I have been playing the NBA Live series since '95 and have been loyal to it. I must agree that almost all of them have their faults which I normally just adapt to. Since I got used to the control scheme of the series, I just tend to get Live instead of the other basketball games out there.
I got the 08 for the PS3 (3 days ago), again, because its NBA Live and also since I got a sneak peak with the Demo that you can download over PSN.
The graphics will obviously blow you away with 1080P HD clarity and almost perfect players models (on some players). You can even see them sweat when you close em up. The signature go to moves are a nice touch not because its effective but they add to the experience of realism when playing the game. It sets the "superstars" apart.
The small faults that I found in this years version will either be new or were never addressed since the previous years of Live:
--The control scheme has been jumbled a bit. We all have been used to the R1 as turbo all those years then you find out that it became the direct pass and alleyoop. While the prohop and back down/post up buttons made a comeback by being designated in their original button spot.
--Passing is still inaccurate and hard to manage. Worse yet, Direct Passing access has been delayed quite a bit. You have to hold the button for at least 3 secs (again because its also designated with the alleyoop) before you can see the button icons of the player you want to pass to. This by the way will be my major gripe...
--Steve Kerr tends to shut up in the middle of the game literally. You just hear Marv Albert do commentaries alone at a time. And they say the same thing from the previous Live... I mean this is a third gen game where you pay 60 bucks a pop. EA should at least liven (yes pun, intended since its call NBA Live) the commentaries. So I normally mute the commentaries and rely on the crowd SFX intead.
--Some gameplay issues I guess can be addressed with sliders. I find too much offensive rebounds and steals in the game. Also the amount of point blank misses is just too much for me. The thing is however that I'm lazy with tinkering with the sliders.
--Roster issues for me is something I rarely deal with like the sliders. I almost always play exhibition or online. Again I'm lazy with micromanaging. I rely on online updates instead.
Overall, I can bear with the faults and enjoy the game as it is now. Little adjustments can be made customize it to your personal preference. And since I already paid for it, might as well make the most out of it.
I'm not familiar with the processes involved on how EA makes the game. Maybe its really hard to address all the issues at once due to budget constraints or whatnot. I just wish that they can at least keep the good stuff of the previous Lives and address the major issues first rather than adding a "feature" here and there. Its like you are adding a garnish on an already bad food instead of fixing the food itself.
Again hoping that next year will bring more promise...
I'd rate it 8/10