Yeah, I’ve got some pretty awesome moves.  If you guys could see me drive the lane you’d be pretty jealous.  Despite the lack of any real athletic ability, NBA2K9, which I finally got around to playing, has re-ignited my interest in the Sports genre, with what I feel is the best basketball game ever made.

Sports game haven’t been my bag in a long time, and I know why.  So many OTHER types of games were competing for my attention.  On top of that, I couldn’t help but feel that if you’d played one basketball game, you’d played them all.  College Hoops 2k7 was my last foray into the virtual hardwood, and I loved the way the game was presented, with precise controls and cool gimmicks.  I played that game to death.

Prior to NBA 2K9’s arrival from Gamerang, I’d forgotten all about it being in my queue.  Just a day earlier I tried out NCAA from EA and while I thought it looked pretty good, I wasn’t a big fan of the tempo meter or the controls.  I like to feel the shots I make.

That’s why I was very happy to see that not much in the way of controls had changed in the past 2 years since I played a 2K B-ball game.  You can still perfect your shot by using the right analog stick, and all of the other buttons are right where I left them.

The game has seen some MAJOR improvements in a lot of ways.  The first thing to slap you across the face is the pure awesomeness of the arenas that 2K recreated.  Every single inch of the place looks just like the Toyota Center, when I’m commanding the almighty Houston Rockets.  Gone are the stale-looking crowds who somehow all manage to do the same things at the same time, and wear the exact same shirts.  The people cheering for you, and the sound of their glee are 100% authentic.  They answer cell phones, get up to go to the bathroom, and they don’t all cheer at the exact same time for every play.  From the general geometry to the animated aesthetics, 2K9 brought its best game yet, in my opinion.

The player models, while very close to real, also have this sort of Madame Tussaud quality to them.  My Wax Yao Ming has some great facial expressions when I bury a shot and send the fans into a fury, but I can’t help but feel that if I run him too hard he will melt.

Camera angles are nailed down perfectly, and the player animations just don’t compare to anything else I’ve seen.  It’s all VERY fluid and lifelike.

The replays offered in 2K9 blew me away.  I’m not usually very impressed by my own virtual exploits, but with so many highlights to choose from, including player-specific game recaps, I just can’t help but admire what a badass I am after each game.

This game is irrefutable evidence that it is indeed a VERY healthy thing to prevent any one entity from dominating a sport’s license.  You’d better believe that EA is gonna be lighting a fire under their team to try and meet the challenge that Take Two threw down with this game.

I’m just scratching the surface of NBA 2K9 but I’m already hopelessly addicted and looking for any peeps that wanna try and step to ma’ game.

Bring it.

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