STUDIO: Electronic Arts
RELEASE DATE: October 7, 2008
CONSOLE: PS3
ALSO AVAILABLE ON: XBox 360, PS2, PSP
DEVELOPER: EA Canada
GENRE: Sports, Basketball
PLAYERS: 1-4 (online: 2-10)
ESRB RATING: E (Everyone)

For some stupid reason, I didn't expect much of a difference between the very good NBA 2K9 from 2K Sports and NBA Live 09 from EA. Personally, I'm a much bigger football and baseball fan than hoops, so I kind of ignorantly lumped all basketball games into one group and figured that they were mostly the same. The superior reviews and popularity of the 2K games kind of made me assume that the EA version would simply be a lesser version of basically the same platform. It's easy to stereotype as similar the things you don't really know a lot about. There's no way my wife could tell you the difference between Dead Space and Bioshock or GTA and Saints Row, but everyone knows that the games are significantly unique experiences.

Almost immediately, I realized the same thing was true with the comparison between NBA 2K9 and NBA Live 09. The two games are both extensive basketball simulations that use real players, but that have distinct enough styles, gameplay, and variables that they become unique experiences. Is one "better" than the other? It depends on what you're looking for in a basketball game. 2K9 definitely feels like a more polished product, and it's easy to see why 2K Sports has had a dynasty of basketball game dominance for years. But I have to admit that there's a straight-out-of-the-box, fun quality to EA's presentation that almost makes me like it more. NBA Live 09 a little less refined and a lot less impressive visually than 2K9, but, like almost all EA Sports games, their variation is instantly playable and entertaining. And isn't that what most people are looking for from a basketball game?

NBA Live 09 boasts a lot of the same next-gen wonders of 2K9, including the ability to update your players and their abilities all season long with constant internet updates. A code comes with the game for the 2008-2009 season and, apparently, you'll have to pay a fee if you want to update again next year. I understand the idea that a franchise that releases a title every year doesn't want to be offering free updates of last year's model, but it seems a little cheap to suggest that fans will have to pay for future updates. The main new feature is what EA calls "Dynamic DNA," a game design that strives to create as realistic an experience as possible. With signature play calls for each team and a constantly updated list of hot streaks and injuries, the feeling that NBA Live 09 is an always-evolving game makes it much more enticing as a purchase than a rental, something EA should be certainly happy to hear.

But enough about hot streaks and "DNA," how's the gameplay? Well, there's a lot to it. You can go with the basic pass and shoot buttons, but it won't get you a victory. To win a game, you'll have to get deep into the play-calling and the new pick-and-roll control, which, I have to say, were much easier gameplay techniques to learn than their counterparts in 2K9. Live 09 could arguably be a better game for a more casual sports fan. I was more quickly able to discern my player's and team's strengths and weaknesses and what combinations of buttons to use to get a victory than I was with 2K9. Having said that, I am frustratingly caught between difficulty levels, where I win by 15 on one and lose by 15 on another. I'm going to keep working on the higher level to try and balance out the experience, but all I want at this point is a close game and it seems like the difficulty levels might be too far apart.

If you're bored with the basic game, NBA Live 09 offers a ton of variations on the sport, including the NBA Academy, where you can hone the skills of your team, adding a new level to the Dynasty mode. You can also play FIBA World Championship games and take control of 24 national teams with international rules and court dimensions. Of course, the online play is a real draw for fans, allowing five-on-five international play. Yes, now you too can try and get someone in Sri Lanka to post up when they're supposed to and do an Alley Oop with someone in Siberia. It's an amazing world.

On the negative side, there are things about NBA Live 09 that started to frustrate me. The graphics aren't as smooth as they should be, and control can sometimes boil down to a few quick twitches on the right analog stick and the shoot button and you're off like LeBron James in a dunk contest. What I mean is that there were times when it felt like my huge play was random and the slam dunk on the other team was completely out of my defense's control. In the same way that sometimes a pass should just not be caught in EA's Madden yet it still connects, there are some "unexplainable" baskets in NBA Live 09. And the visual presentation is disappointing at best. The crowd, floor, and camera detail in 2K9 FAR exceeds what you'll see in Live 09.

But who cares about some annoying announcers or weak crowd design if you're having fun, right? NBA Live 09 is a definite step forward for EA because they realized that enjoyable gameplay should be the primary goal of each year's installment and that they don't necessarily need to catch the dominating 2K Sports grip on the basketball market as much as stand beside them. And they almost do.