NCAA March Madness 09 News Post

NCAA Basketball 09 Impressions

06:31 PM - November 17, 2008 by 23

NCAA Basketball 09 has been released, post your impressions here.

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

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Member Comments

# 361 Salhus @ 11/23/08 09:30 PM

Just a general question: Are the sig shots in this game not just accurate, but good??

# 362 countryboy @ 11/23/08 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salhus47


	Just a general question: Are the sig shots in this game not just accurate, but good??

there are no sig shots.

# 363 ehh @ 11/23/08 09:53 PM

I'm using the skybox cam now and love it, I think I'll stick with this for a while. It's basically a zoomed out version of the classic cam.

# 364 ehh @ 11/23/08 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countryboy


	there are no sig shots.

There are, you just can't edit them and the variety isn't all that great.

# 365 countryboy @ 11/23/08 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehh


	There are, you just can't edit them and the variety isn't all that great.

I honestly didn't notice.

# 366 cdj @ 11/23/08 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dickdalewood


	Click the "crash the off. boards" option before the game starts and you'll get plenty.

Those focus points you pick before the game do not directly alter gameplay. They simply indicate what you want the Coach Feedback pop-ups to stress to you throughout the game. No ratings, gameplay, etc. are altered by your selections. The producers stated this at the NCAA Basketball Community Event.

# 367 ehh @ 11/23/08 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countryboy


	I honestly didn't notice.

LOL, exactly! Not a strong area of the game, hehe.

I just simmed my first season, interesting results. Hansbrough won POY which is cool, UConn went 16-16, not cool. Minnesota beat Ohio State to win the National Championship, that's pretty bad.

The recruit rankings and number of 5-stars is definitely out of control, four teams signed five 5-star players. I also learned the hard way that the CPU will not sign any recruits for you if you sim everything, lol.

# 368 crques @ 11/24/08 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehh


	LOL, exactly! Not a strong area of the game, hehe. I just simmed my first season, interesting results. Hansbrough won POY which is cool, UConn went 16-16, not cool. Minnesota beat Ohio State to win the National Championship, that's pretty bad. The recruit rankings and number of 5-stars is definitely out of control, four teams signed five 5-star players. I also learned the hard way that the CPU will not sign any recruits for you if you sim everything, lol.

Funny you mention that. Minnesota must be overrated on this game. A friend of mine simmed 2 seasons yesterday and Minnesota beat Michigan State for the championship in year 1, and in year 2 they beat Akron......yes I said Akron. He said that after Akron made the championship he went back to check their roster and apparently they landed landed 3 5-star recruits after the first season. Here's one of the craziest things I've ever seen in a dynasty on any game though.....in the first year UNC finished with only 15 wins and then made the Tournament with an at-large bid. If EA would work on recruiting and RPI ratings and Top 25 rankings, this game could potentially be great.

# 369 countryboy @ 11/24/08 08:31 AM

has anyone seen a blocking call yet? I've seen nothing but charging calls when two players collide.

# 370 sportyguyfl31 @ 11/24/08 08:43 AM

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.

# 371 HustlinOwl @ 11/24/08 08:44 AM

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

# 372 countryboy @ 11/24/08 08:55 AM

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.

# 373 K_rob11 @ 11/24/08 09:39 AM

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!

# 374 countryboy @ 11/24/08 09:52 AM

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.

# 375 HustlinOwl @ 11/24/08 09:56 AM

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%

# 376 Da_Czar @ 11/24/08 11:14 AM

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.

# 377 K_rob11 @ 11/24/08 11:20 AM

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.

# 378 Stumbleweed @ 11/24/08 11:36 AM

I got this on GameFly a few days ago and haven't touched 2K since... kinda crazy really, especially since I can care less about college ball. The gameplay feels really solid to me, and it's the only game I haven't adjusted AT ALL in terms of sliders.. I'm playing on default All-Conference and having great games. The shot %s are probably a little high overall for college, but the game is just really fun. Very surprised how much I'm enjoying this and how close and competitive the games are. I'm having fun with the Dynasty also -- I recognize that 2K8's dynasty mode was unbelieveably deep, but it was too much for a non-NCAA guy like me to handle, so I appreciate the simpler system in this game.

I love the way they tightened up everything form Live... if this is an indication of how Live plays post-patch, I'm gonna be a very happy man. And it makes me excited for Live 2010 as well, because they obviously refined a lot of things in a few months. The defense in particular feels great -- there is still some occasional jumping sideways and stuff like that from Live, but overall I feel like I can actually play defense in this game (better than 2K9 and Live 09).

I started a Dynasty and got hired by LSU. I'm still in non-conference play, but I won the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tourney. I'm 6-1 on the season with my only loss coming to some boondock school that surprised me with a loss thanks to my late-game mistakes.. lost it 48-46. All of the games have had competitive stretches, but my superior team has managed to grind out the win in the end. I know I'll get handled if I end up playing Tennessee or some powerhouse like that, so these non-conference games are a good way to get used to everything and get to know my team.

# 379 countryboy @ 11/24/08 11:40 AM

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.

nah, sometimes not knowing what you're missing or have missed is best.

# 380 skinfan31 @ 11/24/08 12:02 PM

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!

This really was a great post. I've pretty much been against EA basketball titles the last couple of years. So when it was announced that CHOOPs wouldn't be back, of course you can imagine my disappointment. I decided to give the demo a try and to my surprise I found it to be a really good experience. It sounds like we both look for the same things in basketball games and your write up not only re-affirmed what I found playing the demo, but answered some questions that I had as well.

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