NCAA Basetball 09 Demo Available, Impressions Here

[PhantomPain]

I don't know, but as of last night's exhibition game they only had 1 line.

[racerx]

Quote: Originally Posted by crques

I was wondering that myself. I was thinking that the women's 3 point line might not have moved back and that's the reason there are 2. I don't really follow women's basketball much so that's just a guess.

That is correct, The Women's did not move back!!!!

[crques]

Well after 2 hours, I finally got the demo downloaded for my PS3 last night. After reading some of the impressions from the past few days I was anxious to check it out. I'm not what you would call a "2K fanboy" but I have enjoyed their basketball games much more over the past 4-5 years. With that being said, I was a little worried when I found out that EA had the only college basketball game in town this year. After spending about an hour with the demo last night, I'm feeling better about things. The game definitely is an improvement over the March Madness games of the past and you can certainly tell that EA took a new approach to creating the game this year.

First off, I really like the courts that I see on the demo. They are definitely detailed and look pretty darn good. The flow of the game seems realistic. I used Kentucky and had much better success on offense slowing things down. Patterson was a serious force in the post for me and scored my first 8 points, 4 from offensive rebounds. Whenever I tried running with them, I saw more turnovers and wasn't able to finish off a lot of my possessions. Likewise, when using Tennessee I could definitely tell that the fast paced tempo was the key with them. I was able to finish more fast breaks and create more turnovers using them. I like the contrasting styles that I saw out of the 2 teams and can't wait until the retail version comes out to check the diversity amongst all teams.

The coaches chiming in is a nice feature also. When I first read about it I was concerned that it would just be another gimmicky feature thrown in there by EA just so they could add it to game advertisements. From what I saw in the demo, it's a nice touch and not overdone. After turning the ball over on 2 straigh possessions trying to run & gun with UK, Gillispie popped up and screamed at me to slow things down and be patient. The coach interaction added a nice feel to the game, especially after Tennessee rolled off 8 straight points on me and I called a timeout. The closeup of the team in the timeout showed a disgusted Gillispie pacing outside the huddle before talking to the team. I could almost visualize him doing that in real life.

I did see some things that I didn't really like. The players are ridiculous looking for the most part and most of them look alike. I'm hoping that the player editor is more detailed than EA basketball games in the past so we can get more variety out of the players. The shorts that the players wear sort of remind me of the "Hammer" pants, minus the sparkle and shine. They are way to baggy and just shaped funny in my opinion. It's something that I can overlook if the game is solid, but still noticeably funny looking.

The passing system still needs some work. I can think of at least 3 or 4 times that I turned the ball over because my player was either standing out of bounds when he received the pass, or I was trying to throw to someone in the post and the ball went across court instead, only to be stolen in mid air. Maybe with a little bit more time to get used to the controls I can get better at passing and it won't be a problem for me.

Another thing that worried me and I'm hoping can be fixed with a few slider tweaks is the shooting percentages and made shots while being fouled. In the first game that I played I shot about 70%, while the computer shot 65%. I think Tennessee was 6-7 from beyond the arc against me and at least 4 or 5 of those were heavily contested. I also saw a lot of made shots while I was being fouled. There were 2 occasions that I was falling after being fouled and the ball was basically just thrown up at the goal and went in. Although the jump shots look a lot better than those of past EA basketball games, they still look a little funny to me. I can't quite figure it out but there's something unrealistic looking about the jump shots, aside from the fact that they are all two-handed shots.

Also, seems like every made shot is nothing but net. I didn't see any variety as far as balls bouncing off the rim and falling in or even any shots being banked in. I'm hoping that maybe my guys were just money in the games I played and on the mark, but I'm not sure. Made baskets should have a variety of ways of going in the hoop, but this game reminded me of Double Dribble the way that all shots swished.

With all this being said, I'm looking forward to the retail version being released. Dynasty has long been my favorite feature in college football and basketball games and I'm anxious to see how recruiting, and NCAA tournament logic are in this one. Also, EA rosters have been hideous in the past but it sounds like they will be much better this year and that's exciting for those of us that like to get these accurate as possible. Maybe we'll have a lot less work this year. Anwyay, the demo was actually better than I expected and now I've decided to pick the game up when it's released whereas before I was thinking that perhaps I would just stick to CH2K8 this season.

[countryboy]

I just hit a game winning three!!! Well, if you can call hitting a 3 after 8 minutes expire in the first half a game winning shot.

I am UNC playing UK and I was down 13-12 with 50secs to go. I came down, jacked up a shot and missed. So I started fouling. At one point, I fouled Patterson as he was shooting a turn around jumper in the lane. He missed the shot and only made one of two free throws. So I was down 14-12 with 17secs to play. I came down, pressed had the SG get an off the ball screen, hit him as he curled out, he let it fly and SWISH! 15-14 UNC wins the shortest game in NCAA Men's Basketball history.

[countryboy]

I must admit, the more I'm playing this demo, the more I am enjoying the game. I agree that the player models are subpar and the animations seem to be herky jerky at times, but after rolling through about 20 games or so, they seem to grow on you and you learn to account for them.

The basketball AI in this game is pretty good. To get a sneak peak, just guard either the PG or SG when the cpu has the ball and watch the screens that are set, the floor balancing that takes place, and how they try to get you caught in mismatches.

I could see myself picking this game up on day 1 or even making the long haul to get it the weekend before if its available.

[rdelizo35]

The gameplay itself benefits from the inclusion of the ability to control the tempo, Pick and Roll Control, and even the playcalling is reminiscent of NBA Live '09.

I definitely think that, as pointed out in earlier posts, the player models look dated and there are problems with the animations, but the A.I. seems to be improved over NBA Live '09.

I like the fact that the Coach comments pop up during the game as you progress through a game. I'm interested in seeing the full game and how each of the different schools play.

The inclusion of the top 64 teams of all-time is a nice touch for those wanting to play with those teams. I am most looking forward to taking a team through Dynasty mode.

[Pared]

Quote: Originally Posted by countryboy

but after rolling through about 20 games or so, they seem to grow on you and you learn to account for them.

I agree. In no way would I say they are acceptable for next year, however.

[Tomba]

From the last time I played the game they have fixed a lot of the graphical integrity of it by a bunch. the crowd etc all move more smooth.

As far as gameplay? It's a demo and FEELS like a demo. I was surprised to not see sliders or camera adjustments?