When the game is on the line and the ball is in your hands, what will you do? Will you penetrate, drive the lane and rise above the rim for a monster dunk, or find an opening on the perimeter and sink a game-winning three? Take control of the game with a full arsenal to win the one-on-one match-up from every spot on the floor with NBA LIVE 08.

Taking a page out of NBA STREET Homecourt’s book, NBA LIVE 08 introduces Quickstrike Ballhandling. This intuitive gameplay mechanic is mapped to the right analog stick and gives you the direct responsiveness you need to perform a full repertoire of ankle-breaking ball-handling moves that let you dominate on the perimeter.

Pass the ball inside and win the battle in the post with all-new ‘own the paint’ post play for the big men down low. Use the new shot-countershot control to string together combos of fakes and shots to fool your defender into committing and create space for the game-defining bucket.

Providing an unrivaled level of authenticity to the sport, NBA LIVE 08 introduces hot spots, where real NBA shot data is used to illuminate the locations on the floor where your players are most effective. Couple this with all-new signature go-to moves that capture the essence of the NBA’s best, and you can now play the game on a console like you see it from the stands.

On the perimeter, in the paint, and with complete authenticity to the sport of basketball, dominate with your go-to move with NBA LIVE 08.

The set includes tracks by old school legends DJ Jazzy Jeff featuring CL Smooth and KRS-One & Marley Marl, as well as underground hip-hop players The Cool Kids and Kid Beyond, along with 15 instrumental tracks produced by Agallah the Don Bishop. Several of the year's most acclaimed and daring new artists make appearances, including Norway ravers Datarock, New York City's acclaimed dance-punk project LCD Soundsystem, and Mark Ronson with a cover of Britney Spears' "Toxic". The NBA's burgeoning European presence is felt via cuts from Britain's DJ Vadim, R&B sensation Joss Stone; Ska kings Dub Pistols featuring Terry Hall of '80s legends The Specials; and the debut of Electro-Soul collective UnkleJam.

Other debuts on the game include "Customer" from rising Bad Boy Aasim; "Get The Feeling", the title track of the forthcoming debut album from Latino hip-hop/R&B trio The Dey; "It Don't Make Any Difference" from soul-funk wunderkind Kevin Michael featuring Wyclef Jean; and "Well Alright", an incendiary collaboration between Swedish rockers The Hives and multi-platinum beat master Pharrell Williams.

"When it comes to defining new music for the coming year, the NBA LIVE soundtrack is the music industry's top playmaker," said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing at EA. "On previous soundtracks, we've introduced acts like Fabolous, Gnarls Barkley, Lupe Fiasco and Mark Ronson. This year, Mark returns with a great new track, The Dey and Kevin Michael will be among the year's breakthrough artists, we've got several landmark collaborations, and we're proud to have what may be the strongest singles ever from Eve, Timbaland and Stephen Marley. The goal remains to further define the global cultural phenomenon of music - and help shape its future - via one of the hottest sports videogame franchises in the world today. The NBA LIVE soundtrack is now officially a dynasty."

The complete in-game soundtrack for NBA LIVE 08 includes:

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

Features :

• Whether you’re pushing the ball upcourt or backing down a defender inside, quicker, more responsive ball-handling moves allow you to break down opponents and take complete control of your game with the right analog stick.
• Put the ball in the hands of your big men and go head-to-head in the lane. With all-new moves and counters, including pump fakes, drop-steps, and spins, post play has never been better.
• Using actual NBA shot tracking data, know who to feed and who to defend based on a shooter’s Hot Spots, an all-new on-screen overlay showing you exactly where a player is most dangerous.
• Every player has a go-to move that they consistently go to when the game is on the line. Now the signature go-to moves of the NBA’s best players have been realistically re-created to help you score when it counts. That patented step back jumper? A fadeaway with the big leg kick? If it’s in the game, it’s in the game.
• 5-on-5 gameplay has never looked so good. Featuring enhanced player spacing and behavior logic in the half-court, upgraded passing and rebounding mechanics, and an all-new two player interaction engine.
• From deep three-point shots well beyond the arc to 10-foot jumps shots in the paint, every shot attempt has been redesigned to provide more fluid, realistic results. Dunks and lay-ups are now assigned to the same button command making highlight reel plays even easier to perform.
• Player faces, team uniforms, and authentic arenas jump to life behind the power of next-generation game graphics. Whether you’re working on your game in the revamped practice gym or playing in front of a packed house, feel what it’s like to be an NBA superstar.
• Running at a smooth 60 frames per second, NBA LIVE 08 is as close as you can get to the court, without dropping dime for courtside seats.

NBA LIVE 08, rated 3+ by PEGI and "E" (Everyone), will be available in early October for the PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, and the Wii., while it will ship to retailers on PC in late October.