Review: NBA 2K9

NBA 2K9
2K Sports, Visual Concepts
Available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, PS2

The videogame sports season is in full gear again which means it’s time for me to learn how to put down my RPGs and RTSs, and pick up the NHLs, NBAs and NFLs. This week we’re heading back to the hardwood floors to play a little b-ball with NBA 2K9.

2K Sports has consistently held the title of king of NBA games, but with EA bringing a better game year after year, 2K Games had to step up their winning formula this year and remind the gamers why they hold the title for best NBA game franchise.

Hitting the hardwood in single player mode, you find some very solid gameplay that is a noticeable step up from last year’s game in many ways. Offensively, the AI has been much improved and seems to accurately force you to make good shots and run plays on the defence. Defensibly, it takes players speed and size more accurately into account now, so you have think about who you send to cover who on the court or you could end up losing large over and over again.

It was nice to see the player’s speeds were finally fixed, so they were running at a more natural pace this time around. In past games, they always seemed to barrel down the court like they were in a Sonic the Hedgehog game or something. Shooting in post is still a game of hit and miss though and hook shots are always a pain in the neck to make, but these little problems are made up by the great perimeter and midrange offence.



Online play allows you to play some 5 on 5 with each player being controlled by a different gamer online. The living roster feature also allows you to update all the players stats in the game based on how they’re really playing in the NBA that season. Pretty cool, huh?

In the Association 2.0 mode or GM mode, you have the ability to manage the team of your choice as GM, which allows you to pick your roster, manage who will play what position, encourage and inspire your players, and manage all the little details in order to bring home a winning team.

The graphics in this year’s game are fantastic and so realistic that this is probably the best it’s ever been. The crowd looks and reacts just like a real crowd does (drink throwing not included), and the court has that perfect glossy shine to it. The players, though a little ugly in the facial area, did come out looking quite real this year and mimic a real NBA player’s so much you’d think you were watching a game on TV instead of playing a videogame.



The highlight reels which saves all the footage from your gameplay and then splices them together to mimic a real playback montage on TV is pretty neat to watch and never once did I skip pass the replays, just for that reason. The on court animations, both offensive and defensive never repeated enough for you to notice them, but the off court animations need a little more work as they were a little choppy.

The sounds of the game are excellent from the cheering and booing of the crowds to the squeaking of the sneakers across the hardwood floors. Almost like you were there, but remember, no amount of screaming at the TV makes your team stop losing.

All in all, NBA 2K9 proved that it can still blow away anything EA can bring to the table for the NBA franchise and I think all basketball fans will be more than happy with the latest instalment in the franchise. So lace up your sneaker, grab your Gatorade and hit the court for some b-ball with NBA 2K9.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Buy it!

Review: Top Spin 3

Top Spin 3
2K Sports, Pam Development
Available for the Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS

When it comes to tennis, I just can’t win. I couldn’t pick up the real game when an ex-boyfriend tried to teach me how to play and even any virtual tennis games seem to be beyond my grasp. 2K Sports newest title, Top Spin 3 as I’ve found, is no different for me either.

Whether you’re playing Top Spin 3 on the Xbox 360 & PS3 with a controller or on Nintendo Wii with the motion controller, a good concept of how the game of tennis works is really the key to excelling in this game. The control scheme has been changed to include a variety of swing types and knowing which type to use during the match can really give you an upper hand over your opponents.




The motion controls on the Wii definitely made the game much more interactive and enjoyable, but the Xbox controllers have been changed so much to include control over your switch type, direction and power that it has actually become more difficult to accurately hit the ball. I spend 15 minutes in the tutorial just trying to master the serve, because I didn’t understand that I just had to nudge the analog stick once instead of holding it each time.

Real tennis fans may love the precise swing controllers, but newcomers might get discouraged by them and given up on this game before they even finish the tutorial, especially when it takes them an hour just to finish it.

The game offers a great single player experience which allows you to play one game at a time against tennis legends like Maria Sharapova or Andy Roddick with its quick match mode or you can progress through career mode with a custom created player and try to climb the ranks in the professional tennis world. You can even pick from 40 different venues to play matches in.

You can also go online on the Xbox & PS3 versions and play against 3 other players in singles or doubles in a quick match or the world tour mode where you can compete in online tournaments. The Wii version doesn’t have online play but you can play party mode which allows you to play mini games against your friends and family at home.




Each tennis legend facial modeling was quite well done in the game, but the body animation was so bad, I actually got a little sick watching Maria Sharapova walk around after a while. The developers made her look more anorexic then anything; it was like watching a skeleton with skin swing a racket.

Animation in the game was a little slow or choppy in some spots. The camera would be panning over the crowd and suddenly stop or stutter, which for such a simple animation shouldn’t be happening.

Audio was pretty realistic with its announcers during the matches. They called the matches quite accurately and didn’t repeat themselves at all. The music in the menu selection screens was excellent and featured tracks from artists like Jamiroquai, Calvin Harris and Boys like Girls.

This is definitely not the type of game I would normally buy, but for fans of professional tennis, I think the updated control system and the legends of tennis roster will impress enough to warrant a rental. For those of us who can’t swing a racket to save our lives though, I think we should play it safe and stick to playing Pong.

Rating: 6 out of 10
Rent it!

New NHL 2K9 Game Play Trailer

Of course, where's there EA's NHL 09, there's going to be 2K Sports' NHL 2K9 as well. Both as titans in the hockey videogame arena and fans will be dying to find out which game is better this year especially with the 2K gitches and bad EA controls last year.

Top Spin 3 Funny Caption Contest

Want to win a copy of Top Spin 3 for the Nintendo DS?

Well, head over to Attack This!, come up with a funny caption for their tennis photo and then you could win a copy for your very own.

Click the link to hit the contest page.

2K Sports Reveals Debut Top Spin 3 Trailer

The debut trailer for Top Spin 3 from 2K Sports. Top Spin 3 is slated for a June 2008 release on the PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and Wii.

Top Spin 3 includes 20 of the world’s top tennis superstars and legendary players including Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, James Blake, Bjorn Borg and Monica Seles. With all-new action-packed features including signature player styles and expressions, weather changes, situation-specific behaviors, along with revamped audio with enhanced crowd reaction, Top Spin 3 serves up the most realistic and exciting tennis video game experience ever.

Gamers will also have the opportunity to play on more than 40 prestigious and visually stunning venues from around the world such as Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York (U.S. Open), Roland Garros in Paris (French Open) and Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne (Australian Open). Adding to the immersive gameplay experience, fans can utilize a new and innovative Player Creator to customize their own unique tennis stars with free-form body sculpting, makeup and tattoos. Competitive players will also be able to create matches online and test their skills against friends or ranked players around the world.

Watch for this game to hit store shelves in June 2008.

MLB Power Pros Announced for Fall 2008

2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. , and Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced the next iteration of the wildly popular baseball franchise, MLB Power Pros 2008, scheduled to be available for Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 2 this July, as well as Nintendo DS later this fall.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Konami again, and with the Baseball season now in full swing, we’re proud to offer our fans a refreshingly smart and exciting baseball game that is easily accessible for all ages,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Baseball enthusiasts will appreciate the variety of newly added features, intuitive game modes and improved overall feel, and we look forward to hitting one out of the park this season with MLB Power Pros 2008.”

With over ten different exciting game modes including the traditional Practice, Exhibition, League and Home Run Challenge modes, MLB Power Pros 2008 will bring gamers closer to the action than ever before. Gamers also get the opportunity to act as general manager and control the destiny of their own franchise in Season mode, or engage in entertaining role-playing story modes such as Success and MLB Life modes. As general manager, gamers can trade, sign free agents, coordinate practice schedules, purchase new equipment, call up and send down players from the Minor Leagues, along with other management options to bring in fans, win playoff games and eventually, earn the title of World Series champion.

In Success mode, fans can participate in a story-based career of rising players in the Double-A Minor League system trying to improve their baseball skills and make an impression on baseball scouts while also having to balance various situations in their personal lives. Through a variety of amusing training and game challenges, players who complete Success mode will also be able to take their created player files into MLB Life as well, or also play as either an existing Major League Baseball player in Dream Mode, or start as a rookie in Major League Career mode.

As a new feature in MLB Power Pros 2008, MLB Life is another story-based mode that will allow fans the possibility to simulate the exciting life and experience of being a Major League Baseball player over the course of a 20-year career. While continuing to play in games through the regular baseball season, players will also participate in a number of realistic situations such as signing contracts, purchasing houses and cars, making charitable donations, building up relationships with friends and teammates, picking up hobbies and much more.

With easy, pick-up-and-play hitting and pitching controls, along with intuitive Wii functionality, other new features in MLB Power Pros 2008 include support of 40-man rosters, change of ball speed, adjustment of defensive shifts, along with a real-time bullpen check functionality for substituting pitchers. MLB Power Pros 2008 will also support the option for players to import their Wii-based characters, Miis, from their Wii or Wii Remote to become part of the exciting action!