NCAA Basketball 09 – PS3 – Review

When reviewing
a game, a lot has to be considered. Sure, there are the basics of graphics,
gameplay, framerate, modes of play and such, but one also should take into
account where the game has been and where it is going.

For example, in
considering NCAA Basketball from EA Sports, you can think back to the area where the creation features were a bit more robust. It is
understandable that developers fiddle with the formula each year and try to
deliver the best game they can. And in that regard, NCAA Basketball 09 has some
very good elements. While the game does not quite reach the level of EA’s NBA
title, with the Dynamic DNA features, it still provides entertainment value.

One of the
newest additions to the title is the inclusion of the tempo meter. Each team has
a tempo, whether it is up-tempo, half court or balanced. This plays into the way
players are expected to move the ball. If you are an up-tempo fastbreak kind of
player, then heading into franchise mode with a coach that manages the game that
way is best. If you go in as a balanced kind of coach, or half-court, and then
try to run and gun, you will throw your team out of whack with that tempo meter
and swing momentum to your opponents.

Why does this
really matter? Well, because you are expected to play within the framework of
your team. If you don’t, you will start to miss shots, even layups, and your
opponent can take advantage of that by establishing their team’s momentum.
Conversely, if your opponents are within their tempo meter zone, you can take
that momentum away from them by playing defense very well.  A coaching guide (in
the form of a coach) appears in the top portion of the screen to let you know if
you are succeeding or failing and how to improve either by pressuring the other
team or by increasing your own pacing (or, if you are a half-court team, slowing
it down).

Yes, this does
matter; not only does it matter to the season at hand, but it matters in the
type of player you go after, recruit-wise, in the game’s main thrust, dynasty
mode.

Other new
features include a contextual playcalling system. You hold down the L1 button to
bring up a list of set plays that pertain to the action of the moment. The L2
button comes into play for the new Pick and Roll control scheme that will allow
players to not only control two players, but will allow you to call for the
screen and by continuing to hold the button, the player providing the screen
slips the coverage and rolls to the basket.

The
pick-and-roll element is part of a couple of new ballhandling moves implemented
into the game that includes the quick-strike ankle breakers (hold R2 and then
use the right thumbstick to perform a quick strike move), and quick-strike
ball-handling abilities.

In the game
modes, you have the dynasty mode, and the dynasty yearbook, which allow you to
revisit stats and moves from previous seasons. You can create a player and drop
him onto the team of your choice and then build throughout the year for a run at
the national championship. Two new modes making their debut are the Tournament
of Legends (a field of 64 teams featuring some of the greatest teams of all
time) and the Rival Challenge.

The controls
are intuitive and if you have ever picked up a copy of the game before, you
won’t be struggling with the controls here. While there are a few new moves to
learn, you won’t find yourself struggling too much, which allows you to enjoy
the game.

Graphically the
game is very good and the tempo changes to reflect the time in the game and your
team’s momentum or lack thereof. Your team will get tired and slow down, but you
won’t get that feeling that the game is being played in slo-motion. The
environments are nicely rendered out and the animations are very solid. The PS3
version is operating on a new gameplay engine that brings in a lot more
animations (EA Sports estimates there are more than 1,000 new animations in the
game).

The audio is a
bit of hit and miss with the announcing duties (especially on the part of Dick
Vitale) stuck with some repetitious phrases that at times don’t make a lot of
sense. But the game counters that with up-tempo music and ESPN radio.

As mentioned,
there is a creation zone in the game where players can create a player, choose a
name from a recognized list (or type in your own), and then load that player
onto a roster and into a game. It is not quite the experience that was realized
with NCAA football that plays off the Be a Pro element with players creating and
then tracking a player through their college career, but it is still a nice
adjunct to the game (sorry, no create a school like in earlier iterations – and
that’s missed but what EA offers up here is solid gameplay).

NCAA is a
decent game. There could have been a few more options in terms of game modes but
generally speaking, what is here is decent enough. The tempo meter certainly
does affect the way the game plays out. In the end though, it is all about the
way you control your team that matters the most. This is a title that is better
than what has appeared in the recent past, but should be considered a stepping
stone for what, hopefully, will be a more robust experience the next go-round.

Review Scoring Details for NCAA Basketball 09

Gameplay: 7.4
Some nice new
elements, but there are load times that feel a little long. The game’s tempo
meter helps liven up the pacing, and the control scheme is intuitive.

Graphics: 8.0
Solid player models
and animation.

Sound: 7.0
Good and bad here –
the good is the music and ESPN Radio, and some of the announcing that gives it a
television feel. The bad are the repetitions in some of the announcing duties.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 7.0
A good step in the
right direction but this just feels a little limited.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Go online and battle
it out with other players.

Overall: 7.4
Better than previous outings, NCAA Basketball 09 is a decent game that
should challenge and entertain. Add in more game modes, and this game will nail
that three-pointer from beyond the arc.