Refereeing this NBA trio is easy

At the start of every NBA season, each team has a chance to win a title (though some have a better chance than others). And as the season begins, it seems that every video game maker has an NBA simulator of its own.

So we took the three big dogs -- Electronic Arts’ NBA Live 08, 2K Sports’ NBA 2K8 and Sony’s NBA 08 -- and pitted them against each other in a tournament. Here’s how it shook out.

(Best in-game announcing)

The Chick Hearn Memorial Trophy

These days, you expect your announcers to sound as if they are really calling the action. NBA 2K8’s team of Kevin Harlan, Kenny Smith and Craig Sager make it sound like a TNT broadcast, albeit a choppy one. NBA Live’s Marv Albert and Steve Kerr sound almost natural, and NBA 08’s Mark Jackson and some guy we’d never heard before are just terrible.

Winner: NBA Live

The Chris Kaman Pose Down

(Best rendering of the Clippers’ center)

You’d be surprised how hard it is to capture the K-man’s likeness. In 2K8, he looks more like a slacker than an NBA center. In Live, he looks more like an action star. In 08, he looks like a balding mad scientist, but probably the closest thing to real life.

Winner: NBA 08

The Right Guard Scratch and Sniff Award

(Most realistic-looking sweat)

All have buckets of cyber sweat, but we could almost smell the drips in Live.

Winner: NBA Live

The James Worthy Extracurricular Activity Award

(Best extra stuff)

2K8’s NBA Blacktop mini games are like tiny versions of the NBA Street series. And at the conclusion of a game, a highlight reel is prepared for each player. Live offers just about anything you could think of, including an NBA trivia game during loading downtimes. 08 offers very little, save for the ability to download situations from actual NBA games to duplicate.

Winner: 2K8 and Live (tie)

The Kobe Bryant Award

(Best in-game action)

2K8 proves to be solid, making up for its graphical shortcomings with a ton of features and simple gameplay. NBA Live is nothing short of amazing, like the Lakers of a few years back. And NBA 08’s dismal graphics and lack of pizazz make it feel like the current Laker team if they trade Kobe: unwatchable.

Winner: SK8 and Live (tie)

And the Trophy Goes to . . .

Were this a championship series, NBA Live would beat NBA 2K8, four games to two. Though 2K8 is good, Live’s polish, variety and detail are unmatched. And because NBA 08 is so terrible by comparison, it would win the first pick in the draft.

Details: NBA 2K8; Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2; $59.99 to $29.99. NBA Live; all platforms; $59.99 to $39.99. NBA 08; PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2; $59.99 to $39.99. All three games are rated Everyone.