News Post

Why I'm Done With NBA Basketball This Year: NBA 2K9

11:53 AM - March 24, 2009 by RaychelSnr

If you have been paying attention to the community’s efforts to tweak NBA 2K9 during the past few months, you probably noticed that Neon1, one of the hardest-working NBA 2K community members, redid the ratings and tendencies for every player and coach in the game.

As someone who had previously shelved NBA 2K9 out of frustration, I was initially excited to sit down and try this tweaked version of NBA 2K9 now that March Madness is in full bloom.

But after only a few games as my underachieving Grizzlies -- who have actually gotten a lot better, ratings-wise, since I last touched the game -- it became clear to me that the same opinion I had formed a few months ago still holds true:

NBA 2K9 is a mess, and no amount of slider tweaking or roster editing can save it.

So, in the first of a two-part series, I am here to explain why I have given up on NBA hoops this year, and I am also here to detail what needs to be improved in 2010.

Read More - Why I'm Done With NBA Basketball This Year: NBA 2K9

Game: NBA 2K9Reader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS2 / PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 72 - View All

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Member Comments

# 121 Kruza @ 03/30/09 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCAllAmerican


	Haven't heard the term, "user error" in a while. I remember Born started saying it last year and eveyrone was calling everything user error.

This scenario is no different from what normally goes on in motorcycle and car races. Whenever the cause of an accident is explained, it is categorized as either mechanical error (exclusively vehicle-related issue) or driver error (a.k.a. "user error").

Kruza

# 122 Altimus @ 03/30/09 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCAllAmerican


	Apparently the game does cheat: I hope this isn't true - http://www.2ksports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214166 Read a few replies into the post

A combo to make 90% of threes? WTH?

If this combo exists, I've never seen it.

# 123 Pared @ 03/30/09 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCAllAmerican


	Apparently the game does cheat: I hope this isn't true - http://www.2ksports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214166 Read a few replies into the post

In what way is the game "cheating" in your example? It just shouldn't be in the game and has nothing do with what he's talking about.

There are things that need to be addressed, for sure. But putting this game under a microscope does nothing to support your cause, DC. Pointing something like that out is no different from any sports game ever released. What was being implied here was completely different.

It would be nice if this community could actually discuss the "basketball" issues without nit-picking the game to death. Nate Robinson can't dunk over Dwight Howard?

Game-killer.

# 124 DrUrsus @ 03/30/09 04:13 PM

So is 2K8 better than 2K9 (I didn't buy 2K9 or play enough of it this year)?

# 125 sportyguyfl31 @ 03/30/09 04:55 PM

My single biggest frustration with this game is that I feel like the ratings are close to meaningless.

Every single cpu player plays better then what they are rating, while your players seem hard wired to perfom worse. The Cpu players perform in ways that your guys simply will not.

The CPU will run the floor like the jamacian 4x100 relay team. They will rebound like a prime Dennis Rodman, They will get into you on the perimeter like Bruce Bowen, they will get every single loose ball.

Your guys do none of this stuff.

This kills the realism for me.

Against the CPU, If I sag my defense off of Brandon Haywood when he is 18 feet from the basket, He's going to end up with 20 points at least, every single time. I WANT him to take that shot, but he'll drain these shots consistantly.

I played a game against the CPU and watched Jason Kidd jack up 24 shots, 18 of them 3's. Off the dribble, I would sag off of him slightly, because Kidd isnt a great off the dribble long jump shooter. When he's set, I would play him tight.

Things like this make it impossible to play any tye of realistic defense. You are forced to play tight D on everyone which causes all of the sliding, clipping and morphing to become really magnified.

Against a user online, its the same thing. Hedo Turkoglu can spin move dribble, finish in the paint with the agility of a guard and finish in traffic with authority.

I can go for 30 with a journeyman like Von Waffer simply because I know his release point, and he is a good dunker.

I hate things like this.

All I want is for all of these wonderful numbers and letter grades to actually have an impact on my performance.

# 126 lasthour @ 03/30/09 04:56 PM

OK guys, after having problems with the points in the paint and some of the other problems that everyone is having I decided to continuously rome the paint with my bigs. If it looks like ANYONE even thinks about going toward the paint I get ready to engage with them with or WITHOUT the ball. Now I am seeing the CPU take more jump shots, miss layups and get stuffed or take his free throws.

CPU was shooting about 49-low 50s, now I got them shooting 38-44 with this simple adjustment.

Once the cpu gets cold it is much easier then to play on the ball defense, just not all the time.

I hope this helps someone else, and I do not use sliders.

This is not a 100% fix, but it make the game feel so much more better to me. I had pretty much stopped playing, but now I can not get enough of it as I am having some great and different game scenarios.

# 127 Jeffx @ 03/30/09 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrUrsus


	So is 2K8 better than 2K9 (I didn't buy 2K9 or play enough of it this year)?

In many ways, yes.

# 128 DC @ 03/30/09 05:22 PM

@ Pared, cheat/glitch/exploit. It is all the same thing. I don't see why you are attacking me for bringing something like that to the attention of the public hoping it isn't true and if it is true it gets axed come next year

# 129 Pared @ 03/30/09 06:46 PM

That's not an attack; If you think it is, then you should get off the internet.

The point is you brought it up like it had relevance to what was being mentioned and it doesn't.

Sportguy,

Have you tried pro? I keep seeing you post in frustration on the boards, yet everytime someone posts a suggestion you disappear... until you make another post in frustration.

# 130 ronyell @ 03/30/09 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lasthour


	OK guys, after having problems with the points in the paint and some of the other problems that everyone is having I decided to continuously rome the paint with my bigs. If it looks like ANYONE even thinks about going toward the paint I get ready to engage with them with or WITHOUT the ball. Now I am seeing the CPU take more jump shots, miss layups and get stuffed or take his free throws. CPU was shooting about 49-low 50s, now I got them shooting 38-44 with this simple adjustment. Once the cpu gets cold it is much easier then to play on the ball defense, just not all the time. I hope this helps someone else, and I do not use sliders. This is not a 100% fix, but it make the game feel so much more better to me. I had pretty much stopped playing, but now I can not get enough of it as I am having some great and different game scenarios.

same here... i do use slider adjustments though.

i also change up defenses & use the defensive pressure assignments & i honestly have the same result of good D! & then they go cold & it seems hard for them to score.

im the "make adjustments" type yeah there are some issues that we ALL would like to c addressed but the defense plays absolutely great for me now... i just key on the players that i know will hurt me .

MY LAST GAME:
was playing the Cavs & i manned up

Mo - tight D
West - auto
LeBron - double in paint
Wallace - sag
Ilgauskas - tight

& since i knew i would double Lebron in the paint i would bring a perimeter player over to protect the kick out jumper. pressed when Boobie was in the game & sagged on Varejao...

44% shooting for the game as i made them settle for the jumper with bad shooters & not allow Lebron to kill me in the paint (he still had 26 from hitting the open jumper & the clutch shots)

real strategy... GREAT GAME!

# 131 sportyguyfl31 @ 03/31/09 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pared


	That's not an attack; If you think it is, then you should get off the internet. The point is you brought it up like it had relevance to what was being mentioned and it doesn't. Sportguy, Have you tried pro? I keep seeing you post in frustration on the boards, yet everytime someone posts a suggestion you disappear... until you make another post in frustration.

This is exactly what I have had to do. Pro is the only way I can play anything resembling realistic NBA like defense on these players.

My frustration comes from not being able to understand why 2k cant program the game to behave like this from the get-go.

# 132 Pared @ 03/31/09 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sportyguyfl31


	This is exactly what I have had to do. Pro is the only way I can play anything resembling realistic NBA like defense on these players. My frustration comes from not being able to understand why 2k cant program the game to behave like this from the get-go.

So is Pro working better for you? If it is, that's great.

Try these for shot success sliders:

42, 48, 47 for both you and the CPU. You will see realistic %'s. No over abundance of shot clock jumpers going in, players missing wide open shots at a realistic clip....

These are the settings I set up our league on as well as my offline sliders. There are some other minor tweaks, but with the living rosters and those shooting sliders, the game will immediately make you feel at home.

I have not changed these settings since October. It really brings out the game's potential, and how the game should have shipped in the beginning.

I also personally like the speed at 47. (Again, what we use in the league)

Hope this helps.

# 133 sportyguyfl31 @ 03/31/09 12:56 PM

Much, the game is far more reasonable on that setting

# 134 Kully @ 03/31/09 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altimus


	A combo to make 90% of threes? WTH? If this combo exists, I've never seen it.

I have. Got a gif of the move if you want to see it (made by someone else).

# 135 ThaGenecyst @ 03/31/09 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jai-O


	I have. Got a gif of the move if you want to see it (made by someone else).

i wanna see it lmao

# 136 Kully @ 03/31/09 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaGenecyst


	i wanna see it lmao

Too lazy to post the gif, but here is the glitch - http://community.2ksports.com/commun...?mediaid=13862

Time it right, 90% of 3s will go in, even from near half court.

# 137 demencia_total @ 04/02/09 12:41 AM

Man, this is an awesome thread, some great posts here. I must admit that I am one of those people who are always looking for the right formula to get the game to play as "realistic" as possible - whether it's sliders or rosters - but in the end, I always end up resetting to default almost entirely. Why? Because the quest for perfect simulation with these tweaks ends up messing the game in other areas that the developers didn't plan for. I do wholeheartedly believe that they regressed severely in some areas, but it's still the best basketball game I have ever played. That statement probably says a lot about the current state of basketball videogames, which still hasn't caught up with reality (and probably won't anytime soon).

The only concern for me is that 2k seems to be bringing the same issues from years back, and sometimes even regressing in the case of AI behavior. I understand that the one year development cycle doesn't allow for giant leaps, but it still gets to me. I've developed a love/hate relationship for this reason, but when I'm not analyzing every little miniscule detail, I have a lot of fun with it. I just hope that eventually the developers realize that the lack of "reality" doesn't mean less sales. I look at FIFA 09, a game that changed it's philosophy complete from years pass to become more of a sim than the scoring fest that it was in years past, and the game hasn't lost an ounce of popularity. In fact, it has converted a lot of rabid loyals of the competition (PES), just like 2k did when Live began to flounder.

In this day and age, simulation doesn't necessarily put off the casuals, specially when people are obessed with technology emulating reality. Now, I'm not suggesting that they let you set the price of beer and negotiate a new CBA in game, but they do need to emphasize the game on the court as it is in real life. I think they are trying hard and accomplishing a lot, but they have missed some things that have been doable for years (specially concerning shooting percentages and defense), so hopefully they get it right soon. Hell, I don't care if it's Live or 2k, just make it happen!

# 138 JAY__JAY_ @ 04/02/09 04:42 AM

what pisses me off about nba2k9 is the bullsh*t that happens when you put up the difficulty. I've played nearly half the season on allstar, have a good team, was at 33-5. my next few games included lakers, cavs, jazz. Lost to both lakers and cavs but alot. As soon as i missed a couple of shots i couldnt hit anything for the rest of the wuater and the lakers just hit everything. same thing happened against cavs. lebron hit a 1/4 court shot contested. how bull****. i couldnt rebound anything. I had a tight game against the jazz but I was up by 20 odd and then they went on a 30 -like 5 run to get infront. i pulled it back in the 4th and won in a close one, which was good. But then i played the knicks. and i switch my xbox off after the 1st quater in anger. It was 40-8 after the first quater! I could not hit anything, layups, open shots, and nate and chandler couldnt miss. I couldnt board anything. AH!

Allstar played beautifully but i felt i was winning to many games, blowing some teams out by 20 or more often. so i thought ill put it to super star, that makes the games close, ill win some lose some. but no this crap happens. wtf!

back to winning every game i guess, at least it was fun

# 139 Goffs @ 04/02/09 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jai-O


	Too lazy to post the gif, but here is the glitch - http://community.2ksports.com/commun...?mediaid=13862 Time it right, 90% of 3s will go in, even from near half court.

hmm whenever i see that move under the basket i always try to time the move so i can block it...instead my guy just jumps at a different direction and swatting air!

that shot is 100% inside and i have no clue on how to do it...

# 140 luv_mist @ 04/02/09 08:52 AM

The biggest problem I have is the fact that they ddin't think to put a counter-footing for the defensive side. I love the game because it does so much good. It's just that those bad things really do get at me. I hate having to try this slider set and that roster set. I don't have the same amount of time to tweak and everything. I love 2K with my whole heart. I was there when Dreamcast took off and fluttered in the end. I was there for countless nights in college playing the 2K series in the dorms. We had mad tournaments. Beautiful relationship.

I just think that they lost their direction and are focusing on the fluff more than the detail. They always seemed to be the title of detail in their gameplay. I'm not talking about those signature shots which are basically phenomenal. I'm not talking about the dunks, layups, and beautiful animations. Just as GSW said, the game is one of the most gorgeous and tantilizing basketball games ever made. It is hands down the best game. I don't want to hear no conflict. However, I think that as it becomes more realistic, it shows just how much of a game it is; uncanny valley if you will. I think that 2K really needs to reevaluate their attributes, tendencies, sliders, foot planting, defensive & offensive implementation, and can the whole "dynamic commentary" crap and give us a game that will keep up holding on for decades.

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