Franchise mode is as basic and uninspired as possible, with nothing you
haven't seen before or any reason to actually play it as opposed to quick games;
though it's the first time I've thought the simulation of games actually worked
and was not just random. Replay is just an extension of The Life with real NBA
players in "real" game scenarios from last year. However, since the goals are
still so straightforward and direct it's hard to imagine for a second you're not
just playing to meet them, rather than being in that moment, all two minutes of
it. It's the main failing of these challenges and The Life that you don't care
about the game score or situation, you just want your desired guys to score and
could even let the opposition score just so you can get more chances. All in
all, it's a fun idea for non-NBA fans, but it just feels too video game-y for my
tastes as a person that knows a bit about the game of basketball.
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The only mini game worth mentioning is golf. It's quite fun once you realize
you can shoot the ball like normal when close. The rest are just uninspired and
probably aren't worth playing even once. I will say the street game is pretty
broken as far as concept.
The sound design is very poor for most of the game, and then at times it's
great. Let's start with the good: voice work in The Life and the crowd at times.
In game, the sound falls flat and the commentary is as bad and unnecessary as
John Madden. The graphics are pretty decent but the only time you can truly see
character models is during a replay that you start because otherwise you would
never know that the players look half-decent. The graphics are neither great nor
bad.
NBA 09 suffers from not having the proper attention to flesh out the gameplay
to represent real basketball. Sure, it's fun once you've learned the CPU's
tendencies and know that defending the paint is the only way to play defense,
but unless you play against other people this game will quickly grow old from
not offering you enough options to ball. If you are a basketball novice looking
for a fast game, this may be for you if you can play through all the flaws and
frustrations, because this game is not terrible by any means. If you are looking
for a basketball simulation, NBA 09 is not for you.
- Gameplay - 65
- Story - 45
- Presentation - 75
- Graphics - 75
- Sound - 70
- Replay Value - 80
- Overall - 68
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
68%.
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