NCAA Basketball 09 Impressions

[sportyguyfl31]

Quote: Originally Posted by countryboy

I've seen the cpu take timeouts to stop runs and end of game situations.

I'm wondering if the CPU is actually calling TO's, but the problem is that when their is a stop in play, you arent always arent sure why it has occured because they do not always address it.

[HustlinOwl]

In a game I played yesterday, I tried to slide over and draw a charge, but was late getting there and was called for a block

[countryboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by HustlinOwl

In a game I played yesterday, I tried to slide over and draw a charge, but was late getting there and was called for a block

thats good to know. Its mainly me getting called for charging calls.

[K_rob11]

After playing a handful of games over the weekend, I can honestly say that I can see why many people here have been praising this game and why many have been bashing it. But luckily for me, the good out weighs the bad.

I'll preface by saying that I am a basketball junkie. I love playing, watching, and coaching it. No other game is in my console more than basketball games.....especially college basketball (and for the past few years especially 2k's College Hoops series). Once I usually get my hands on College Hoops, thats when I stop playing my football titles. Being on a little holiday budget this year, I had to trade in all of my games to get this title (NBA 2k9, Madden 09, and CH 2k8)....so I put alot of stock into this purchase....I was worried that it may not be worth it....

As many have already said, the floor spacing is great! It truly is. This opens the game up so much more and I definitly can see the difference after playing the hell out of CH 2k7 & 2k8. The player movement off the ball really stands out in this game and truly gives that college basketball feel. You see it with your players as well as the CPU players when they have the ball.....its pretty amazing.

I love the post game. Dynamic post play was the main feature last year iirc.......I am glad to see it back in this year. ONce you master all the post moves, it adds even more depth to the gameplay.

I love the tempo meter and it is not overdone at all. This is something I have ALWAYS done while playing CH....now it just really matters!

Love the little things like the limited time you get in timeouts. I mentioned that I liked this in MM008....since you get a minute for full TOs and you have your 30 sec timeouts, you have to really plan ahead as to what you want to do during your timeouts. I just wish they gave you more options to do things during timeouts like:

- giving us the ability to choose a play out of the playbook to run out of the timeout...

- ability to call a press with press options (after next made basket, after dead ball, always, never, etc...)

- set player to player defensive matchups/ pressure (right now, its just gives you position double team options/pressure)

- choose a point of emphasis (like in CH 2k8)

All this would be nice to have the option to do during timeouts....it would make timeout usage more important than it just being a way to rest some tired players.....but maybe next year


The graphics are GREAT! Some of the best I have seen in a sports video game on my 360 outside of Fight Night. Some of the animations are a joy to watch.....but there just aren't enough of them. 2k, i think, has really spoiled us in this department.

PLAYER NAMES DON'T APPEAR UNDER THE CPU PLAYER WHEN THEY HAVE THE BALL .....I HATE THAT.

The quick sub menu (when you press up on the d-pad during gameplay) does not include situational lineups...and you also cannot view fatigue or player fouls ....it makes it very difficult to make subs during the game. The best time to do it is during freethrows when there is no action going on....the only problem is that YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE QUICK SUB MENU DURING FREE THROWS!!

I love the ESPN College Basketball music to start the game...but i wish they did more of this type of stuff to enhance the presentation a bit. How about some ESPN graphical stat overlays? They can even have the score show like it does during an ESPN college basketball broadcast. I do like the fact that they pick out 2 key players to watch before the game (one from each team)....then after halftime they show the stats of those 2 players to see how they are stacking up against each other...nice touch there.

Presentation is lacking, but the atmosphere is great. One of the games I played over the weekend was Davidson (me) at Oklahoma. I kept hearing "boomer-sooner" and some other chants from the student section...it was great! I jumped out to an early lead and eventually completely took to crowd out of the game. The Sooners made their run and the crowd got louder and louder and it really sounded phenomenal when the Sooners hit a 3 to take their first lead of the game with like just over 2 minutes left in the game......my players never recovered ....but the atmosphere was great in that game.

The Dynasty mode does concern me a bit with the awful sim engine and the number of 5 star recruits that you seem to be able to get with ease (altough, the ratings seem to suggest that alot of these recruits should not merit a 5 star rating in the first place)......and coming from CH 2k8 where you had every single thing you could possibly want in a college basketball dynasty mode, NCAA 09 really looks bare. But I don't think it's terrible. Its not as bare-bones as Next Gen Madden 06,07....there is a little more than that....it just may seem that way coming from possibly the greatest dynasty mode of all time.

But to me the beauty of the gameplay trumps all of this for me. Bottomline for me is that this game is fun, period. Once I realized how fun it is to play this game, I stopped "looking" for flaws and reasons why not to like this game.... and I stopped trying to compare it to CH 2k8. I am very happy with this purchase and I am sure the slider and roster gurus here on this fabulous site will make this game even better for me!

[countryboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by K_rob11

After playing a handful of games over the weekend, I can honestly say that I can see why many people here have been praising this game and why many have been bashing it. But luckily for me, the good out weighs the bad. I'll preface by saying that I am a basketball junkie. I love playing, watching, and coaching it. No other game is in my console more than basketball games.....especially college basketball (and for the past few years especially 2k's College Hoops series). Once I usually get my hands on College Hoops, thats when I stop playing my football titles. Being on a little holiday budget this year, I had to trade in all of my games to get this title (NBA 2k9, Madden 09, and CH 2k8)....so I put alot of stock into this purchase....I was worried that it may not be worth it.... As many have already said, the floor spacing is great! It truly is. This opens the game up so much more and I definitly can see the difference after playing the hell out of CH 2k7 & 2k8. The player movement off the ball really stands out in this game and truly gives that college basketball feel. You see it with your players as well as the CPU players when they have the ball.....its pretty amazing. I love the post game. Dynamic post play was the main feature last year iirc.......I am glad to see it back in this year. ONce you master all the post moves, it adds even more depth to the gameplay. I love the tempo meter and it is not overdone at all. This is something I have ALWAYS done while playing CH....now it just really matters! Love the little things like the limited time you get in timeouts. I mentioned that I liked this in MM008....since you get a minute for full TOs and you have your 30 sec timeouts, you have to really plan ahead as to what you want to do during your timeouts. I just wish they gave you more options to do things during timeouts like: - giving us the ability to choose a play out of the playbook to run out of the timeout... - ability to call a press with press options (after next made basket, after dead ball, always, never, etc...) - set player to player defensive matchups/ pressure (right now, its just gives you position double team options/pressure) - choose a point of emphasis (like in CH 2k8) All this would be nice to have the option to do during timeouts....it would make timeout usage more important than it just being a way to rest some tired players.....but maybe next year The graphics are GREAT! Some of the best I have seen in a sports video game on my 360 outside of Fight Night. Some of the animations are a joy to watch.....but there just aren't enough of them. 2k, i think, has really spoiled us in this department. PLAYER NAMES DON'T APPEAR UNDER THE CPU PLAYER WHEN THEY HAVE THE BALL .....I HATE THAT. The quick sub menu (when you press up on the d-pad during gameplay) does not include situational lineups...and you also cannot view fatigue or player fouls ....it makes it very difficult to make subs during the game. The best time to do it is during freethrows when there is no action going on....the only problem is that YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE QUICK SUB MENU DURING FREE THROWS!! I love the ESPN College Basketball music to start the game...but i wish they did more of this type of stuff to enhance the presentation a bit. How about some ESPN graphical stat overlays? They can even have the score show like it does during an ESPN college basketball broadcast. I do like the fact that they pick out 2 key players to watch before the game (one from each team)....then after halftime they show the stats of those 2 players to see how they are stacking up against each other...nice touch there. Presentation is lacking, but the atmosphere is great. One of the games I played over the weekend was Davidson (me) at Oklahoma. I kept hearing "boomer-sooner" and some other chants from the student section...it was great! I jumped out to an early lead and eventually completely took to crowd out of the game. The Sooners made their run and the crowd got louder and louder and it really sounded phenomenal when the Sooners hit a 3 to take their first lead of the game with like just over 2 minutes left in the game......my players never recovered ....but the atmosphere was great in that game. The Dynasty mode does concern me a bit with the awful sim engine and the number of 5 star recruits that you seem to be able to get with ease (altough, the ratings seem to suggest that alot of these recruits should not merit a 5 star rating in the first place)......and coming from CH 2k8 where you had every single thing you could possibly want in a college basketball dynasty mode, NCAA 09 really looks bare. But I don't think it's terrible. Its not as bare-bones as Next Gen Madden 06,07....there is a little more than that....it just may seem that way coming from possibly the greatest dynasty mode of all time. But to me the beauty of the gameplay trumps all of this for me. Bottomline for me is that this game is fun, period. Once I realized how fun it is to play this game, I stopped "looking" for flaws and reasons why not to like this game.... and I stopped trying to compare it to CH 2k8. I am very happy with this purchase and I am sure the slider and roster gurus here on this fabulous site will make this game even better for me!

great writeup K-Rob.

[HustlinOwl]

Quote: Originally Posted by K_rob11

After playing a handful of games over the weekend, I can honestly say that I can see why many people here have been praising this game and why many have been bashing it. But luckily for me, the good out weighs the bad. I'll preface by saying that I am a basketball junkie. I love playing, watching, and coaching it. No other game is in my console more than basketball games.....especially college basketball (and for the past few years especially 2k's College Hoops series). Once I usually get my hands on College Hoops, thats when I stop playing my football titles. Being on a little holiday budget this year, I had to trade in all of my games to get this title (NBA 2k9, Madden 09, and CH 2k8)....so I put alot of stock into this purchase....I was worried that it may not be worth it.... As many have already said, the floor spacing is great! It truly is. This opens the game up so much more and I definitly can see the difference after playing the hell out of CH 2k7 & 2k8. The player movement off the ball really stands out in this game and truly gives that college basketball feel. You see it with your players as well as the CPU players when they have the ball.....its pretty amazing. I love the post game. Dynamic post play was the main feature last year iirc.......I am glad to see it back in this year. ONce you master all the post moves, it adds even more depth to the gameplay. I love the tempo meter and it is not overdone at all. This is something I have ALWAYS done while playing CH....now it just really matters! Love the little things like the limited time you get in timeouts. I mentioned that I liked this in MM008....since you get a minute for full TOs and you have your 30 sec timeouts, you have to really plan ahead as to what you want to do during your timeouts. I just wish they gave you more options to do things during timeouts like: - giving us the ability to choose a play out of the playbook to run out of the timeout... - ability to call a press with press options (after next made basket, after dead ball, always, never, etc...) - set player to player defensive matchups/ pressure (right now, its just gives you position double team options/pressure) - choose a point of emphasis (like in CH 2k8) All this would be nice to have the option to do during timeouts....it would make timeout usage more important than it just being a way to rest some tired players.....but maybe next year The graphics are GREAT! Some of the best I have seen in a sports video game on my 360 outside of Fight Night. Some of the animations are a joy to watch.....but there just aren't enough of them. 2k, i think, has really spoiled us in this department. PLAYER NAMES DON'T APPEAR UNDER THE CPU PLAYER WHEN THEY HAVE THE BALL .....I HATE THAT. The quick sub menu (when you press up on the d-pad during gameplay) does not include situational lineups...and you also cannot view fatigue or player fouls ....it makes it very difficult to make subs during the game. The best time to do it is during freethrows when there is no action going on....the only problem is that YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE QUICK SUB MENU DURING FREE THROWS!! I love the ESPN College Basketball music to start the game...but i wish they did more of this type of stuff to enhance the presentation a bit. How about some ESPN graphical stat overlays? They can even have the score show like it does during an ESPN college basketball broadcast. I do like the fact that they pick out 2 key players to watch before the game (one from each team)....then after halftime they show the stats of those 2 players to see how they are stacking up against each other...nice touch there. Presentation is lacking, but the atmosphere is great. One of the games I played over the weekend was Davidson (me) at Oklahoma. I kept hearing "boomer-sooner" and some other chants from the student section...it was great! I jumped out to an early lead and eventually completely took to crowd out of the game. The Sooners made their run and the crowd got louder and louder and it really sounded phenomenal when the Sooners hit a 3 to take their first lead of the game with like just over 2 minutes left in the game......my players never recovered ....but the atmosphere was great in that game. The Dynasty mode does concern me a bit with the awful sim engine and the number of 5 star recruits that you seem to be able to get with ease (altough, the ratings seem to suggest that alot of these recruits should not merit a 5 star rating in the first place)......and coming from CH 2k8 where you had every single thing you could possibly want in a college basketball dynasty mode, NCAA 09 really looks bare. But I don't think it's terrible. Its not as bare-bones as Next Gen Madden 06,07....there is a little more than that....it just may seem that way coming from possibly the greatest dynasty mode of all time. But to me the beauty of the gameplay trumps all of this for me. Bottomline for me is that this game is fun, period. Once I realized how fun it is to play this game, I stopped "looking" for flaws and reasons why not to like this game.... and I stopped trying to compare it to CH 2k8. I am very happy with this purchase and I am sure the slider and roster gurus here on this fabulous site will make this game even better for me!

Great post and I agree 100%

[Da_Czar]

Quote: Originally Posted by countryboy

one man's opinion. The dynasty mode is fine and solid. Its just not as deep, I am guessing, as 2k. I never played the 2k college hoops game, but that seems to be the consensus on the boards.

Countryboy if you like dynasty you owe it to yourself to pick this up used for 10-14 bucks and get a sim dynasty going on just to see what the big deal is. Its an AWESOME experience especially in comparison.

[K_rob11]

Quote: Originally Posted by Da_Czar

Countryboy if you like dynasty you owe it to yourself to pick this up used for 10-14 bucks and get a sim dynasty going on just to see what the big deal is. Its an AWESOME experience especially in comparison.

Seriously....there is nothing like it. Selection Sunday, the weekly shows, the ability to scout the teams you are about to face (the amount of info availiable about the next team you face is unmatched!) and then you can turn around and conduct a practice against the type of defense or offense you will be facing ....i can just stop right there, but there is so much more. That is why people are saying the Dynasty in NCAA 09 sucks because of all the stuff 2k had in their game......I really hope NCAA 10 delivers for us dynasty heads! I don't want to see them go the madden route and cater specifically to the online crowd.