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NBA 2K9 XBOX 360 REVIEW |
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This 2009
basketball season gives sports fan something to
smile about as publisher 2K showcases a number
of revolutionary features that change the way
you play hoops onscreen. 2K Sports is soaring
into new heights with their latest offering of
NBA 2K9. It all starts with redefining the
gameplay to keep 2K loyalists satisfied. As you
know, last year’s performance was incredible but
it was more of the same because much of its
content were recycled materials. With the
demands for progression, Visual Concepts is in
the forefront to up the ante. Thanks to the
extra layers of animation, NBA 2K9 feels like
the way basketball is meant to be played.
Signature moves are a few of the game’s
commendable properties; they have improved a
considerable level, which provide a sense of
being one of today’s NBA superstars.
One of the biggest improvements in the NBA 2K9
is the play mechanics. The fouls have toned down
a bit, which gives you more on-court action and
less people shooting at the free throw line. You
won’t be getting any of those petty calls just
for nudging the ball-handler, sizing up your
man, or crowding the passing lane for potential
turnover. Most of the common fouls related to
shooting and blocking are now at a more
tolerable levels, giving casual gamers a chance
to redeem themselves. In addition, the blocking
mechanism has been given a face lift. It is more
accurate now as opposed to last year where
players shoot through you like ghosts! You’ll
also notice that the players on the court are
less likely to incur backcourt violation and
goaltending. It seems that Visual Concepts have
minimized those sensitive areas that are prone
to whistle blowing. As a result, you have more
room to express your skills without getting into
foul trouble.
Granted the play mechanics have become a bit
more forgiving than in the past, but this is not
to say the action on the court is all but a
breeze. Isomotions are still a little loose and
out of place. Trying to psych a defender with a
crossover or a spin move requires a lot of work
and most of the time it’s not the steps you end
up doing. The conflict stems from having the
left stick inheriting all the fancy dribbles by
holding down the turbo button. Normally, the
left stick is strictly used for moving a player;
so when you apply ankle breakers on top of that,
you’re creating a complicated footwork. As a
result, your player tend to run in a direction
that you didn’t want him to go in the first
place. Needless to say, player movement and
trick moves should have been placed in separate
functions. Fortunately, the game comes with
other button configurations, which you can
modify to somewhat suit your playing style. |
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PRODUCT
OVERALL RATING: 8.8 OUT OF 10 |
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When it
comes to highlight materials, NBA 2K9 knows how
to deliver the very spectacle of the sport.
Thanks to the impressive animation, the game
brings all the NBA experience home. This year,
it’s not all about the new dunks, though I have
to admit that the latest dunk collection has
more authoritative flair to it. But what’s
thrilling about NBA 2K9 is the repertoire of
jaw-dropping moves that leaves you practically
in awe. One example is bouncing the ball high
over two defenders and stuffing it home. There
are other occasions where you’d be crossing over
the ball at the back of your legs into the front
and hot stepping your way into a spectacular
layup. You also got these acrobatic shots – what
look to be a sure tomahawk slam would wind up
into a double clutch that ends with a sweet
finger roll. NBA 2K9’s animations are simply
incredible! Don’t be surprised if you find
yourself using the replay mode a lot.
Visual Concepts really emphasized on bringing
several new action sequences into the game.
Because of that, you’ll see some interesting
dispositions like you’ve never seen before. Here
is one incident: we set up a screen hoping to
get an offensive charging; instead the player
dribbling the ball took a tumble to the ground
upon hitting one of our big men. We picked up
the ball and tried to run straight to the
basket, but our opponent was still lying there
in front of us. Instead of going around him, our
guard just hopped over him and made a successful
layup. Another interesting encounter we had was
when we were driving towards the basket. There
was a backdoor cut so we took it, not knowing
one of their speedy guards had already sited us
and therefore lunged at us with a very hard
foul. Of course our player sailed into the
crowd, but the very person who fouled us helped
us back up in which he tries to show no hard
feelings of some sort. These are some of the
cool animations you’ll appreciate in this year’s
NBA 2K9.
Graphically, the game is very impressive! The
arenas feel much livelier than last year thanks
to engaging crowds, cheerful mascots, sideline
commotions, and attentive ball boys to name a
few. Character models look a lot closer to their
real life counterparts and the lighting effects
do an excellent job of delivering the tone of an
authentic NBA game. With respect to game modes,
most of them are relatively intact. Association
mode has seen a few upgrades, especially in the
trades and contracts departments, in which they
have been streamlined to make everything easier.
The Blacktop mode is still here and the biggest
change to it is that the dunk contest is much
simpler and therefore more enjoyable. In the
audio front, there are a few tweaks but nothing
noteworthy. The announcers do a fine job of
calling the play-by-play and analyzing the
action. However, they tend to repeat themselves
on various occasions. The crowds are loud but
they do it at the right ambience. The arena
music is alright but the jam session is where
the good sounds kick in.
NBA 2K9 comes out of the Xbox 360 arena as the
undisputed champ, despite some stiff competition
from EA’s NBA Live 09. The game definitely holds
more weight in capturing the NBA experience,
especially with the inclusion of “living
rosters” that provide up-to-the-minute
statistical changes. The new revamped gameplay
offers a more balanced action on the court and
more room to express your skills without getting
into foul trouble. Visual Concepts have
minimized those sensitive areas that are prone
to whistle blowing and therefore it gives casual
gamers a chance to be able to appreciate this
illustrious sport. There is one downside to NBA
2K9, which is the isomotion scheme that is still
somewhat out of place; it might need tweaking
next year. Fortunately, the impressive animation
more than makes up for it. NBA 2K9 is the most
realistic basketball game you’ll find on any
other console and the solid audio component all
adds to an amazing court-side package. If you
want to feel and live NBA as is, then NBA 2K9 is
the way to go. |
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