I doubt that there's a portable game that gives you more for your money than NBA '08. You get a ton of gameplay packed onto that little, noisy UMD disc: mini games, arcade games, skills games, an awesome conquest mode, and, oh yeah, some NBA basketball action. With all of the options available in NBA '08 it will take you a while to get tired of the game and the variety of modes make it a great game to keep tucked away in your PSP's case. Now if only the basketball itself were a bit better…

The collection of extra game modes in NBA '08 fall into three categories, All-Star Weekend, mini games, and carnival games. All-Star Weekend games consist of the various skill games that you see during the real NBA All-Star Weekend such as the three-point shooting contest. The mini games are a real mix of games. You get traditional favorites like HORSE, basketball variations like Own the Court in which you "capture" sections of the court by making a shot from that section, and completely off the wall games like dodgeball. Don't knock dodgeball; it's one of the most enjoyable game modes. The carnival games are a mix of games you'd find in an arcade - mini basketball, skeeball, whack-a-mole, etc. The best of these is the pinball game. You get three tables and more will be made available for download. The ball physics is excellent and the feel of the tables is realistic. I just wish that the tables didn't feel a little sparse. The carnival games will reward your performance with tickets which can be used to unlock items from classic jerseys to new courts. As with any collection of games this large you'll have your mix of bad and good games, but you'll find enough that you like to keep you occupied when you need a quick little basketball-themed game fix.

You can also play basketball, as an individual game, a playoff bracket, or even an entire season. There's not much outside the on-court action in these modes, but that's both expected and perfectly acceptable for a portable title. The game uses a colored-ball mechanism for shooting that makes each shot a timing mini game. As the player goes up the ball will change from red to yellow to green and back again. To give the shot the best chance to go in you'll need to release the shot button when the ball goes green. It's a cool little system that keeps the guesswork out of determining the best time to release the shot, especially when you're playing on such a relatively small screen. The game's biggest shortcoming is its inconsistent AI, especially when it comes to driving the lane. The game makes it next to impossible for you to do so, but your team will constantly leave wide lanes open when on defense and your opponents will light you up from inside. It's a little tricky to get your players to pull off a fast break as up-court passing is a crapshoot you often lose, so games consist of you working methodically to setup an outside shot while trying to quickly close down the lanes to the basket yourself while on defense. It's a bit odd to play as Phoenix against Detroit and have to try to slow the tempo of the game while the Pistons are trying to furiously push the ball up court. NBA '08 can be fun to play, but you'll be left wishing that it played a better and more realistic game of hoops.

This brings us to the Conquest mode, which is so cool that it alone just may be enough reason to pick up the game. Conquest mode divides up the country into regions and connects the NBA cities together in a way that resembles a board game such as Risk. Each round each team has the option of invading one of the cities to which it is connected. A shortened game of hoops ensues and if the invader wins that team takes over the city and its players. If the invader loses, then the victorious defender is allowed to swap a player with the invading team - and the loser has no say in it. Between rounds you can move players between the cities which adds a strategic element to the game. Do you build a powerhouse team of superstars and leave your other cities defended by weak teams? Or do you spread around the talent to try and protect your holdings? Geography also comes into play. If you manage to close off all routes to a city, then you can use it as a dumping ground for your worst players and make your frontline teams stronger. Conquest mode has got to be one of the most creative modes ever to be included in a sports game and it can be pretty addicting.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 79%. There's a lot of gameplay packed into the large number of game modes in NBA '08, but you'll wish the basketball itself was a bit better.