players online and got their feedback on last year's and this year's offerings. You'll see what happened to the chat in the video below.

As you will see, the new features and the older, but improved ones will be discussed. The graphics were also tackled and the commentary got some....well, comments. In any case, check this clip out and tell us what you think. NBA Live 08 is set for the Sony PlayStation 3, PSP, PS2, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and decent Windows gaming PCs.

Electronic Arts Canada, the development wing for NBA Live 08 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3), is holding its 2008 NBA Live Summer Camp in Vancouver and it's got a handful of stars to help out with tasks at hand.

Spearheading the activities will be streak-shooting Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas who will host the events come August 29. He'll be joined by other top-caliber stars like Shawn Marion if the Phoenix Suns, Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics and Josh Howard of the Dallas Mavericks. They'll be in the fray to get motion-captured for the game.

EA Canada boasts of the world's largest motion capture studio with some of the most advanced equipment for the craft. The NBA stars, according to EA, will be fitted with a special suit for the sessions. These suits will have reflectors and will be shot by 3D cameras surrounding them to capture all the information necessary to make the graphics as realistic as possible.

The sessions intend to digitize the Go-To moves of the players that NBA Live 08 will implement. We can then expect the versatility of Marion and Howard to come to life, and we'll also be seeing Arenas in perfect form as he rains down the treys.

"One of our biggest goals has always been to develop the most authentic sports games on the market," Jordan Edelstein, Director of Marketing, EA Sports. "Bringing in some of the NBA’s best athletes to EA for motion capture gives us the means to create a basketball experience as realistic in the video game as you see it on the court."

 

Buckle up, hoop fans. We've got a fresh batch of NBA Live 08 screens just for you. We all know this jammer's got a few weeks left in the locker room before it hits our shelves but to keep us all chilled, EA's letting us in on these fancy stills.

As you can see, these NBA Live 08 screens capture some of your favorite stars in the middle of their nifty moves. EA Sports has promised a new attitude, a new gameplay system and a new feel to go along with this iteration's new look.

The NBA Live franchise finds its roots from way back 1988 when Electronic Arts first came up with the idea of licensing NBA teams. A b-ball game series called NBA Playoffs was launched with the initial banner title of Lakers vs. Celtics for the MS-DOS and the rest was history. Much later, it leaped into 3D mode aboard the first Sony PlayStation and never relinquished its position as the best-selling basketball simulation out there. NBA Live 08 comes out for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony PS3.

  
 

Buy: [NBA Live 08 (PS3)]
Buy: [NBA Live 08 (Xbox 360)]

So you already have all the playground moves and you think your jumper has a sweet stroke to it. You'll still be hard-pressed to win games if you don't have what it takes to Own the Paint. In this video, you'll be shown what it takes to reign in the shaded lane by some of today's monsters down low. Have a look:

Whoa! Did you catch Kevin Garnett in his new Celtics jersey? Just thinking of his presence under the hoop should make a lot of Eastern teams sweat. Whether you're power-jamming it home like KG, swatting softie layups like Yao Ming or crashing the glass like Big Ben, you'll need to do it all with authority to show other ballclubs who's boss.

Own the Paint is one of NBA Live 08's (by Electronic Arts) Go-To Basketball facets which you'll need on your road to the finals. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your team is key to victory, so do all you can to control the interior with your big men and you'll never be sorry.

 

We've been keeping a close eye on EA Sports' NBA Live 08 for the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 for the past few months now and we must say that it's turning out to be quite a prospect indeed. This time, we're getting up close and personal with your favorite ballers in these close-up shots.

EA Sports seems to want us to see the nice effort they put into the detail on the player models in the game. From the skin tone, shadows and even trademark accessories, Live 08 is looking to be as close to the real thing as possible. Gilbert Arenas is looking as real as we've ever seen him in a game in the main screenshot above.

The NBA Live franchise is the best-selling basketball simulation in the past decade, building its reputation on nice visuals and deep features. In recent iterations, pundits have dissed the series for showing its age in terms of its look and gameplay, but this season's offering promises us a totally new ballgame.

  
 

Buy: [NBA Live 08 (PS3)]
Buy: [NBA Live 08 (Xbox 360)]

All you cyber athletes waiting for EA Sports' NBA Live 08 on the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3 will have to sit on the bench a bit more, but while you're waiting to get on the hardwood, here's a special trailer showcasing some of the game's shakes, bakes and fakes to keep you occupied:

Being a scorer is never an easy task. It's not enough that you can shoot the ball accurately. The defense will know if you're a threat and they'll be all over you like wine on rice. Good thing there's the go-to basketball system this season which you can use to perform eye-popping maneuvers to cut yourself loose.

Using a combination of fakes, speed and killer handles, you can literally create situations on your own to open up scoring opportunities for you and the rest if the team. For some people, the best defense is a potent offense and NBA Live 08 will be more than happy to accommodate that style of play.

Buy: [NBA Live 08 (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [NBA Live 08 (PS3)]

If you've ever wanted to play international hoops in a video game but couldn't find one that will offer such a thing, then worry no more. NBA Live 08 (also coming to the Xbox 360, Wii and PC) just sealed a licensing deal with world basketball governing body FIBA and international teams will be included in the mix.

The Play Now mode allows you to pit the world's best teams against any ballclub in the NBA, while the FIBA mode will have you battling it out in an 8-team tournament to determine which national squad has the right to be called world champions. This means you can take it to the rack using Manu Ginobili while Spurs teammate Tim Duncan tries to stop you. Can T-Mac shoot fadeaways over Yao Ming? We'll find out soon.

2006 World Championship winners Spain led by Memphis Grizzlies star Pau Gasal will be there as well as runners up Greece and USA, as well as France, Germany, Italy, Argentina and China.

The announcement adds to the already stellar list of new features such as the Go-To basketball gameplay, deep customization and management. Combine that with the trademark quality graphics and sound and the NBA Live dynasty just might go on well into the new age of digital sports.