NBA 09 The Inside

The atmosphere needs some work; and the game is far from a simulation in terms of realism and depth. Yet NBA 09 can still become addictive for those who want a fast-paced, accessible hoops game.

While The Life remains an eminently pleasant diversion, it’s not enough to vault 09 past its rivals. It’s definitely worth a rental by PS3-owning basketball fans, but NBA 09 The Inside needs more time in training camp before it deserves a spot on the court with Live and 2K9.

For now, NBA 09: The Inside is a buzzer beater showing a fun and accessible basketball offering. NBA 09 is a good starting point for gamers who aren’t need deep into sports games and want to enjoy the simple fun of shooting a few hoops.

Such is the case with year's PS3 basketball combatants, with SCEA's version building on the personalization elements (putting yourself in the game), alongside accessible, easily-grasped controls. [Dec 2008, p.96]

In general, everything on the game has been kept to a bare minimum putting all the money on a less daunting experience for anyone who wants to play a basketball game, which is good for some but not for everyone, without caring about what the hardcore next-gen basketball players really want. NBA 09: The Inside is the perfect game for you… until you get the hunger for more.

There’s really no reason to be considering this game for anything outside of a rental, which would only be recommendable because it’s the only basketball game on the PS3 that offers trophies.

NBA 09 suffers from not having the proper attention to flesh out the gameplay to represent real basketball.

There is a level of frustration that accompanies this game that simply won’t go away no matter how many games you play or in what mode. Sure, the mini-games are fun, but they cannot carry the franchise.

With gliding players prone to stepping out of bounds, animations that lock you out of reactionary movement, and lackluster commentary, the on-court action offers a similar dose of mediocrity as years past. The low post game is a mess, the strategy suffers from simplicity, and the defensive system lacks the sophistication (and usefulness) of its competition.

With a plethora of old bugs and issues rearing their head, NBA 09: The Inside has a ton of problems that overwhelm the title. It's still a fun, arcade-style basketball game, but you're going to have to put up strange gameplay problems that have plagued the franchise for years and some unrealistic court play to fully enjoy it.

This is unfortunate because this series has the potential to reach a much higher standard of gaming but as it stands now, it’s nothing more than average.

Unless you are dying to check out The Life on NBA 09: The Inside you have better basketball choices this holiday season.

It's a shame too because NBA 09: The Inside has a lot of good qualities. Simply, the bad ones outweigh them.

It’s not completely broken, but compared to the other far superior options available, it might as well be. I can’t even recommend this game to give as a gift to a child.

Despite the inclusion of The Life story mode, NBA 09’s lack of depth and numerous gameplay flaws cause it to fall short.