The PC version of NBA 2K9 was released yesterday for the low price of $19.99, and is essentially a port of the Xbox 360 version (which is great), but it is being released without any online functionality (which is not as great).

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about fighting in NHL 09. The first line read, "NHL 09 is right now my favorite to win Game of the Year ... Unless one of the NBA games comes and knocks it off next month (I’m looking at you 2K9), the race is already over." It turns out that I was right on with that statement, and in my opinion it is a two game battle for my "highly touted" Game of the Year award (with FIFA 09 being a dark-horse candidate.)

Making a PC game that is a direct port of a game that many consider to be an amazing basketball title sounds very appealing, and I'm excited about the possibilities.

Imagine for just $20* -- despite being a 360 game you play on your PC -- it's conceivable that some people will end up buying both versions and in fact favoring the PC port more than its console twin. Some people will not care about not being able to play online multiplayer games, and will instead use a new laptop for a portable Association 2.0. And honestly, what person reading this article does not want that?

Originally, I was going to use the first part of this article to discuss online functionality between systems -- the example being Shadowrun, which could be played on either the PC or Xbox 360. So when I set out to do that, my first step was to go to the NBA 2K9 PC official website. However, this quote was in the fine print under the game features.

"Does not support any online functionality, including but not limited to online games, 2K Share, ReelMaker or Living Roster."

It was at that point that the focus of my article shifted, no longer highlighting a great example of cross-platform gaming, and instead looking at the decision to have no integration whatsoever between the two products.

I can understand why 2K Sports would avoid putting online multiplayer in the PC version, especially considering the amount of complaints the online multiplayer is garnering on OS and other forums. Even without the online multiplayer component, myself and many people would still have been happy with a portable franchise as stated above. However, not having any aspects of online functionality makes it, in all likelihood, impossible for users to play their games with integration between the various systems, and that is unacceptable.

Since the PC version is a port we should at least be given the ability to use the 2K Share feature over our own network, allowing gamers to transfer files from one system to the other. This would also make Living Roster files transferable. Unfortunately, without 2K Share and the ability to transfer your Association from one system to another, you are stuck having to play through two separate seasons and a combined total of 164 games.

Not having Living Roster updates just does not make any sense either. 2K has the ability to make daily roster updates across multiple platforms, it should not have been too hard to add one more. I guess gamers could take a look at the changes that were made on the 360/PS3 version and change their rosters on the PC, but that seems needlessly complicated.

I do not know if it is possible to move a saved game using a transfer kit, but it would not be an issue for me and many of my fellow roster nerds, since we all are looking for an excuse to use our XChange 360 transfer kits anyway; I previously used the transfer kit to download Fairdale Kings’ NCAA Football rosters. However, I know I am not the only one who has not used the XChange 360 even once in the past year due to the file-sharing systems now popping up in most sports games. I would hope that everyone (not just the people foolish enough to purchase a transfer kit), would have the ability to transfer multiple saves, but it does not appear to be an option either way.

I can live without the Reel Maker, but to not include ANY online functionality is going to hurt 2K in the long run. I am a perfect case study. If nothing else was included with NBA 2K9 (PC) other than a disc with Association, Living Rosters, and 2K Share -- with the ability to transfer files from one system to another -- I am telling you right now I would have been in line to buy it on launch day. It is an entirely justifiable purchase if you can use it together with the 360 game. However, without full integration, the purchase has to be in question.

The bottom line is that NBA 2K9 is a great game that I already own on the 360; and therefore, now there is no incentive for me to buy the same game twice due to a lack of an online component. The game could end up being a modding paradise (think MVPmods.com) and in that case it would become more appealing, but with FIFA 09, Fallout 3, and Gears 2 slated for release in the coming weeks and months, it makes the choice easy to make.


*If you are going to purchase NBA 2K9 (PC), know that unless you already have a wired 360 controller, you need to purchase a wireless gaming receiver for your 360 controller. This allows you to use the controller on your PC and you can configure the controls to your liking. I don’t think this game was developed with a keyboard in mind.