Operation Sports Basketball Game of the Year: NBA 2K9

Staff Thoughts

Matt Blumenthal: 2K Sports has captured the Basketball Game of the Year Award at the last few Stevies, and the game has received another one this year with NBA 2K9. While the series has continued to pump out quality basketball titles, the NBA 2K series has only marginally improved during the last few years.

EA Sports has made dramatic improvements in both the NBA Live and newly renamed NCAA Basketball series. These series now play reasonably realistic games of basketball and offer gameplay experiences that are both fresh and enjoyable. Although NBA Live 09 lacks the extra gameplay polish of its college counterpart, NBA Live 365 and Dynamic DNA more than make up for this disparity. These innovative features and gameplay improvements led me to choose NBA Live 09 this year.

Steven Bartlett: NBA 2K9 is the result of a masterfully designed, fine-tuned engine that gets better with age. Starting from the days of NBA 2K on Dreamcast, 2K Sports has molded its basketball simulation into an award-winning series. Like any game, it has its flaws, but the attention to detail has resulted in it taking the basketball crown.

Richard Chavez: If you want a basketball game this year, NBA 2K9 is the only choice. If you compared this game to someone at the YMCA, it would be the tall guy in the headband warming up. He looks and acts like a basketball player, but when he gets on the court, he plays like one too. It does not have all the flash of NBA Live 09, but it plays a better brand of basketball. NBA 2K9 is an all-around fun game and can appeal to casual fans and basketball junkies. While there has not been much competition in recent years, NBA Live was solid in 2008. NBA 2K9 by itself is an amazing experience, but 2K will need to step it up if it wants to repeat in 2009.

Jayson Young: Live got my vote this year for one simple reason: It was more fun to play.

NBA 2K9 had a ridiculous amount of technical issues that did not get resolved until two months after release -- and even after the patch, it still suffers from some major clipping and skating issues that really take you out of the game and make defense nearly impossible to play against a human opponent who knows how to exploit the flaws in the game's defensive animations.

Live has its own share of issues on defense -- players getting stuck in a defensive stance, baseball passes that can travel a majority of the court, alley-oops that are far too easy to complete -- but at the end of the day, I tend to walk away from a game of Live less frustrated than I am after a game of 2K9.

I just do not think it was a great year for basketball fans overall, as both games are kind of in the C+/B- range in terms of gameplay.

Christian McLeod: Live 09 got my vote this year because of Live 365 and the huge strides the game made in the gameplay department.

As a veteran of the 2K series for the past nine years, I just cannot shake the feeling that the past couple iterations of the franchise have amounted to "been there, done that." 2K has gotten stale over the years and desperately needs some innovation. It honestly did not help that the online component of 2K9 was essentially shipped in a broken state, and online Team Up is still not running smoothly three months after release.

Live 09 was fun to play, had great graphics, and featured a relatively fun online Team Play mode that extended its replayability. Sure, the game had some issues, but EA made some huge strides over last year's game. The result is an extremely accessible and fun NBA experience. Live 09 was just what I needed to get excited about NBA gaming again.

It is not that 2K9 was a bad game, it is just that EA and Live really surprised me with this year's title. The Live franchise is officially relevant again, and I expect great things out of this title when the 2010 edition comes out.

Chase Becotte: All this talk about "improvement" has me confused. Are we giving out an award based on improvement Christian? I thought we were giving an award out based on what game is the best. Also, any game can be a hassle if someone "exploits" the weaknesses Jayson. Either way, on the court, NBA 2K9 still cannot be touched. Is it a bummer that the online component is less than perfect? Yes. But NBA 2K9 still has superior graphics, better signature styles, a wonderful animation system, amazing online leagues, and is still an organic experience that Live cannot touch at this time.

I am not trying to say Live is not improving each year, but I still look forward to turning on the game to check out the latest DNA changes rather than actually playing the game. The half-court game in Live is phenomenal, and the developers have achieved a milestone by implementing the Synergy Tech, but that is not enough to make up for the parts that are still sub-par: The slow and inaccurate passing system, the fast break issues, the inconsistent graphics, and the fact that most teams play the same way in the game.

Readers' Choice

There were no surprises in the readers' choice category, as NBA 2K9 took home the crown with relative ease. Surprisingly enough, NCAA Basketball garnered a small pocket of support from readers as well. Either way, there was little either EA game could do to even dent NBA 2K9's lead.

Winner: NBA 2K9

Voting Results: NBA 2K9 (75.45%), NBA Live 09 (15.32%), NCAA Basketball 09 (7.43%)

Readers' Thoughts: I wanted to vote for Live this year because I was disappointed with 2K9. The patch however has brought me back. -- Altimus

I am a big 2K fan, but I think Live beat it this year. Live got my vote. -- Candyman5

I am not really blown away by any of the three basketball games this year (2K9, Live, NCAA 09) although each one has its bright spots. I guess I'll have to pick 2K9 for now, even though I haven't touched it since the second week after its release. -- ehh

If this isn't won by NBA 2K9, it must mean some serious Live fanboy influence or pure ignorance. -- TabulaRasa