NCAA March Madness 09 News Post

NCAA Basetball 09 Demo Available, Impressions Here

08:40 AM - November 6, 2008 by Murph

Some stuff you already knew:

Playable teams are Tennesse, Kentucky, 1979 North Carolina and 1982 Michigan State.

You play one half, which is locked at 8 minutes.

Pratice gym from Live is a half court blacktop on campus grounds.

Lots of half court traps and full court presses.

One dude I passed to was completely out of bounds. Only happened once though.

If you liked Live, you should like this as well.

NCAA Basketball 09 screenshot gallery - Click to view

Game: NCAA Basketball 09Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 29 - View All

NCAA Basketball 09 Videos

Member Comments

# 201 countryboy @ 11/09/08 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evarts2616


	that dude should have been gone 3 years ago. he's saying the same damn lines that was on mm 07 and i guess it saves ea time and money but seriously i don't know how anyone can listen to him after 2 games let alone an entire dynasty season.

the gameplay is good enough that I'll either tune him out or turn off commentary. But honestly, I like Dickie V. He's college basketball.

# 202 ty5oke @ 11/09/08 06:44 PM

Just played a few games of the demo, definitely an improvement over past EA bball games I've played. With that being said, I'm not to crazy about the feel and movement of the players. Something just doesn't quite feel right to me. I'll probably stick to choops for this year.

# 203 countryboy @ 11/09/08 06:51 PM

I just played an insane game. After 8 minutes of basketball, the score was 0-0. Horrible shooting by both UK and Tennessee in this game.

I cannot wait until this game drops.

# 204 green94 @ 11/09/08 07:21 PM

So after playing this demo the first day, I wasn't impressed. Used to 2k I guess.

But after more time playing today, I'm actually starting to dig it.

My only major gripe so far.... Right handed shooters fading away shooting left handed - WTF!

How does this happen? Does the same thing happen in Live? Hopefully this can be patched.

# 205 crques @ 11/09/08 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countryboy


	I love knowing that I can have an inside/out attack with this game. I am looking forward to pounding the ball inside to Samuels and having him kick it out for the open trey to one of my shooters like Smith, McGee, Sosa, Delk, Scott. Oh man, hurry up November 18th, I anxiously await your arrival.

I agree with you. I love the feel of the inside/outside game on here. I've dumped it in the post and kicked it back out for the three quite a bit with Kentucky and it's really done well on here and the players seem to catch and shoot at a faster pace than they did on CH2K8. I've actually found myself getting excited a few times and raising my hands in the air (calling for the made 3) after I've let the shot go as if I'm accomplished something great! LOL The inside/out has a nice, realistic feel to it.

# 206 USF_Guy @ 11/10/08 09:49 AM

I'm a 2k hoops guy so i need to get use to the demo a lil bit more but here's what i like/didnt like

Positives
----
-Graphics. Courts look amazing but arenas look a little dim outside the court area.

-Player models

-Student section animations when their hometeam is on the freethrow line or when the opposition is on the freethrow line. Great stuff.

-Tempo. I love it. I love the little pop up screen with the coach.

Negatives
-----

-Crowd does the "OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" chant when their hometeam is on OFFENSE! I'm a huge college hoops junkie and it is obvious that the homecrowd does that when the opposition has the ball. Must not be obvious to EA.

-Commentary is very bland. Dickie V sounds like a robot. There were periods where the game was so quiet and the commentators didnt say much. Also, Nessler says "UP AND IN" waaaaaayyyyyyy to much. Almost every eight seconds. It gets annoying.

-To score down low, all you have to do is post up, do a spin move, and take a jumper. Too easy.

-Ball physics. The ball is like a rock IMO. It's not fluid.

I'm on the fence with this game. I doubt EA will make any changes to the final product this week so hopefully they match some of these minor things.

# 207 Tomba @ 11/10/08 11:02 AM

Anyone ever remember how good NCAA College Basketball 2K3 was for Gamecube? Well that's the feeling I get when playing NCAA 09. I feel that they've captured the feel of the sport again the way that that game did, minus the better graphics.

# 208 crques @ 11/10/08 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by USF_Guy


	-To score down low, all you have to do is post up, do a spin move, and take a jumper. Too easy. -Ball physics. The ball is like a rock IMO. It's not fluid. I'm on the fence with this game. I doubt EA will make any changes to the final product this week so hopefully they match some of these minor things.

The 2 things you mentioned above are also concerns of mine but not really enough to deter me from the game. I have noticed that posting up and running over the defender gives me easy buckets in the paint or on the block. I can't tell if it's always the cpu trying to draw a charge or if I'm actually running them over.

# 209 Krodis @ 11/10/08 05:54 PM

It's pretty decent. I liked the traps and presses and the spacing. I liked how the defense generally reacted and the open shots you could create with good ball movement. I generally liked the tempo, but it was silly when they kept mentioning tempo when I was playing UNC/MSU and both had the same preferred tempo.

The animations are bad. The jumpshots are really weird. Some of the animations aren't so bad, but it seems like some of the animations are almost too fast? I wasn't really liking the controls, but it's something I need to get used to. The post play wasn't so great. I never really got fouled.

Overall, it's a good game, but I doubt I'll buy it.

# 210 DirtyJerz32 @ 11/10/08 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomba


	Anyone ever remember how good NCAA College Basketball 2K3 was for Gamecube? Well that's the feeling I get when playing NCAA 09. I feel that they've captured the feel of the sport again the way that that game did, minus the better graphics.

co-sign

# 211 countryboy @ 11/10/08 09:06 PM

I am loving how both myself and the cpu are missing wide open jumpers. Having way too much fun with just a demo. Way too much fun.

# 212 MrMaddog @ 11/10/08 09:50 PM

I think I played the demo the first day it was released on my PS3. I didn't like it and deleted it off my system. I thought the player models looked way too weird and everything looked too dark.

I started to read some of the positive responses on this board and thought they were crazy. Nevertheless, I downloaded the demo again to give it a second chance.

Outside of some issues that have already been mentioned, I am sold and can't wait for the full retail version. I think what turned me off the first time were the older games with the players in those short shorts. It just looked like the player models were not complete or something.

But then I played with a more current team, and although I'm not completely sold on the models, it just had a better appeal to me the 2nd time around. The crowd noise, stadium, and most of the gameplay is great. I'm having a blast with the demo now.

So anyone that said forget it after trying it initially, give it a 2nd look. Thumbs up!!

# 213 DirtyJerz32 @ 11/11/08 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMaddog


	I think I played the demo the first day it was released on my PS3. I didn't like it and deleted it off my system. I thought the player models looked way too weird and everything looked too dark. I started to read some of the positive responses on this board and thought they were crazy. Nevertheless, I downloaded the demo again to give it a second chance. Outside of some issues that have already been mentioned, I am sold and can't wait for the full retail version. I think what turned me off the first time were the older games with the players in those short shorts. It just looked like the player models were not complete or something. But then I played with a more current team, and although I'm not completely sold on the models, it just had a better appeal to me the 2nd time around. The crowd noise, stadium, and most of the gameplay is great. I'm having a blast with the demo now. So anyone that said forget it after trying it initially, give it a 2nd look. Thumbs up!!

This is another reason why I have feel in love with this email. The short shorts on all time teams is great. I can't wait until this game comes out. This may be played more than Live & 2K9.

# 214 clivo1050 @ 11/11/08 12:48 AM

The demo seems solid, the only thing i'm not sold on is the defense. To me, this was live 09's sore point and NCAA does seem more responsive in this manner, but its hard to tell until the full version is out.

# 215 clivo1050 @ 11/11/08 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave374


	Are you kidding? Once a game is out as a demo, its already gold and shipped. There will be no changes to the game ... but remember, this is only a demo. A demo can never match up to the full game.

actually, many game developers have to plan out demo's well beforehand. therefore, they are usually a mostly complete build of the final game. (i'd say anywhere from 80-90% complete build)
You can tell from other games that have seen changes from the demo builds.

# 216 Mos1ted @ 11/11/08 10:37 AM

I think the demo is solid - way better than I expected. I think what I like most about the game is the pace. It definitely mimics what we're use to seeing on televised college basketball games. Is it a buy for me? I'm not quite sure. I've been a little hesitant buying EA Sports games lately (and rightfully so). If the overall consensus is positive once the retail game drops, I may consider it. I'm not having any fun with College Hoops anymore. The more I play NBA 2K9, the more I realize what is missing in College Hoops. It's a shame it won't be around this year, but maybe, just maybe, NCAA Basketball can fill that void even if it's temporarily.

# 217 bowld @ 11/11/08 06:05 PM

is it just me or is it almost impossible to grab an offensive rebound in this gm?

# 218 countryboy @ 11/11/08 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowld


	is it just me or is it almost impossible to grab an offensive rebound in this gm?

it is difficult which is something I prefer vs it being far too easy. As I've played the demo more and more, I've been able to snag a few offensive rebounds. The last "game" I played as UNC vs UK, I grabbed 3 and they had 4, although 2 or 3 of theirs were because I was being silly.

# 219 cdj @ 11/11/08 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowld


	is it just me or is it almost impossible to grab an offensive rebound in this gm?

Once you select someone near the hoop, hit L2 (PS3, I think that's the right button) to box-out. That should help you get more rebounds overall, not just offensive.

# 220 zpq12 @ 11/12/08 12:13 AM

I know someone already said it, but this game makes me feel like I'm playing the older, looser College Hoops games, like 2K3. I like that. I've played nothing but 2K basketball games since about 2004, but I like this so far. I wish I had a better idea of how to use the controls, both the crossovers on the perimeter and moves in the post. I hope I can get more fouls in the retail version though. I am quite fond of the way that Tennessee presses. It feels more organic than CHoops. The whole game feels looser, and for a college basketball game, that is a good thing in my opinionI like it so far, but I think I will haunt this board for a week or so after release and see what the general feeling is. Might trade in 2K9 for it. BTW - does anyone know what camera view will be closer to the 2K camera? I like the floor cam, but it needs to be higher in the air, because sometimes I have trouble seeing whats going on in the post. Will I be able to adjust the height of the camera? Does anyone care to adjust a better camera? I prefer something that trails the offense.

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