NBA 2K9 Demo

[DubaLakers]

NBA 2K9 Demo will be available in a few hours on the PS3...and as far as you Red Ring XBOX users...

According to Sony, the demo for NBA 2K9 will be up today on the Playstation Network and availible on your PS3's (I have been told that happens by 4 PM PST). The XBOX 360 demo will be out within the next couple days. I am just informing you of what I was told by our contacts at each company. The XBOX 360 server maintainance backed us up and made it unable to go up today.

PS In case you weren't aware NBA LIVE 09 as well as Sony's NBA 09 are already availible for Demo.

Early Conclusions: Nope, too soon and demos are so dumbed down and short, It's too hard to rank these games off such short demos, I'm sure all the games have sliders, controller changes, setting changes, etc. All three of these games are improved on their previous versions from what I can tell. All are good games. Again, hard to say one is better than the other off such short demos. NBA 09 is a 4 min game. NBA Live is like a 3 minute half, and makes you sit thru a DNA sales pitch before play. NBA 2K9 is a 5 min qtr. All the games look good. Here's a few observations of each good and bad...

All three of these games have good graphics, you won't be dissapointed, the cut scenes and replays you notice better detail some better than others...

NBA 09, SONY: It's exclusive to the PS3, I love the shot mechanic meter, I love Kevin Calabro and the Jet as commentators, TNT scoreboard, nice menu graphics, I like the font they use, lol, I like the point system for goals, The Life looks like another game in itself, it looked great, you get an NBA logo hat and a subscription to Dime magazine 1 year subscription, not sure why the players fade away on some shots, Kobe went out of bounds no whistle on one play, I haven't figured out how to spin, I did it by accident, but it was cool. This game is just a fun game, not the best sim, but a lot of fun.

NBA LIVE 09: I think you can do a lot with this game, but it's going to take time to get it all down, has the most features of the three. This could end up being the best game in the long run. Hard for me to figure out exactly what I'm doing with the controller at times. Just in the practice I can shoot a ton of authentic lookign shots. Not sure why I'm shooting runners at times when I'm tryint to just pull up, but I think that's on me. This game like we all know hasn't been good since 06, but this version is def a lot better.

NBA 2K9: OK 2Kfanboys have been spitting in my face for years cuz I've always been a NBA LIVE fanboy, but almost all my hate of this series besides the jackass fanboys, lol is the right analog stick as the shot button. Yes I know how to use it, and I can adapt, but I just don't like it. This is the easiest game to pick up and play of the three demos, every game is tied it seems. I've never owned a 2K game I just have rented them for years, but I can pick it up and play very easily. It seems liek it's gonna be a good sim, the gameplay is authentic, and has a very good flow to it. The game has a really nice look and has the best crowd I've ever seen in a sports game. They are moving all over the place like they are all on crack it's funny. 2K9 has the worst cut scenes tho, eventhough the game looks very good from the normal distance, but they keep going to closeups. You'd think they'd only do that if they had stellar authentic closeups, but their closeups are the worst of the three. I'm like why are you going to a close up if the likeness is bad? Doc Rivers looks like a Lizard King. If I could customize my controller to my liking this would probably be the game I'd get, just on gameplay alone.

Conclusion: I'm pissed at EA for fn' me for the last 2 years and me being dumb enough to buy their versions as well as 2K not letting me customize my controller to my liking, so I might just get NBA 09 and have fun and play with the other 7 people that buy that game and read my 1 year subscription to Dime magazine and wear my stupid NBA logo hat, that will look like crap after I wear it for a week. NBA 09 on Amazon is full price, LIVE and 2K are both $55.

Lame early observations I know, but thanks for reading my ramble. BTW I pay $23 a month at Blockbuster and I can rent vid and movies endless, I will be doing that for all three games and then will likely cancel that auto pay, great in a situation like this tho, and great to try out new games that come in.

[That Nicka]

Damnit!! I'll be in class til 7!!!!!!

Will definitely be the first thing I do when I get home!!!!!!!!!!

[b shaw20]

thx for the tip doggie.......

NBA Live was weak.....players look too skinny. Movements are odd.

[DubaLakers]

Edited OP instead.

[That Nicka]

Damn this demo is pretty fun... Animations are better than last year, Ball handling is more fluid... Jump shots are easier to make... AI is better

[That Nicka]

2K fanboys...Do you guys know if I can change my controller in the real game so that the shot stick isn't the right analog stick? Also is there a trick to driving to the basket hard? Like I can get to the basket, but seems like the CPU is going super hard to the hole is it a special control or just cuz it's the CPU?.

You will be able to change the controls on the real game, but I dont know if you can change the shot stick.. I seem to remember you only being able to change the face and top/trigger buttons on previous 2k games...

Driving... If the defender is super close to you, you can just hold turbo and charge to the basket... If he's still on you tight, you can push triangle to do a spin move, jump stop or drop step and then you should be able to get a shot off... Otherwise you can call for a screen and go from there

Another good way to drive is to change your pace quickly.... go left and then burst right with turbo, or vice versa

[cavsfan_osiris]

I only use the shot stick in 2k for layups and dunks, otherwise I use 'X'. You don't have to shoot with the shotstick.

2k8 was a dunkfest, people say this game is the most "sim" and maybe it is the most I don't know, but I do know when you are playing online ranked games it's far from a "sim" experience.

[andykeikei]

From what I heard, people that played the demo were saying they got the same inspiring experience as in 2k7.
Simply put, 2k6 to 2k7 is a big leap, 2k7 to 2k8 is blah...
2k8 to 2k9 is awesome.

There's a big difference in players faces and court. Also AI got a lot better and it won't be as easy to cheese this year.

About the dunk fest problem, they have improved a lot too. Last year they had some crazy thing such as 360 alley hoop in traffic, this year they tone that down a lot.

[Sashobe]

I am still a live man. Was going to switch until the NBA Live 365, NBA Academy, and NBA Real DNA.

[Flipdog69xxx]

I totally forgot about these demos. Thanks for the headsup.

[CITYOFANGELSX3]

I am still a live man. Was going to switch until the NBA Live 365, NBA Academy, and NBA Real DNA.

What game modes are these? What do they do?

[andykeikei]

I just couldn't play live again after playing 2k...
the animations in live look very awkward to me, plus their head-to-body ratio is not right,
and thus everybody has a big head.
Moreover I simply can't forget what they did in the past years.
They show no passion in improving the game at all,
there is one time (NBA live 07?) that the computer side won't make substitution for the WHOLE FREAKING game!! How can you possibly miss that?? And they called themselves no.1 in making basketball game.
I just couldn't stand them anymore.

[Sofa King]

I probably end up getting this. Kinda sad that I got 2k8 and only played a few hours with of it. My XBox hasn't had teh red ring of death. *knocks on wood*

[diturral]

the demo is out for xbox now. the gameplay is a lot harder and faster than 2k8. but its dope. just need to get used to it. 2k > live

[DubaLakers]

I just couldn't play live again after playing 2k...
the animations in live look very awkward to me, plus their head-to-body ratio is not right,
and thus everybody has a big head.
Moreover I simply can't forget what they did in the past years.
They show no passion in improving the game at all,
there is one time (NBA live 07?) that the computer side won't make substitution for the WHOLE FREAKING game!! How can you possibly miss that?? And they called themselves no.1 in making basketball game.
I just couldn't stand them anymore.

Andy 2K MAY be the best game of the three, again I think LIVE is going to take some time to master, 2K is easy to pick up and play, but the cut scenes on 2K are the worst of the three games IMO. They aren't that important of course.

[Sashobe]

I totally forgot about these demos. Thanks for the headsup.

NBA Live 365 is where they update the rosters each and every single day and base stats on the players day to day.

NBA Academy is a way of practicing and can help you improve players in dynasty move. Instead of you being the only player on the practice court, it is your team.

And NBA Live Dynamic DNA is "The brain behind the game is powered by the premier analytics provider using NBA data for over 20 NBA teams, which evaluates Player DNA that breaks down how a player scores, Team DNA that rates how the players on the floor play as a unit and Tendencies that refer to the percentage a player drives left, right or shoots from each spot on the floor."

[SashAlex]

I've heard the NBA 2k9 version will be released on PC, being the same as for xbox 360 !?

COOL !

[Flipdog69xxx]

After playing the demos, im gonna stick with Live. I dunno, i just don't like the shot stick and i perfer the movement of live compared to 2k. Also, despite having awesome crowd graphics, 2k9's player graphics looks a little less developed because of it. The only time i switched to 2k was 2k7, but looks like another live year for me.

[NOODLESTYLE]

I have a PS3 and I'm thinking about getting both NBA Live and NBA2k9.

It seems that NBA Live really changed their game for the better, while NBA2k is still the same with slight improvements (not saying NBA2k is a bad game).

I'll probably get NBA live first because of all the new features, based on the demo I really like the game. I also like the fact that there are going to be 24 FIBA teams, so it be fun playing as international teams and to test my skills against Team USA and all the other elite teams. Looking at the rosters though, it seems that Ricky Rubio is not going to be on Team SPAIN, so I was a little disappointed about that.

I also didn't like NBA Live's new jump movements, sometimes the players run and goes up for the block which will cause a delay if u want the player to go straight up. I usually just press the triangle button to jump, while not holding turbo, and that fixes the problem...but not always. I'll probably have to play Live more to see if there's a trick to that. Overall though, the new features like NBA 365 and Player DNA seems really intriguing. I've always liked the dribbling system in Live as well, although this year seems a little stiff but maybe that's because they upgraded it so I need more time to get used to it.

As for NBA2k9, playing the demo..the game is really smooth. in terms of gameplay, I think NBA2k9 has it down right. It really feels like your playing, while watching, a NBA game. i like how the players do things like fall to floor or trip over themselves if your not in the right position. I like the dunk animations for NBA2k compared to Live as well. Looking at it though, in the NBA2k9 demo...Andrew Bynum doesn't look like Andrew Bynum. NBA2k also doesn't look good without HD, I switched between the video outputs and NBA2k looked horrible to me without it. With HD though, both NBA live and NBA2K look nice...the cut scenes both look great imo.

So anyways, if any of you have a PS3 and want to start a league or play vs each other, let me know!

[DubaLakers]

Noodle I think the LIVE controls havea lot of difficult movements that is going to take some getting used to. 2k you can pick up and play and have a competitivre game, but I think LIVE could trump this game in the long run. The LIVE game is full of features, I remain undecided.

BTW IGN Nate Ahern who reviews these bball games year to year just gave 2K9 a 8.5. he said the presentation is a 7, but got high marks 8's and above everywhere else. He's talking about pretty much everything but the gameplay, he said the gameplay is great, but they got lazy elsewhere. Not enough attention to details for virtually the same game tweaked. He hasn't reviewed the other two bball games as of yet.