Video Games

NBA 2K9: Review

Jeff Fox — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:32:17 -0800

Playstation 3 version of game reviewed.

The progress we've made as a society is truly remarkable. No, this has nothing to do with a black man being voted into the White House (even though that was pretty cool). No, the topic of discussion is far more important than politics - the evolution of basketball video games. Gamers who grew up playing Intellivision Basketball or Double Dribble for Nintendo can vouch for how far basketball video games have come. And at the head of the cusp of basketball game innovation is 2K Sports and their latest instalment of their NBA franchise - NBA 2K9

2K9 does what all good sports franchise games do - they take the best aspects of previous incarnations of their games and improve on them while also adding innovative new features. Anyone who has played a past version of NBA 2K will have no trouble picking this copy up and figuring out the controls right away. However serious players will enjoy some new features regarding the controls. The Shot Stick Advanced feature allows the user to change his player's shot in mid-air, whether to avoid the defense or just be a hot dog. The vast array of post moves available are stunning, challenging the gamer to let their inner big man out. There is also a plethora of off-the-ball controls and Adaptive AI, where your actions change how your virtual teammates and opponents react and move.
Game modes are pretty much what you would expect, with franchise modes, street ball and dunk contests all in the mix. Robust online play is also available with the top gamer at the end of each week being named to Team 2K and, among other prizes, having themselves digitalized and added to the roster of NBA 2K10. For gamers tired of keeping up on real life NBA trades in order to update their game's roster need to fret no more - Living Rosters offers weekly roster updates online for you.

The graphics are stunning enough that you could easily trick onlookers into thinking that they are watching a real game. The players look and move like their real life counterparts (you half expect to be hit with sweat off of a player's brow). Calling the action is Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg with Reggie's sister, Cheryl Miller, providing sideline chatter. And 2K Beats provide a nice soundtrack to the game, including joints by the Beastie Boys, The Pharcyde and Santogold.

NBA 2K's title of "#1 rated NBA simulation" doesn't appear to be in jeopardy anytime soon. Time to take the partridge in the pear tree off of your holiday wish list and add NBA 2K9.

Rating: 5 of 6 Stars

(vote on your own rating of the game above)

Poll: Do You Play College Basketball Video Games?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:17:50 -0700

Kevin Love Featured on NCAA Basketball 09 Cover

Press Release — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:16:24 -0700

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – September 11, 2009 – EA revealed that former UCLA student-athlete basketball star Kevin Love has been chosen for the cover of the newly named EA SPORTS™ college basketball videogame NCAA® Basketball 09 for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, and the PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems.

“There is more to college basketball than just the 65 team post season NCAA Tournament, and our new name reflects this,” said Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. “College basketball is about the entire season, focusing on the fantastic school rivalries, recruiting, home court advantage, student sections, mascots, and loud arenas. The culmination of all of this is the tournament and NCAA March Madness, but to get there it takes so much more.”

NCAA Basketball 09 is not just a new name; it introduces a new way to play college basketball that mirrors real life. A new, strategic gameplay feature challenges gamers to replicate their school’s style of play, set the tempo and win. Whether your school plays up tempo looking to push the ball in transition, runs a half-court offense that utilizes the clock and limits possessions or features a balanced attack that combines transition offense with set plays, NCAA Basketball 09 rewards the strategic gamer and emphasizes team specific styles of play.

NCAA Basketball 09 will feature Division I coaches in-game for the first time. Each coach will provide real time instruction and feedback, helping gamers control the tempo by executing their team’s offense and defense to perfection.

This year on Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3, NCAA Basketball 09 will operate on a new gameplay engine with over 1,000 new animation sequences that deliver a more responsive experience with improved ball physics and more intelligent AI. The new animation system enables gamers to apply pressure defense with new full-court presses and traps. Plus, improved AI and animations enable quicker players to get up and down the floor faster and make better decisions running the lanes and driving to the rim. Animations can be interrupted at any time, enabling you to read and respond to the action on the floor, just like real life.

Love is the first UCLA basketball player to be featured on the cover of the EA SPORTS college basketball game. A student-athlete with a 3.2 grade point average, Love was a first team All-American while leading the Bruins in scoring at 17.5 points per game and rebounding at 10.6 rebounds per game as a true freshman. Named 2008 Pac-10 Freshman and Player of the Year, Love led UCLA to the Men’s Final Four®. He was the fifth pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies and later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“It is quite an honor to be named cover athlete of NCAA Basketball 09,” Love said. “When you look back at some of the great players who have had this opportunity, it’s exciting to be a part of the EA SPORTS family and contribute to a game I’ve been playing for a long time.”

College Hoops 2K8: The CHN Review

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:27:19 -0800

College Hoops 2K8 Review
$59.99 (XBOX 360, PS2 & PS3)
Jeff Fox

Does the sports world really need another “cover jinx”? Well, like it or not, there seems to be a pattern with the cover athletes on the excellent College Hoops games released by 2K Sports. The 2K5 and 2K6 cover stars, Josh Childress and Marvin Williams, have been stuck playing for the Atlanta Hawks their whole pro career, which is the epitome of being jinxed. Last year’s model, J.J. Redick, has had a spotty, injury-plagued NBA career so far. Greg Oden should have righted the ship for the game franchise this season, but he’ll have plenty of time to play the game what with being injured for the whole season.

Enough about that jinx nonsense - College Hoops 2K8 has got game. Lots of game. It’s as deep as Redick’s range on his jumper (Duke Redick, not Magic Redick). In fact, if you happen to be unemployed, not a student, have no significant other or family to speak of, and suffer from agoraphobia, this game is perfect for you. If you are a normal functioning human being, this game is a blast also.

All the usual game options you’d expect in a hoops game are here, including tournaments, quick games and legacy mode. There is also an All-American Training Challenge, where you will go head-to-head with former NCAA stars like Oden, Redick and Glen Davis in various drills and competitions. It is the legacy mode that goes real deep, as you have the choice of starting off coaching a low-level NCAA team and trying to build them into a winner (and not get fired) or you can pick your favorite team and do the same. You get to decide your rotation, the plays you run (you can even create your own plays), even your schedule. The game goes even deeper with the recruiting phase, where you get to scout out future stars. You can even play amateur games involving these prospects to really get a feel for who is right for your program. Once you decide who you want to target, you can bombard them with e-mails and phone calls, Kelvin Sampson-style (actually, you are limited to the number of times you’re allowed to contact a recruit, so you can’t really Sampson them).

The actual game play is loads of fun, with lots of new features including the ability to play lock-on D, throw various kinds of passes (lob, chest, bounce, etc.) and use your home crowd as a 6th Man Advantage to boost your play and hinder your opponents. And of course the game features the full range of online play options if that is your thing.

There aren’t too many negatives to speak of with the game. The graphics won’t wow you but they are more than adequate. The fact that no real player names are included in the game is easily remedied by various websites where you can download up-to-date roster info and upload it into your system. And once your idiot reviewer figured out that his game wasn’t broken and that he was supposed to use the motion sensor on his controller to shoot free throws, that negative was eliminated.

This game has too many features for one review article to touch on, so the best bet is to go out and grab a copy and explore the many features yourself. But if anyone at 2K Sports contacts you about modeling for the cover of an upcoming game, run away!

8 out of 10 stars
(Reviewed for Playstation 3)