NBA 2k9 Cover

Each year the stakes get a bit higher and game developers are put into the difficult position of one-upping the games from a year ago. The best example of this may be basketball games, where both the NBA 2K and NBA Live series must top not only last year’s iteration but also each other. Luckily for them both, they seem to be delivering year in and year out, and this year is no exception. NBA 2K9 takes everything positive from last year’s game and adds a whole lot more.

As has been the case with each release in the NBA 2K franchise, the game’s presentation has seen its share of improvements in NBA 2K9. While the player models are still not on par with those in last year’s NBA Live 08, they do appear more lifelike than NBA 2K8’s players. Players will now scowl after a disagreeable call and nod their heads tauntingly on “and-1” opportunities. There may be additional emotions that come out, but these are the only ones we have seen firsthand. There is a thin layer of sweat on everyone’s forehead (independent of the player’s physical exertion up to that point) that appears too glossy to be lifelike, but this may still be an element that 2K is tweaking.