Another nice feature is Signature Playcalling. Usually we'd almost rather do calculus than spend an hour reviewing plays prior to playing, but this feature will allow you to see five basic plays by holding the left bumper. Press the corresponding button, and your team will run a relatively simple play. The most satisfying part of Signature Playcalling is the fact that, if you run the play correctly, you'll have a better chance of scoring, and you don't have to spend all that time at practice. And if you're like us or Allen Iverson, that's something you can really appreciate.
One feature that should be kept (but perhaps tuned a bit) is the Quick Strike Ankle Breaker move. With the ball, you can hold the right trigger and use the right analog stick to pull off dribbling combinations to set up the defender. Once the defender is going one way, you can use the left analog stick to blow past him and yes, break his ankles (well, figuratively). Quick Strike is a nice way to get creative with the ball, but it leads to the biggest problem with NBA Live 09: the physics. Sometimes unexplainable things happen in this game. With a player like Kobe Bryant, it seems that sometimes if you just flick both analogs wildly enough you're going to get to the rack, no matter what.
Superhuman cutting and jumping can occur with all players however, not just the Black Mamba. While playing in the Dynasty Mode as the Lakers, we were able to pull off several dunks in traffic with Kobe that he couldn't have come close to pulling off, even as a 19-year-old. That's not huge surprise to see in a game, but it got a little ridiculous when 7-footer Andrew Bynum was spinning around the paint like Brian Boitano before twirling and flipping up a lefty hook that touched nothing but the bottom of the net.
Bynum's fantastical move was a strike against NBA Live 09, especially in a genre where realism is prized above all else. However, even worse was how he got through the paint - by running completely through Darko Milicic. We all know Milicic has never quite measured up since being drafted with the No. 2 pick in 2003, but players can't drive through him like he's Patrick Swayze in Ghost. This type of clipping was seen throughout NBA Live 09, which, along with the sometimes stilted jumps and player movement, showed the limitations of this game. The courts themselves look great but play like Arena Football, meaning players are still kept in bounds. We couldn't help thinking that it would be a nice feature if players could fly into the stands to save the ball, complete with players knocking beer into fans' laps like in real NBA games.
Speaking of the announcers, Marv Albert and Steve Kerr return for the fourth year in a row. The two do a decent job and have always had good chemistry, but it seems rather odd that the General Manager of the Phoenix Suns would still be announcing, even in a video game. The content from Albert and Kerr is average, with some noticeable repetition and inaccuracies. Once Kerr exclaimed how "Nobody uses the glass like Tim Duncan," when the shot Duncan made hit the front of the rim first, and we're sure that comment was reserved for a turnaround bank-shot from The Big Fundamental. Uniforms, facial rendering, arenas and crowds all look great in Live 09, adding to the game's overall aesthetic. Unfortunately, the crowds weren't a very impactful part of the game. While playing a road game against the Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena the crowd didn't even cheer or wave their arms during our free throw attempts, even though everyone was holding thundersticks.
Sadly, even if the fans at Arco were banging authentic Sacramento cowbells like crazy, it wouldn't be quite enough to land NBA Live 09 on top of the basketball heap. The successful updates in terms of real-time information and to the gameplay itself still can't quite make up for the fact that the game still has room to grow. The tempo is rarely as exciting as an actual NBA game, collision detection is still wanting, and the entire screen needs to bring gamers closer to the action. Unfortunately for NBA Live 09, the feel of the game is the most important part, and that is what's deficient. Once they get the fit and feel correct, this series has the look and detail to really take off.
