NBA 2K9 is simply stuntastic. It's the closest any basketball game has come to perfection and its competition knows it. That being said, it's not without its flaws.
The most enjoyable aspect of playing 2K9 is the way the it looks. To get the full effect though, you need an HD TV. It doesn’t matter if it’s 720p or 1080p because both are visually glorious. The reflections of the lights on the hardwood floors of the NBA arenas are just unreal. The player’s faces and even their tattoos are spot on for the most part.
Naturally, there are some players that defy the realistic trend and look absolutely crazy. The only problem with the graphics (and I think this is primarily on PS3) is that players seem to have ghosting white lines around them. I understand that the white are representing the lighting from the arena, but it just looks unusual. Also there are times when the center court logos for different teams look blurry at certain points, but these are minute issues.
One aspect of the NBA 2K franchise that tends to fall behind is the commentary. This year Kevin Harlan is back, but with Clark Kellogg instead of Kenny Smith. There are some points at which Kevin Harlan’s commentary is very accurate and his enthusiasm matches the plays. Sadly, there are also moments when Kevin and Clark are absolutely off.
After playing a few games, you will hear all of the key stats about certain players and teams repeated so often that you can just about memorize them. For some reason, 2K just can’t get their commentary to match the high quality of NBA Live. However, this is probably the only significant weakness in NBA 2K9.
The animations in 2K9 are what make this game insane. Since arriving on current gen systems, NBA 2K has had signature jump shot animations for almost ever NBA player. All the Superstars, Stars and bench warmers have their own signature jump shot. The cover athlete for the game, Kevin Garnett, was motion captured to have his own shot duplicated for the game. Most of the other animations are imitated by motion capture artists.
A few discrepancies naturally arise such as Allen Iverson’s signature jump shot which, in 2K9, is just nowhere near his real life formt. In fact, Iverson’s default jump shot looks more like that of Timberwolves player Al Jefferson. Thankfully, 2K9 gives you the option of editing players signature jump shot animations, which is a huge plus because you can give different players any type of jumper you deem fit for that player.
There are different sites that have dedicated sections just for user suggested signature jump shots for different players. There are some gamers that think that Kobe’s jumper is way off while some think it’s perfect. This area is a highly debated topic among dedicated NBA 2K9 gamers.
In fact, the debates are so heated that it has been suggested by the 2K9 community that 2K sports should institute three jump shot animation points to remedy the problem of jumper inaccuracy. One point should be a standstill position, the second would be for stepping into, and the third would be a jump shot of the dribble. Customizing each phase of the jump shot should help calm the cries of angry fans.
Along with signature jump shot animations the 2K series has signature Dunk Packages. This has been in the 2K series since its jump to the next gen, but this year they have added packages for more than just dunks.
This year contains signature layup animations for Steve Nash, Chris Paul, and Tony Parker. They also added in signature moves for Rajon Rondo’s “show and go move “and Jamal Crawford’s “behind the back crossover move.” I guess the developers have a soft spot for Rondo and Crawford, because to me, they aren’t superstar players. Do they really deserve to have their own signature moves? Kobe and Lebron have their own signature Dunk packages, but they should have their own signature way of dribbling and making layups.
Most likely this is just the beginning of having signature moves for all players. Matching real life signature moves for all players is a tall order for developers, but is becoming more of a reality with every iteration of the 2K series.
Another addition to 2K9 is the chance for real time injuries. During the course of playing 2K9, I have seen players get injured by everything from awkward landings to hard fouls. In all there are three different degrees to the pain of injuries. With 1st degree injuries, you can walk off the court on your own. Second degree injuries require help from a teammate. Third degree injuries demand two teammates carry you off of the court because you’re in so much pain. The way the players grimace during these injuries makes you sort of feel for them because of their realistic facial expressions.
Most injuries in 2K9 are direct correlations to fouls. The in-game foul animations have greatly improved in comparison to 2K8. When you foul somebody using the turbo, you really get your money’s worth. While committing a hard foul, the player who committed the foul will often hover over the opposing player talking trash. The player who was fouled in result, depending on their Emotion attribute, will either walk away from the confrontation or push the player back to stand up for themselves.
Also new to 2K9 is 2Kshare. This allows users to upload rosters, sliders, and highlight reels onto the 2Kshare server to share with their fellow gamers. The 2Kshare system also incorporates another new feature called the 2K Insider. This is 2K’s response to NBA Live’s DNA system. The 2K Insider, is an individual hired by 2K to make real time trades, adjust different art aspects of the game, add Isomotion, and new dunk packages for certain players and adjust player ratings to mirror the real life NBA. The 2K insider has been up to date on the different trades that have happened this season, but he has drawn criticism because of the way he adjusts player’s attributes to match their real life production.
For example, Dwayne Wade at one point during the season had a couple of games where he had a lot of blocks. The 2K Insider deemed fit, to raise Wades, block rating all the way to 90. A 90 rating is near Dwight Howard’s rating for blocks. This also ties into the fact, that for the first time in NBA 2K history there are multiple players who are rated 99, the highest rating a player can have. Lebron, Kobe, Chris, Paul, and Kevin Garnett are rated 99. Many players are all up in arms because of this but I guess they forget that you can change any players rating by adjusting their attributes.
But going back to the 2K share system, you have the option to not allow the 2K Insider to automatically download his rosters to your system. You can turn off the automatic 2K Insider downloads and make adjustments the old fashioned way by yourself or by downloading the roster changes from the many users who upload their own sliders and rosters on 2Kshare.
The Sliders of NBA 2K9 generally decide how you want to play the game. There are different sites that have a wide selection of user created sliders for the certain type of gamer you are. Using the 2KShare feature makes trying out different user sliders easy. It’s just a simple download whereas in years past you had to manually change the sliders yourself to match a particular user's. Also keep in mind that while the sliders are an integral part of the game, your experience is mostly defined by your own skill level, the number of minutes you play, and the difficulty level.
Another important feature of 2K9 is the AI. Suffice it to say that the AI in 2K9 is the best basketball AI to date. In years past, the simple act of pick n rolls would cause an assortment of matchup problems. When a Power Forward or Center would switch on the point guard, you were left stuck in this position.
In 2K9, getting stuck is almost a non-factor. If a PF switches on a point guard and his guard or small forward teammate is near him, the guard or small forward will quickly switch with the PF or Center to put their defense in a better position to stop the offense. Also in years past, if Shaq switched onto Allen Iverson, Shaq could actually defend Iverson on Isolation. This year, this is nonexistent. If Shaq tries to defend Iverson, he will blow past him before Shaq even moves. Also, players who are great at blocking shots such as Dwight Howard, will actually go for blocks rather than taking a charge like players such as Shane Battier. In previous NBA 2K titles players would not play like their real life counterparts whereas in 2K9 they are one in the same.
If playing against the Cavs, Lebron James will embarrass your entire team. In 2K8 Lebron barely took any shots whereas in 2K9 you have to double team him in order to stop him from scoring. The AI works to get open shots for the right players when facing double teams. If you double someone like Lebron, he will make the correct pass to ensure the right player gets the open shot. These examples, seem like common sense to any fan of the NBA, but no basketball game AI has ever gotten these simple facets correct until NBA 2K9.
The online feature of this game is way better than in years past. This year you can have “player lock” for 5 on 5 games online. This is a new feature, which allows you to control one player. You can set picks, grab opposing player’s jerseys to impede their progress, post up, and nudge players on defense. These new added controls make for interesting experiences while controlling just one player.
Players are randomly assigned players on the 5 on 5 online games, which is fair, because if people had the choice everyone would pick Lebron James rather than playing with Ben Wallace. While waiting for others to join a game, you get to shoot around in an arena with an NBA player. I really haven’t messed with the online feature much, but it seems to be that PS3 users are tending to have more problems than their 360 brethren.
The rest of the game is pretty much standard. There are 5 difficulty levels: Hall of Fame, Superstar, All Star, Pro, and Rookie. There is an outdoor Blacktop mode where you can play a game of 21, one on one and two on two. Along with this Blacktop Mode, they have semi All-Star game contests like the 3 Point Shootout and Dunk Contest.
To help master the Dunk Contest, you have the Dunk School. This feature shows you the different button combinations that will help you pull of a wide assortment of dunks which can be unlocked and used in the regular game modes.
Ultimately there’s a lot to say about NBA 2K9. It does so many things and manages to do most of them well. 2K9 leads the way in basketball video games and (thanks to its rabid fan base) looks to get even better in the future.
The Game:
NBA 2K9 is the ultimate NBA sim. The game is too much fun to play. You will cry when you have to stop playing because of bodily functions or having to go to work. (8/10)
The Time:
Well there aren’t really any levels per say on this game. I can say that 8 hours can fly by when playing. There are unlockables in this game, such as scoring 40 points with Kobe Bryant vs. the Phoenix Suns or any type of rivalry games between certain teams will unlock in game trophies. These unlockables probably can take up to 2 weeks to accomplish. (6/10)
The Verdict: This game has the stupid juice and the dope moves. It’s very fun whether playing against a human or against the computer. The unreal animations in this game and the improved A.I. will always result in a fun experience. This is the best basketball game ever, but it’s not perfect. In the end, any fan of basketball from high school to the NBA will love this game.
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