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IGN Review of NBA Live 09
Anybody that's ever played organized basketball at any level has heard a coach scream, "Stop ball!" at the top of their lungs on multiple occasions. It's one of the most fundamental defensive principles in the game: Prevent the offense from penetrating to the lane with a live dribble.
That being said, it doesn't appear that the developers of NBA Live 09 for the PSP have ever played organized ball. They've made it so incredibly easy to dribble the ball up court, take it deep into the paint and finish with dunks and layups that it discourages players from setting up any type of half-court attack or even attempting jump shots.
What's worse, the dunk and layup animations aren't very good. Often times players will go up for dunks, and although the dunk animation would indicate that a monster jam is coming, once the player gets to the rim with the ball he'll lay it up off the back iron and it will bounce noticeably before dropping through the cylinder. Other times, players will take off for dunks but fail to reach the rim entirely and their would-be dunks end up being thrown wildly off the backboard.
Holding to NBA Live tradition, both offensive and defensive players move like they're on skates, and smaller players don't seem to have any problems bumping bigger players out of position and finishing over and around in the lane. So, there's no need to think twice before you take the ball to the bucket with T.J. Ford or Nate Robinson, even if Dwight Howard or Yao Ming has set up shop in the paint waiting to contest your shot.
You'll also, as a general rule, want to use the alley-oop pass sparingly. Although it can be a tremendously effective weapon, it's also very much a hit-or-miss proposition since the game's AI determines whether or not the passer's target will recognize that the lob is coming and cut to the hoop to finish the play. Even on instances when an alley-oop pass looks like a viable option – you've got a high-flying teammate with an uncontested lane to the hoop and he's thrown his arm up to signal for an entry pass – often times he simply won't react to the thrown pass and it will careen wildly off the backboard as he stands there watching.
That brings up yet another problem with this game: CPU controlled players are often extremely slow to react to loose balls. So, once you've thrown that failed alley-oop attempt and the ball is loose on the floor, players on both teams will stand around, sometimes for several seconds, seemingly completely unaware that the ball has come to rest on the court beside them.
Inconsistent alley-oops aren't the only flaw in NBA Live 09's passing game. You'll also find that, true to form, the lead pass is seemingly non-existent. So, even when you have a teammate sprinting out in transition, your passer will throw the ball to the where his teammate is at that moment, not where he should be going. As a result, when you give the ball up in transition, you're also giving up your advantage, as the CPU defenders will have plenty of time to get back into position while a pass's intended receiver awaits the ball.
Graphically, NBA Live 09 isn't anything special. The player renderings look angular and choppy, and there is a noticeable outline around each player. The arenas you play in are bland and lifeless (fans in the stands don't move at all during the game), and head coaches are mysteriously absent from the sidelines and the huddle, which can be perceived either as an oversight by the game's developers or plain laziness, but detracts from the game either way you slice it.
Although the game offers a full dynasty mode and "The Crown", which tracks your in-game accomplishments and rates you from "Rookie" to "Legend", neither really doesn't do a lot to enhance this title's lasting appeal since the on court action is so poor.
©2008-10-27, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
That being said, it doesn't appear that the developers of NBA Live 09 for the PSP have ever played organized ball. They've made it so incredibly easy to dribble the ball up court, take it deep into the paint and finish with dunks and layups that it discourages players from setting up any type of half-court attack or even attempting jump shots.
What's worse, the dunk and layup animations aren't very good. Often times players will go up for dunks, and although the dunk animation would indicate that a monster jam is coming, once the player gets to the rim with the ball he'll lay it up off the back iron and it will bounce noticeably before dropping through the cylinder. Other times, players will take off for dunks but fail to reach the rim entirely and their would-be dunks end up being thrown wildly off the backboard.
Holding to NBA Live tradition, both offensive and defensive players move like they're on skates, and smaller players don't seem to have any problems bumping bigger players out of position and finishing over and around in the lane. So, there's no need to think twice before you take the ball to the bucket with T.J. Ford or Nate Robinson, even if Dwight Howard or Yao Ming has set up shop in the paint waiting to contest your shot.
You'll also, as a general rule, want to use the alley-oop pass sparingly. Although it can be a tremendously effective weapon, it's also very much a hit-or-miss proposition since the game's AI determines whether or not the passer's target will recognize that the lob is coming and cut to the hoop to finish the play. Even on instances when an alley-oop pass looks like a viable option – you've got a high-flying teammate with an uncontested lane to the hoop and he's thrown his arm up to signal for an entry pass – often times he simply won't react to the thrown pass and it will careen wildly off the backboard as he stands there watching.
That brings up yet another problem with this game: CPU controlled players are often extremely slow to react to loose balls. So, once you've thrown that failed alley-oop attempt and the ball is loose on the floor, players on both teams will stand around, sometimes for several seconds, seemingly completely unaware that the ball has come to rest on the court beside them.
Inconsistent alley-oops aren't the only flaw in NBA Live 09's passing game. You'll also find that, true to form, the lead pass is seemingly non-existent. So, even when you have a teammate sprinting out in transition, your passer will throw the ball to the where his teammate is at that moment, not where he should be going. As a result, when you give the ball up in transition, you're also giving up your advantage, as the CPU defenders will have plenty of time to get back into position while a pass's intended receiver awaits the ball.
Graphically, NBA Live 09 isn't anything special. The player renderings look angular and choppy, and there is a noticeable outline around each player. The arenas you play in are bland and lifeless (fans in the stands don't move at all during the game), and head coaches are mysteriously absent from the sidelines and the huddle, which can be perceived either as an oversight by the game's developers or plain laziness, but detracts from the game either way you slice it.
Although the game offers a full dynasty mode and "The Crown", which tracks your in-game accomplishments and rates you from "Rookie" to "Legend", neither really doesn't do a lot to enhance this title's lasting appeal since the on court action is so poor.
©2008-10-27, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved