We've come a long way since "Dr. J vs. Larry Bird."

The latest hoops games feature in-game sports news broadcasts courtesy of ESPN, extravagantly voiced announcers that sound just like the real thing, and fancy "Matrix"-like replays.

All that, though, doesn't necessarily mean they're fun to play.

We pitted "NBA 2K8" (rated E, $59.99 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $29.99 for PlayStation 2) against its venerable competitor, "NBA Live '08" (rated E, $59.99 for 360 and PS3, $49.99 for Wii, $39.99 for PS2) in a little one-on-one.

Watch this week's edition of "Up Down Left Right" to find out which hardwood sim comes out on top.

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Watch the video here: http://asap.ap.org/data/interactives/_moneyandgadgets/udlr/udlr30/

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"Up Down Left Right" is a weekly video feature starring asap reporters and gaming gurus DERRIK J. LANG in New York and RYAN PEARSON in Los Angeles. From separate coasts, they provide their take on today's - and sometimes yesterday's - games. E-mail them at updownleftrightap.org.