Here are the final game videos I'll be posting. I am still working on another set of screenshots and highlight clips so make sure to get any requests in and I'll see if I can get to them. I am taking questions on player ratings here in the forum and will have my final overall impressions of Live 09 up either this afternoon or tomorrow. Continue on to view a quarter of USA vs Spain, Hawks @ Nuggets, Trailblazers @ Wizards, and a short one of the Nets @ Mavericks showing off the three other...

Earlier today I had the chance to sit in on the NBA 2K9 developer conference call. Various media outlets were given the opportunity to present questions in advance that would be addressed during the call. Generally these 2K calls are pretty informative but given the amount already known about the game, the demo being out, and others who have retail copies already there wasn't much additional to be added. At the same time it is always good to hear directly from those involved in making the ga...

All the drills in the NBA Academy of NBA Live 09 are valuable but ultimately they are preparation for the full practices where you can take what you've learned and try and refine those skills without having to play a regular game to improve. It is even better when considering all the Academy drills including the practices with your team are available within dynasty mode and it offers a way for those who want to work on refining their team's playbooks and tailoring it to their players. I'm...

Here is the full game of Rookies vs Sophomores in NBA Live 09 as broken down by quarter and overtime. When I played this the Oklahoma City Thunder colors, logo, uniforms, and court were generic with the plan to have them included in free downloadable content by release day. Those items are actually already available now. There has also been a roster and accessory update and the DNA download has been made available (again if you buy the game it includes the code for free). I'll go over the ad...

Next up in the NBA Academy are the quickstrike and lockdown drills. I didn't find these to be as enjoyable as the others. One thing is that the game really isn't explaining what to do for quickstrike other than knowing the basics of using the right analog. With the lockdown defensive drill it contributes to learning how you can learn to keep a body on your man and direct him where he doesn't want to go. The problem is that the drill begins so suddenly that if you aren't paying complete atten...

As I've mentioned in the postings for the previous two games this is the one where I felt things started to come together. There is a little bit of everything in this game and I started to reach a comfort level with the offensive features as well as how to improve defensively. Just wanted to note again that the game ships with the generic Oklahoma City but the logo, colors, uniforms, and court will be patched in or offered as free downloadable content by next Tuesday. Continue on to vi...

While I continue to hold back on most of my general impressions it is evident the more I play the more I improve and get comfortable with Live 09. The first game was rough at times but things started to click in this game especially in the third quarter. Leading into the next full game you'll be able to see my continued progression with Pick and Roll control, calling plays, and playing defense. Gambling on defense is punished pretty severely as the CPU rarely misses an open shot. Continu...