Review – NBA Live 09 (PSP)
Mike November 1st, 2008 (Visited 3129 times) Tags: nba_live, psp, video_game
There are reasons why NBA Live is no longer the king of basketball sims. Aside from the fact that the NBA 2K game franchise has taken over, earlier versions of NBA Live have devolved into an arcade game devoid of basketball science. Has NBA Live 09 bucked this depressing trend? I dive into the game’s PlayStation Portable version to find out.
Visually, almost nothing has changed since Live 08, save for EA’s strange decision to cut back on the court lighting. Playing a basketball game in Live 09 hearkens back to the seemingly-darker courts of the ABA days. There are also no noticeable tweaks to the player models. The heads still look bigger than they should be.
Commentary is fair, but the unevenness in certain parts is noticeable. It almost sounds as if the voice was spliced, but its pitch somehow gave it all away. The tracks played at menus are standard-fare hip-hop, and are a mix of catchy and unremarkable songs.
But forget the graphics and audio; gameplay is what drives a basketball sim. Unfortunately, Live 09 still falls short of the standards raised by its rival because basketball rules do not apply here. Gamers can’t call timeout on the same possession, stealing the ball is too easy, the calls are inconsistent, the blocks are hit or miss, uncontested layups miss too often, and the opponents are brain dead.
Admittedly, calls made by NBA refs can be inconsistent, but Live 09 is still a notch above fickle.
Fortunately, there are customizable sliders that can be modified to one’s liking. That means the steals and missed layups can be curbed. However, it’s disappointing to see that the default “simulator” settings don’t have any similarity to real basketball.
To make things worse, the game itself comes with a number of issues that further dampen the Live 09 experience. The menus are too slow, the controls are sluggish, the dynasty mode freezes, and play-calling is broken. If one calls a play (say pick and roll), the players on the floor merely stand around until the shot clock winds down.
Live 09 for the PSP also lacks the usual coaching details found in its console cousins. One can’t make the necessary defensive matchups or specify the type of defensive pressure—factors that could affect the outcome of a match.
If one can put up with all the game’s weaknesses, Live 09 comes with plenty of things to do until the next installment, like the All-Star Weekend and FIBA tournament. It’s just regrettable that given all the features, the core game isn’t enjoyable.
What is NBA Live 09? Is it a basketball sim or arcade sports game? The answer isn’t exactly clear cut. This iteration isn’t an accurate basketball simulation but it’s not quite an arcade game like NBA Street either. One thing is sure: Live 09 is headed for the bargain bin even before the NBA season is over. If you value your money, stay away from this game and stick with NBA 2K on consoles.
May 14th, 2009 22:07
November 3rd, 2008 09:55