by Chris Buffa on Wednesday, October 08, 2008
NBA 2K9, much like its predecessors, requires some basketball knowledge to enjoy. You can't just pick up the controller and expect to blow out the computer, and if you do, you'll receive a beat down of steals, fast breaks and powerful dunks. This is what makes the game so appealing to hoops fanatics.. But when Kobe Bryant misses an easy lay-up, or when the referees call a foul before it happens, it's hard to appreciate the effort.
For years, conspiracy theorists argued that the NBA fixes games, and 2K Sports unwittingly adds proverbial fuel to the fire with its biased refs. On very rare occasions, an offensive player will go into a lay-up or dunk animation, and just as we press the button to jump the ref whistles us for the foul, despite our defensive player standing at least five feet away from the ball carrier. However, this is a small piece to a larger problem, that being 2K9's canned animations. Once a player goes into his move, it's almost impossible to stop him from scoring. You'll either block him (the least likely scenario) or commit the foul. You simply can't impede his progress unless you trick him into an offensive foul. Even if he misses, one of his teammates is usually underneath the basket, ready to tap in the ball with his fingertip. Ever see Darko Milicic out-rebound Kevin Garnett? You're about to.
When NBA 2K9 is on its game, all of the dunks, jump shots and behind the back passes look phenomenal. This is especially true of the dunks, which players deliver with authority. At the same time, our guys awkwardly fight around screens and shoot with a herky-jerky motion.
Off the court, NBA 2K9 has one of the worst presentations in sports games It's full of drab looking and sterile menus that 2K forces you to navigate with the right analog stick or the triggers, a puzzling decision that makes EA Sports' NBA Live 09 look brilliant by comparison.
So here's the crazy thing. Despite players intentionally turning the ball over in games of 21, setting screens on nobody and getting our butts kicked most of the time, we love this game. The issues we described occur infrequently. Other goodies include a great risk and reward system, where running specific plays or making questionable decisions usually result in us jumping off our couches and talking smack to either the AI or our ego bruised buddies. Becoming effective with the Shot Stick takes practice, but once you have it down, you'll hit threes and adjust your shot in midair to avoid blocks. Lockdown Defense, which lets us play up on the ball carrier, forces turnovers, and since the action moves faster than previous NBA 2K games, expect more intense fast breaks.
Of course, that ties into the computer's insane difficulty or as 2K Sports calls it, Adaptive AI. Even on Pro (the default setting), the artificial intelligence has a knack for going on miraculous fourth quarter runs to quickly erase your 10-point lead. This also involves blocking all of your lay-ups and your superstar players (Kobe, Lebron) forgetting how to find the basket in crunch time. At first it felt cheap, but then we realized we were guilty of running the same three plays. The computer made adjustments. That's pretty sweet.
Sure, the menu system blows, but 2K Sports nailed other presentation elements, such as a nifty substitution window that shows you which players are on the court. There's also solid commentary by analyst Clark Kellogg, Kevin Harlan and NBA on TNT's Cheryl Miller, though the first two deliver more robotic sounding lines.
Graphically,. players have tiny jagged edges, but overall, this is a stellar looking basketball game, with realistic courts, mascots, players (though some faces are better than others), animations (guys help up fallen players) and one of the best crowds ever; they stand up for big shots, sit down when other teams score and wave towels and foam fingers.
You also have plenty of modes to enjoy, including online play for up to 10 people, a 2K Share mode to upload/download created players, teams and sliders, as well as a Living Rosters feature that works similar to NBA Live's Dynamic DNA, though 2K Sports intends to update its system weekly (NBA Live posts new stats daily).
Association 2.0, a revamped Franchise Mode with NBA.com integration, keeps you up to speed on all the trades, rumors and injuries from the 08/09 season. As you progress, you'll encounter players that block trades because they refuse to leave a winning team, a new letter grade system that defines a player's overall skills, player scouting, a simpler financial feature, customizable contracts and a plethora of other things, guaranteed to hold your attention.
If you'd rather get a quick game of 21, you can head to New York City's Rucker Park, where you can also enjoy the 3PT Shootout, a dunk contest and pick-up games. Just be mindful of your defense. Fail to man up, and the computer will outscore you 21-0.
This all combines to form an impressive hoops package that's worth your money if you intend to invest the time become a quality ball player. Yes, NBA 2K9 has shortcomings, but it will keep you occupied well into the season. We just hope 2K Sports fixes the aforementioned issues before NBA 2K10. Otherwise, this franchise is in danger of getting bumped from the first round.
For more NBA news, check out AOL Sports
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