You won’t believe it, but it happened. For the first time in the history of the sports PC simulator genre, a project has been released that is two heads superior to the product Electronic Arts. No, we’re not talking about the next one Pro Evolution Soccer. Everything is much bigger.
One can only guess why 2K Games It took me so long to decide to port representatives of my own line of sports games to personal computers. After all, it was clear to a no brainer that neither NBA Live, neither NHL "electronics" are not able to cope with the hockey and basketball masterpieces of their main competitors. Don’t care attitude EA to the PC platform led to a long era of stagnation, when every year the same crafts were released under the megacorporation label, differing in the serial number in the name and photographs of stars on the cover. From now on everything must be different. At least in the basketball products sector. You don’t need to be a visionary to predict colossal changes in NBA Live 2010 – V Electronic Arts the people who work are far from stupid, who are clearly aware of the inadequacy of the company’s current products compared to NBA 2K. It’s only better for you and me.
Immediately after launch NBA 2K9 leaves me in deep shock. I want to wipe the monitor, click the mouse, just to make sure that all this is not a dream. I bet you’ve never seen sports sims like this before (unless, of course, you have an Xbox 360 or PS3 lying next to your work machine). It is extremely difficult to find any words when a real television broadcast is unfolding on the screen in real time, where the role of the director is the most important character on the other side of the screen – the gamer. Perhaps this is the key difference NBA 2K9 from colleagues. There is no feeling of “virtuality” or “toy-likeness” of what is happening here – all aspects of the game mechanics work with only one goal: to completely and completely immerse adherents of gamepads and keyboards in the atmosphere of the National Basketball Association.
Any match, be it https://matchbook-casino.co.uk/mobile-app/ a pre-season meeting or a battle in the playoffs, begins as befits a professional TV program, with the introduction of the teams and an introductory speech from the commentators. Sports commentators, by the way, are modeled after their real prototypes (about the authenticity of voices, I think, it’s already clear), so fans of the ESPN and TNT channels will immediately recognize familiar faces. It won’t be difficult to figure out the faces of basketball players – the faces of the athletes are translated into 3D with such love that you’ll be amazed. Moreover, the “faces” of not only superstars, but also of regular players, who spend most of their time on the bench, were carefully studied.
At all, 2K Games does not waste time on trifles. Each element NBA 2K9 a lot of attention was paid. Take, for example, the animation of the ball wizards. IN NBA Live We were shown time after time sets of standard movements corresponding to a specific technical element. That is, for example, all basketball players made authentic three-point shots, despite the fact that the methods of delivering the ball from the hand to the basket are different for each person. Authors NBA 2K9 took a different path and introduced thousands of small animated movements into the game, giving players individual traits. From the movement of the ball to the movements of the fingers – everything here corresponds to reality.
About graphic design NBA 2K9 you can talk for a long time and with rapture. Yes, those nextgen graphics shown in the screenshots really exist. And in a very affordable version – the game does not require any super-expensive components from the computer, working stably on mediocre, by today’s standards, hardware. The overall picture looks great. Finally, the gray faceless mass representing the fans has sunk into oblivion. It was replaced by quite decent three-dimensional models of spectators, endowed with a sufficient number of actions and movements – with a quick glance at the stands it is extremely difficult to find doubles. Well, it’s not worth talking about the figures of the basketball players themselves: excellent detail, the animation praised in the paragraph above and a bunch of small details, such as tattoos (body designs, by the way, were copied from their real owners – fans Allen Iverson or Kevin Martin there is something to meditate on), wristbands, bandages, beads of sweat on the body and uniform, etc. give virtual athletes an amazing resemblance to real protégés.
The events taking place on the screen are presented using a dozen different cameras – everyone will find an angle to their liking. Particularly beautiful moments are savored in slow motion, be it a crushing slam dunk or a decisive shot from behind the arc. During the breaks between quarters, a clip of the most memorable events on the site, called highligts in foreign countries, is shown, and after the end of the meeting you can watch the top 3 moments according to local directors. The feeling of watching a real TV broadcast does not leave you until you go to the menu.
The number of game modes is quite standard. The classic set of playoffs, friendly match and season is complemented by interesting competitions – the “long-distance” competition, dunk competitions included in the all-star weekend (a meeting between newcomers and second-years is attached) and various variations on the streetball theme (1vs1, 2vs2, 3vs3). At the head of everything is the Association – an analogue of "Career". Here, the gamer is given control of an entire team, which will have to be developed throughout all 82 matches, and if you’re lucky, even in knockout games. The manager’s responsibilities include caring for club members, monitoring their physical condition and personnel changes. The last concern, as usual, causes the most headaches. Now, when conducting a transaction, it is worth taking into account not only the numbers specified in the contract, but also the personal preferences of the exchanged athletes. I remember there was a case when Ray Allen refused to join the Milwaukee Bucks from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Michael Redd, due to his own championship ambitions. The thing is that the Celts are seriously laying claim to the main NBA trophy, while Milwaukee has been fighting hard for several years in a row just to get into the first round of the playoffs. That’s why Allen preferred to receive a lower salary, but play in a strong team.
From a gameplay point of view NBA 2K9 – simulator with arcade touches. A year ago NBA 2K8 was seriously criticized for oversimplifying the gameplay, and the developers tried to take into account all the comments. So, in the fight for the rebound, the basketball player who is taller wins. If both players have the same height indicators, the first place comes to a competent choice of position under the shield. The game in defense has returned to the standard “peronal”, when the choice of a guard is determined by his compliance with the characteristics of the attacker. If earlier Shaquille O’Neal could easily defend against Chris Paul, then now the nimble point guard will dribble past his opponent. Another improvement was a change in the algorithm for playing stars on the court – in NBA 2K8 the best basketball players could shoot practically from under the ring, in NBA 2K9 You won’t see this even in a nightmare. Moreover, the members of the Dream Team acquired some supernatural skills, thanks to which it became very, very problematic to stop them. Just like in real life.
NBA 2K9 can only be described in one way – the best basketball simulator ever. Particularly pleasant is the fact that the game was released before the notorious NBA Live 09: the number of gamers inflated by “electronics”, I want to believe, will be significantly reduced.
Pros: excellent graphics; the atmosphere of a real NBA; a bunch of licenses; great soundtrack; addictive gameplay.
Cons: Not the most convenient keyboard layout in the standard version.