NCAA Basetball 09 Demo Available, Impressions Here

[bases1616]

Quote: Originally Posted by Fiddy

360 demo is out?

Yes it is. The PS3 version should be out later this afternoon or early evening.

[ehh]

Wait, I thought this game was suppose to Live 09's engine. It's using Live 08? That is very bad news.

[bowld]

i like it..i played 3 games and by the end of the 3rd game i was really enjoying it. to me it plays alot more like live 09 than live 08

live 08 was trash..i will be buying this game come release day

[intellisect]

This is definately the 08 engine, the TeamXbox interview stated this. This is nowhere near as good as the Live 09 engine.

[sportdan30]

Where is it confirmed that it's the '08 engine? Or are people going off of the video they saw, because I thought I read they were using the same engine this year as Live. They were going to improve upon it with the added length of time they had.

[The Kid 24]

Quote: Originally Posted by intellisect

This is definately the 08 engine, the TeamXbox interview stated this. This is nowhere near as good as the Live 09 engine.

What prompted the move to use the Live engine for NCAA Basketball 09?

Connor Dougan: Some of you may already be aware, NBA LIVE re-wrote their Gameplay engine a few years ago and it has seen significant improvement in 08 and in 09.

At the end of the 08 product year for March Madness we felt that the basketball engine (shipped in NBA LIVE 08) was in a state where we felt that that there was a strong, core foundation and ultimately, in a position for us to take it.

The March Madness Gameplay engine was suffering from old tech resulting in poor animation blends, questionable physics and a code base that was very difficult to manage/maintain/enhance (to name a few issues).

So… the EA SPORTS Basketball engine was a go for NCAA Basketball 09. I’m really excited about this year’s engine, how we were able to build upon it to create an authentic college basketball experience.

Where in there does it say... NCAA 09 is using NBA Live 08 engine?

[ehh]

Quote: Originally Posted by Prince of Milwaukee 28

What prompted the move to use the Live engine for NCAA Basketball 09? Connor Dougan: Some of you may already be aware, NBA LIVE re-wrote their Gameplay engine a few years ago and it has seen significant improvement in 08 and in 09. At the end of the 08 product year for March Madness we felt that the basketball engine (shipped in NBA LIVE 08) was in a state where we felt that that there was a strong, core foundation and ultimately, in a position for us to take it. The March Madness Gameplay engine was suffering from old tech resulting in poor animation blends, questionable physics and a code base that was very difficult to manage/maintain/enhance (to name a few issues). So… the EA SPORTS Basketball engine was a go for NCAA Basketball 09. I’m really excited about this year’s engine, how we were able to build upon it to create an authentic college basketball experience. Where in there does it say... NCAA 09 is using NBA Live 08 engine?

Yeah, that's the only media I remember reading about the engine. Re-reading it now it does seem unclear though. The parts in read are kinda of confusing.

[therizing02]

Played 2 quick games this morning before work. The game has a similar to feel to NBA Live 09 with the obvious differences for the college game.

I did notice the player receiving the pass while out of bounds once, but no big deal.

Positives:

The tempo meter.
There is a noticeable difference in how your players react based on the tempo
In game coach feedback
The ability to select 3 areas of focus/strategy before the game.
On the default setting I was actually seeing a fair amount of fouls.
Good spacing
Steal and block animations are much better than NBA Live
Noticeable differences in styles of play per team.

Negatives:

Still has a few jerky animations
I don't particularly care for the ball/rim physics

It's a much better game than 08, but it's still too early for me to be thinking that I'll be playing this more than 2K8. That game is really good. Regardless, I'll be getting NCAA 2009 for a change of pace.

Maybe we can get some impressions throughout the day on whether or not the lack of fast breaks has been addressed in the game. I'd also like to know how old the build is.