NCAA Basketball 09

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NCAA Basketball 09 is a very good basketball game, but if you own a previous version of a college hoops game, think twice before spending the money to upgrade. I own "College Hoops 2K7" which I purchased for $5, and IMO this game is not all that different or much better. The biggest improvements are the graphics are a little better, and smoother. Obviously it is more polished and takes better advantage of the PS3 hardware than the older game. But for the fun factor, gameplay, and the college hoops experience, I find them equal. If you're looking for a college basketball game and don't own one, I recommend NCAA 09. If you're looking to upgrade from an older version, I suggest you rent first to determine if the high price is worth it.

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I've played just about every edition of EA's college basketball series and 2009 may be the least enjoyable and the most poorly designed. It's a joke. I'm not even sure where to start, but even the smallest things are screwed up, like the difficulty in selecting a player to control even with direct switch. Or how about the fact that you can't select a simple ball screen from your on-the-fly controls -the most basic element of basketball and it isn't an option.

The pick-and-roll is there but it's a joke as the guy setting the pick doesn't even stand still long enough to accomplish anything. And get this: the same button that controls your special ball-handling moves also sets a pick-and-roll, so one of your guys automatically gets in your way and clogs up the middle while you're trying to break down your defender off the dribble. It's moronic.

But the most frustrating thing, by far, is how the AI seems to work only for the CPU contolled team. On the lowest difficulty level, the CPU's defense makes every switch and rotation with precision -there's almost never a clear route to the rim and no matter where you go there's at least one CPU player locking you down. But on the flip side, if the opposing point guard gets past you while you're defending, he can invariably walk to the rim while not a single one of your players does a thing. They just stand there.

I could go on and on, but I'll leave with this. In the Tournament of Legends mode, which is a nice idea pitting classic teams throughout history against each other in a March Madness bracket, EA doesn't even bother getting the rosters correct. I tried playing with my 1980 U of L Cardinals and there isn't a single correct player on the ENTIRE roster.

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This game is not without its flaws listed in other reviews. HOWEVER, as someone who is not a college basketball superfan,but still enjoys playing a basketball that might be a year out of date... this is perfect for me. First of all, I only paid $13 (its $8 now) which was $47 less than the 2010 version! I think I can wait til next year and get the 2010 version for cheaper while I play this game and repeat the process every year! Up to date rosters are not a must for me.

The gameplay is enjoyable and I really like playing dynasty mode where you have to start off as a coach in a much lesser known/ smaller program and have to recruit and play much better teams until you can get better job offers, etc. I really like this mode because its exciting to attempt and take a smaller school (NIU, Indiana St, etc) to the NCAA tourney. I'd reccomend it for sure for $8 to anyone who wants some college hoops in their life.

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I'll start by saying that the graphics for 09 are better than all the other games(except for later editions). the gameplay is average at best when compared to real life. the thing that really gets me pissed is when u go up for a dunk and then a defender from behind in midair all of a sudden somehow holds u down and ur player takes a ridicoulous shot. the other thing that pisses me off is that no matter how well u play defense on the opponets point guard he can still freking get past u and your teammates do nothing and he gets a free layup.

overall: buy this game because do u really need to pay another 50 bucks for an updated roster. still has its problems but it is still a very fun game to play, especially dynasty mode.

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The Dynasty mode is a ton of fun and the gameplay is pretty darn good. Once you get used to playing defense, shooting threes and backing down people down low this game is pretty easy to be good at. The game play isn't a ton different from the other college basketball games, but the graphics seem to be way better. If you don't have 07 or 08 and don't wanna spend 50 bucks this game is very fun.