NBA 2K9 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here

[DC]

Quote: Originally Posted by countryboy

can someone please help out a noob to the series and post how to do the isomotion moves. Thanks in advance.

so motion is mad easy!!

Press L2 to do a size up dribble.

Hold L2 to guard the ball or post up.

Press R2 to do a hesitation dribble.

While running Hold R2 and push the Left stick in a circular motion for a spin dribble.

While running hold L2 and R2 and push the Left stick in a half downward circular motion to dribble ball around your back.

Hold R2 while running, quickly push the Left stick left, right or right left for a double crossover or double between the legs dribble.

While running Hold R2 push back on the left stick to peform a step back dribble, quickly follow by pushing forward on the left sick for a crossover.

While running Hold R2 and push the left stick right for a crossover to the right.(Ball in left hand) push the left stick left for a crossover to the left (Ball in right hand).

There are a lot more moves to the Iso Motion but most of them are dont in certian situations.

[DC]

Man again I LOVE the fact that if I play stay at home defense, my defender will put his hand up in the shooters face. Even though it might not drop the % of the shot, I still love to see it

[str8stuntin03]

loving the demo....jus absolutely loving it, its more of a thinking mans game now.. must find this game today in DC

[antigravity]

Overall, Im finding the demo quite enjoyable, if not a little underwhelming. A lot of the positives have already been covered, so I'm going to play devils advocate a bit here. Please don't get me wrong, i'm not a *****, nor am I an EA sports fanboy. I'll play whatever the best game is each year. Couldn't care less if it was 2K or EA.

Anyway...

The biggest disappointment so far is how easy it is to still pick and roll and throw an amazing pass to the cutting player over and over and over again. Granted, some of the passes get picked off, but the ball handler can be facing the wrong direction and you can throw an amazing pass through the hands and feet of 5 players.

Im not sure if its my game or setup (running xbox at 720p with component cable, samsung 32" LCD) but the players still have these faint white lines around their faces, arms, legs etc. Its hard to explain, but its been in the 2k games for the last couple of years too. Does anyone know what I mean? It really ruins the authenticity of the player textures.

In contrast, I do like the off the ball movement, this is something i've been wishing for for years, and its good to see screens being set for the off the ball players automatically. And it doesn't seem to easy to cheese with pass and shoots too.

Im having a bit of trouble with the isomotion though. It seems a little unresponsive. Maybe its just me. And I've noticed you can get stuck in post animations, which adds to the unresponsiveness in the paint.

I do like the collision animations, and the sound when you swipe and/or block a shot. Gives the moment a bit of a boost.

As its a demo, with no settings to tinker with, and no play calling, and no doubt reduced graphic quality, I'm going to reserve my decision until I get the full version. But as it stands, Im giving the demo a 7.5/10.

[spankdatazz22]

Where do I start...

+++Graphics are incredible. It's not a stark departure from the previous two, but everything's been ratcheted up a few notches - or more. Player faces are extremely well done from the ones I've seen; they look fantastic in close ups - all the more amazing because it's all done in real time. Didn't see much of Doc Rivers close up but Phil Jackson looked pretty good. I'm really not a stickler for player faces anyway but it has to be noted how great a job they've done and how good they look in closeups. The arena looks amazing. I'm watching the camera pan around and it really looks like there's 20k individual fans. Sweat and lighting are very well done; can't wait to see the uniforms get progressively sweaty as games wear on.

+++Animations are spectacular. The player interaction is extremely well done. Looking forward to achieving the new isomotion. A lot of the little touches they've done to give players a sense of weight and momentum are very well done. Every player is easily distinguishable, either by the way he moves or even certain mannerisms they've managed to capture - signature style to the nth degree. Loved watching the free throw routines, and the way players react to whatever situation. Layups, dunks, dribbling, player movement all very well done. Everything just flows.

+++The AI is amazing. Player movement again is incredible - you almost forget you're playing against a cpu opponent. Again, tied in w/the graphics and animations it really gives the players a sense of individuality. Not sure how they did it but court spacing is much improved. It doesn't look terribly different from how last year's proportions, but at the same time there's much more space. Love the new defensive options; how the defense has varying degrees which they can shade you in a particular direction. Was funny when I noticed cpu Kobe playing against my tendency to go in a particular direction. Lots of depth in other areas; too much to name

+++The little things in full, and I mean FULL effect. Just way too many to name. I've thought that about other games in the past but this game takes things beyond another level. Love the ball deflections, the way players celebrate or show indignation at times, the mannerisms, the interactivity w/the bench/sidelines/refs, etc. etc. etc.

- guess the bump up in graphics means the guys/women that walk around the stadium all look the same. Barely worth noting, given the areas where the game's stepped up graphically. It's still a cool atmospheric but it's noticeable on free throws.

- having to re-learn isomotion again. Personally I don't mind but I'm sure it'll be tiring reading the complaints of those that want last year's system. Kinda funny because if it happens it'd be similar to people complaining about having to re-learn it last year from what 2K7 was. In looking at the videos and seeing some of what the computer can do, I can't wait to dig into it

- haven't seen any of the jersey grabbing

Getting way too wordy for a demo so need to stop. I told myself I wouldn't download it and wait for the full game, but glad I did - I'll be playing it all weekend. Simply put it looks and feels like a real basketball game. Obviously it's not perfect, but... wow. Incredible demo and great job 2K. I think I will be taking off next Tuesday

[bobbysco13]

Quote: Originally Posted by antigravity

Overall, Im finding the demo quite enjoyable, if not a little underwhelming. One thing I'm disappointed in is how easy it is to still pick and roll and throw an amazing pass to the cutting player over and over and over again. Granted, some of the passes get picked off, but the ball handler can be facing the wrong direction and you can throw an amazing pass through the hands and feet of 5 players.

I totally agree (read my earlier post) This pick and roll will be abused over and over and over again, especially online. You simply cannot stop the play. Oh, and by the way, the lead pass cheese is still there as well.

[Tha.Pink.Pantha]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gmoney2002

Oh it's there my friend. I blew past Gasol on a square up drive off the block and Bynum provided excellent help defense. Not only did I dunk on him but I did a Windmill dunk too. Looked amazing but... A Windmill dunk in traffic...

I'm sure it's there once in a while, but when you compare, there's no comparison. I've played about 20 times now, and I've seen only one dunk in traffic from the perimeter. All other dunks have been off breaks, good passes and off. rebounds.

[Tha.Pink.Pantha]

Kobe just airballed...