NBA 2K9 (Xbox 360)

NBA 2K9 takes a few steps forward and a few steps back. In the end ... try the demo.
10/16/2008 6:42 PM | 1 Comments | Page 1 of 3

NBA 2K9 suffers from an identity crisis. While 2K Sports continues to claim to strive for authenticity with its flagship basketball title, the game itself doesn't necessarily reflect that. It's massively geared towards the offense, yet has a control scheme that requires a degree in gamepad-ology in order to master. What you are left with is a game that is at times brilliant, at times frustrating and ultimately not as much fun as it should be.

On its default settings, the game is tilted towards the offense more than any NBA 2K title before it. This is largely due to the offensive artificial intelligence's ability to thread the needle on passes into the paint, dropping dimes that would make Steve Nash green with envy. Problem is, you don't need to be Steve Nash to make these passes, as even the more pedestrian point guards will throw no-look precision passes to cutting centers for power dunks on a regular basis. Your AI teammates don't help the cause, either. At times you are left feeling completely helpless on defense, and it doesn't matter if you are playing with a defensive-minded team like the Celtics or an offense-first team like the Suns.

The other problem is the player ratings themselves. 2K rated nearly every player in the game too high on offense in both their passing and shooting numbers. Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is a 79-rated 3-point shooter? Derek Fisher is an 84 passer? In what universe? There is a built-in player editor that can technically fix this -- but who wants to take the time to edit all of these bloated numbers? One hope is that the new Living Roster system set up by 2K Sports will fix the numbers via updated rosters with ratings that make more sense.

The offensive ease continues with the postgame. While better than in NBA 2K8, scoring down low remains far too easy for both you and the CPU. The issue is with positioning -- getting the ball on the low block is simply too easy. There is a reason why teams in the NBA don't merely throw it down the floor to the center or power forward every time for an easy five-foot shot. The defenses in the NBA won't allow it; they deny the entry pass, quickly double-team prolific low-post scorers, and try their best to not allow a big man to back them down mercilessly until they can shoot an easy soft hook.

In NBA 2K9, this is not the case, despite the claims of "adaptive AI" that is supposed to change and adjust to your style of game. If you take a team like Boston and throw it low down the floor to Garnett every single time, you'll score a lot of points. It shouldn't be that easy. This is a crucial flaw in offline games.

The controls in NBA 2K have always been a bit on the taxing side, and pulling off certain moves has never been easy, but this year's game takes it to a new level. The basics are easy enough: Use the right stick (or a button) to shoot; certain buttons perform simple tasks like passing and jumping -- but the advanced controls are starting to get out of hand.