Developer: EA Sports
Publisher: EA Sports
Rating Guide: How I Review Games
Screenshots: Available Here

Audio Recap:

Review:

There isn’t much to say about sports games that could lead to fans of the sport knowing more about that particular sport.  That’s why sports games are probably the most difficult to review because they’re so simple in explanation.  Does it play like the real thing?  Can you call plays and defend?  After playing NBA LIVE 09 for the past few days, I’m happy to say that it’ll be an easy review because it’s a huge upgrade over any other in the series.

And that makes it the best NBA LIVE game I’ve ever played.

Gameplay, Graphics and Sound

This is easily the best NBA LIVE in the series.  As a gamer you should want to be able to say that with each new entry into an ongoing franchise.  It hasn’t been true in the past, but NBA LIVE 09 takes so many steps forward from previous versions that it’s not a stretch to say this game stands on its own.  It could literally be a new beginning for EA’s basketball franchise.  From the ESPN integration to the new features, they’ve finally gotten closer to the “NBA” in its name.  The new features include new Pick & Roll Control, Lockdown Defense, Signature Playcalling, and Quick Strike Ankle Breakers.

The Dynamic DNA and NBA LIVE 365 is something that will change the landscape of the game at a moment’s notice.  This will probably be one of those things that no NBA game can go without from this point forward.  NBA LIVE 365 gives you all the daily stats and shot charts from real NBA games and brings them right “in the game”.  You get DNA Scouting reports, ratings, streaks and even tendencies!  You have to be entitled to NBA LIVE 365 though.  Yep, only new game owners will receive a code to unlock it.  If you buy used, you’ll have to dish out some money to get it.

NBA LIVE Academy is new as well giving players a chance to practive the fundamentals of the game.  You can get some freestyle practice on in the gym or go on to a variety of challenges to compete in.  Dynasty Mode is again pretty deep taking you from rookie to superstar; from training camp to the season.  Like its NHL counterpart, NBA LIVE 09 also has ‘Be A Pro’ mode that lets you take control of your favorite player exclusively on the court.  You control whether or not he gets better or worse.  I like it.  I like it a lot.

The animations and moves of the players are all done extremely well.  The players look real especially the stars.  I almost forgot it was just a game while watching some of the ways the players react and adjust to a shot.  The crowd gets pumped during a blowout or close win and they’ll be silent during a loss.  It’s mind bottling how the momentum is captured to get you as close to the game as possible.  Even the announcing team of Marv Albert and Steve Kerr have gotten much better with calling the action.  They’ll have you screaming “Yes!”.

One thing about the game that puzzled me is that for some reason dribbling the basketball wasn’t a natural, smooth flow.  There was a split second delay that created this weird type of pause when dribbling.  It’s something I definitely noticed but nothing I think ruins the flow of the game.  It’s almost as if the ball didn’t go directly into the players hands.  It’s just weird.  The jumping also took a bit to get used to because players react closely to how they do in a real game.  This means you have to have the right position and momentum to time a rebound right or a block.

Other than this, the gameplay is solid.  Once you get comfortable with the new moves (Quick Ankle Breaker for example), you’ll enjoy the game that much more.

Xbox LIVE Extras

There isn’t much new when you game on Xbox LIVE except the Team Play and Clubs.  This should add a lot of replay value as you can get 10 user controlled players on the court at the same time.  Yep it should be madness trying to run sets but that’s the fun.  Online Leagues are a dream to any wannabe Commissioner out there.  You can control all of this from you “My NBA LIVE 09″ online account.  You can view all your leaderboards, player HUB and news here.  This is a direct connection to EA Sports World, the new interactive experience on the interweb.

They’ve tied things up very nicely between Xbox LIVE and the interweb.  To get the entire experience, you’ll want to make sure you take advantage of all this.

Conclusion

NBA LIVE 09 brings the heat this year!  I wonder if we’ll even need a new basketball game with NBA LIVE 365 and the Dynamic DNA element adding real time statistics and updates to the game.  In so many ways this game is just like its cover boy, Tony Parker.  They both stick to what works, improve on what was wrong and in the end they usually are left standing as the champion.

It’ll be interesting to see where EA Sports takes this series after NBA LIVE 09.  Check out the audio recap for more!