NCAA Basketball 09 Demo Impressions
by 
The NCAA Basketball 09 demo came out earlier today marking the release of one of the more important demos we’ll see given the circumstances. In a good move EA included four different teams, the ability to change cameras and difficulty levels, and made it a full eight minute half. Structurally it is one of the best sports game demos ever offered. How the game is being received though seems to be mixed, with some seeing improvement over Live 09 and others actually thinking it is a step back from that.
I’m having issues with the audio in my recordings right now so I’ll attempt to get videos of the demo up when I’ve figured out what the problem is. Until then I wanted to drop some quick impressions from the demo.
- The Live engine being used is pretty evident. What is good is that the better aspects of it, pick and roll control for example, have been carried over.
- Many issues with Live 09 appear to have been fixed. One is with shot block attempts as now you press the button and the player actually jumps when you want them to. Same with contesting shots by pushing up on the right stick.
- I also like that players go up with their shots immediately. When kicking the ball out for a three I can get the shot off quickly as opposed to it being slow and a defender closing in.
- Somewhat related is that you can actually pull up for a shot when on the run. One thing that has frustrated me with Live is attempting to pull up and being drawn into a leaner. That isn’t the case with NCAA.
- The tempo feature seems to be a great addition and differentiates styles like we’ve never before seen in a basketball game. The difference is stark between an up-tempo team like Tennessee and even a more half-court like Kentucky. It felt good running with Tennessee and it really did seem like you were more effective playing the desired tempo.
- The coach pop-ups are helpful, though I’m not sure how much I’d pay attention to them after getting acclimated to the game. I think the tempo meter is a great addition and I found myself looking to that more.
- Directional passing continues to be a problem, I suppose this is a combination of being a Live engine issue and a basketball game issue.
- The court seems really spacious. In a way maybe to an extreme but it opens up the gameplay which is a good thing.
- It’s nice having the same free throw mechanism as Live. It still maybe falls on the side of being too easy but it is so much better than having the right stick way of shooting them forced on us.
- Too many shots are made with contact. This is another issue that has seemed to carry over.
- I don’t like getting stuck in the lockdown defense animation and being unable to pull yourself out of it.
- Pressuring in the back court works really well, though the CPU doesn’t always seem to react to it as they should.
- At times the CPU just seemed to be helpless on offense. Maybe that is a product of playing out of their tempo I don’t know. But it is frustrating having them just pass the ball around for most of the shot clock and never go on the attack only to lead to a poor contested shot or turnover.
- Do you really get penalized as a half court team when you take advantage of a fast break opportunity? That is a problem.
- Half the time I don’t know what just happened, there will be a whistle and I’ll have the ball or vice versa. The commentators don’t describe what occurred.
- There is some real sloppiness to this game. Lockdown animation pushing players back over half court, CPU passing to players who are out of bounds, occasional players warping several feet.
- Without the names I just don’t know who most of these guys are or their skills and I suspect that is the case for many out there. While the overall ratings being on the low side isn’t an issue, having so many players bunched together adds to that. Just goes to show how much trouble I would have playing online without names.
So while I find only marginal complaints about NCAA 09 when comparing the game to Live 09 gameplay wise, and being impressed at how well they have translated the difference between college and pro games, I still find myself with low expectations. It comes across as a slightly improved NBA Live with the addition of the tempo feature while lacking the Academy, Online Team Play, 365/DNA, and names for online play. With Live’s upcoming patch though it may bring it up to the level of NCAA with small adjustments. Ultimately though I think people will end up favoring the game that matches their preference between the NBA and college basketball.
November 6, 2008 at 7:21 pm
weak
if ur NOT 1st ur LAST
November 6, 2008 at 7:30 pm
sdot you rok!!
November 6, 2008 at 9:30 pm
you do realize that you CANNOT have names in college games right?
you have to download a roster or do it yourself..
college games dont allow real names to be used.
November 6, 2008 at 9:54 pm
[quote comment="44471"]weak
if ur NOT 1st ur LAST[/quote]
ur amazing ur first hahahaha
November 6, 2008 at 10:24 pm
SDOT your so cooool
November 6, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Pasta:
Is there a Feature like 2kshare?
What is this EA Locker 3.0
Do we need to add author to buddy list on Live Gold?
Also CH2k8 14.99 360 or NCAA 09 59.99 360 wait is it 59.99?
I got NBA 2k9 on PC but no online play
November 6, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Easy there on the negatives EA might decide not to send your copy of the game for bad publicity.
November 6, 2008 at 11:07 pm
[quote comment="44491"]Pasta:
Is there a Feature like 2kshare?
What is this EA Locker 3.0
Do we need to add author to buddy list on Live Gold?
Also CH2k8 14.99 360 or NCAA 09 59.99 360 wait is it 59.99?
I got NBA 2k9 on PC but no online play
[/quote]
Should be like NCAA Football’s EA Locker setup. Won’t have to be on a friend’s list but would need gold to access the online feature area.
November 6, 2008 at 11:36 pm
[quote comment="44487"]you do realize that you CANNOT have names in college games right?
you have to download a roster or do it yourself..
college games dont allow real names to be used.[/quote]
REEEAAAALLYYYY!!!!????????
November 7, 2008 at 12:54 am
game wont sell. college basketball is irrelevant. the stars of the nba dont go to college. not a diss on the sport, the video game. coach k was high point for college vgs. it looks and plays like live 09, which is crap, so you know how grade this. 2 out of 5, xplay style
November 7, 2008 at 1:48 am
I call shenigans this is greatest college b ball created in the history of mankind.
November 7, 2008 at 3:30 am
This game sucks. I hate EA Sports for not letting 2K make a college game. NCAA 2K 2008 blows this garbage away.
November 7, 2008 at 4:49 am
I’ll wait a few weeks for this game, when someone uploads an accurate roster on the EA locker. Really looking forward to the EA patch for Live though. Waiting for your impressions on the game and dynasty mode when it’s released. I really don’t care for the online games for college basketball, because everyone is always picking the highest ranked teams.
November 7, 2008 at 6:05 am
thought the Demo was great, but Im pretty sure they didn’t feature some stuff like lockdown D cuz I couldnt do it. I thought the thing with the coach popping up saying stuff was neat. Also, the player close-ups look a whole lot better.
November 7, 2008 at 6:16 am
So there isnt any type of team play like 5 on 5?
November 7, 2008 at 6:19 am
EA had NOTHING to do with College Hoops 2K being canceled. That was a business decision made by 2K. There is NO exclusivity agreement in place.
November 7, 2008 at 6:33 am
[quote comment="44510"]game wont sell. college basketball is irrelevant. the stars of the nba dont go to college. not a diss on the sport, the video game. coach k was high point for college vgs. it looks and plays like live 09, which is crap, so you know how grade this. 2 out of 5, xplay style[/quote
The stars of the NBA don’t go to college? Hmm. Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant. You do know there is a rule they have to be out of high school for at least a year? So most play college. You are talking out your butt.
November 7, 2008 at 6:44 am
EA had nothing to do with 2K not making a college game dude…
…and yes, college will not allow names but you can’t even D/L them and use them online like in year’s past. That’s what PP is referencing…pay attention!
Go ‘Cuse!
November 7, 2008 at 7:24 am
I liked the demo, I hope I can turn off the lock d in the retail version. I like 2ks gameplay better, but even with lacking online features, I am sure the online will be way better than 2k’s. I am going to pick this game up. Does anyone know if 2k is going to fix online in 2k9? Thanxs
November 7, 2008 at 7:46 am
People
2k could of made CH 2K9 but THEY DONT HAVE THE MONEY! Their games arent selling so they pulled the plug on 2k9- not be\ause EA purchases rites or forced them to quit.
November 7, 2008 at 8:31 am
Just for the record, EA does have exclusive rights…
Read the first question and answer.
http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/features/interview-ea-sports-talks-exclusive-ncaa-basketball/?biz=1
November 7, 2008 at 8:40 am
It’s not exclusive. 2K made the business decision to cease making the game. While EA is the only one with a college game it doesn’t prevent any other company from paying the NCAA for the licensing rights and making one. There just isn’t enough sales out there to support multiple college basketball games.
November 7, 2008 at 8:46 am
I was referring to NBA 2k9.
November 7, 2008 at 8:49 am
the annoucing in this game is horrendous. it makes nba 2k9s announcing look good in comparison. they dont even inform you of what is going on. a complete joke.
November 7, 2008 at 8:54 am
Well I finally downloaded the demo for PS3, and it seemed by far the best rendition of any EA Sports basketball for PS3 to date. It seems as it runs a lot smoother and not so delayed and shifty. Maybe because it is running at 60fps as opposed to the 30fps it was running at last year, it makes a world of difference with the gameplay…..08 was terrible, although I didnt play it on 360. Now if the online gameplay can run similar to the offline gameplay and allow me to finish a game without it disconnecting, I have no complaints about the game. CH2K8 was a good game(I admit that being so biased to EA Sports), but I could not hand the way you have hit button combinations to perform crossovers. The freestyle stick makes it a lot more enjoyable and more of a natural feel. Pasta, will there be a pressbox view on the game?? I just saw broadcast, and skybox….broadcast is not overhead enough and skybox has that weird angle to it.
November 7, 2008 at 9:15 am
The game was great. There is a huge difference btwn MM08 and NCAA 09 in terms of gameplay. One thing i didnt like was the crowd. Maybe because this is a demo but the crowd in MM08 was always loud and attentive.
November 7, 2008 at 9:47 am
pasta are they gonna update rosters for college hoops 2k8…i know youve probably been asked this before.k thanks
November 7, 2008 at 9:51 am
The game is awesome. I can’t see how anybody can put it down. The game is GREAT!
November 7, 2008 at 10:29 am
I really tried to give myself a reason to like this game but after playing the demo a few times I just couldn’t. I’m sorry but this game is straight gaabage. I’m somewhat surprised that EA would release this knowing that they have the only college bball game this year. They would’ve been better off taking another year to get the game right. The game has some good ideas but as usual with EA the gameplay is still sorely lacking.
November 7, 2008 at 10:31 am
I used 1979 MSU (#33 is Magic Johnson for those too young to know) against the 1982 Tar Heels (#23 Michael Jordan, #52 James Worthy, #41 Sam Perkins….again for those that don’t know).
Back in those days, UNC used the four corners extremely well so I didn’t expect to run and gun against them. However, since these were the only teams I used I thought that UNC not shooting until the shot clock was within 5 seconds was due to their tempo.
I agree with Pasta on many of the things. The uniforms look much better this year. If EA can fix the auto lockdown animation and if the game has an option to speed it up I would give this game another look. I will mess with the demo some more.
Overall, I thought the Live demo was better. The controls felt tighter, minus the shot blocking, in regards to player control.
Also, I still cannot believe that there aren’t warmups in the game (yes, this is at nitpicky as having the wrong socks in Madden…
November 7, 2008 at 11:42 am
This demo just wasn’t very fun. I felt like I was playing a late PS/early PS2 game. The controls were unresponsive and I was easily forced to do animations I didn’t want to.
November 7, 2008 at 12:07 pm
[quote comment="44548"]This demo just wasn’t very fun. I felt like I was playing a late PS/early PS2 game. The controls were unresponsive and I was easily forced to do animations I didn’t want to.[/quote]
+1
November 7, 2008 at 12:24 pm
[quote comment="44548"]This demo just wasn’t very fun. I felt like I was playing a late PS/early PS2 game. The controls were unresponsive and I was easily forced to do animations I didn’t want to.[/quote]
I felt that way sometimes when I was tenn and I wanted to push the ball upcourt. (Although I had fun) When you pick UK and you play half-court it is extremely rewarding. One thing I can say about this game is that this is probably the first BIG feature I seen gameplay wise since next-gen that has been implemented correctly and make it feel like the sport that it is supposed to represent. (Tempo feature)
November 7, 2008 at 12:31 pm
PP, so will EA be updating the NBA Live 09 engine so that “hands-up D” is more responsive and also some of these other enhancements that NCAA made?
THX-
November 7, 2008 at 1:04 pm
cant wait to play with manny harris and the wolverines
November 7, 2008 at 1:14 pm
r00tabaga- My understanding is we’ll be seeing that and more in the upcoming patch.
November 7, 2008 at 1:27 pm
A Shout out 2 Boucher
HAHAHAHA
& 920
November 9, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Pasta! Are they going to have tournaments online like college hoops had or something similar???
November 10, 2008 at 8:14 am
[quote comment="44653"]Pasta! Are they going to have tournaments online like college hoops had or something similar???[/quote]
NO! None of that. No pontiac challenge. No nothing. You can run tourneys offline but not online.
November 10, 2008 at 8:15 am
Ahh man, i dont kno where to start… player models r something that can be put out on last gen systems… the gameplay is not all that impressive… the courts r not authentic in size and when u shoot hooks its like a lil pause or something… it doesnt look smooth… ea is makin rookie mistakes… step it up ea asap…
November 11, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Whoever said that 2k just didnt have the money is a moron… they did at first but ea payed the licsensing company almost double so that 2k couldnt afford it!
November 19, 2008 at 9:59 am
Where can i download the rosters for NCAA? or cant you yet?