The Best NBA game yet

NBA2k9 keeps the 2k series at the top of the basketball game. The game looks phenomenal, with more detailed faces than previous installments and new animations. Compared to last year's game the gameplay has been slightly tweaked. Blocking the ball is easier this year and driving to the basket is generally harder. Now while you would think this would shift the balance to the defense, shooting is more rythm based and fallaways, threes, and shots taken while moving are all way more likely to go in than they used to be.
Unfortunately the running threes seem a little too frequent, especially those shot by A.I. opponents. The result is that it still feels a little too hard to play defense against the A.I. Also, occasionally your character will get stuck in an animation and you'll either go out of bounds or have a shot clock violation. These factors sometimes combine to make for some geninely frustrating moments. Occasionally it really seems like the game is cheating to beat you. On all-star or harder the game will always make open threes. Aley oops seem way more easy for them to make than you will ever be able to. Your help defenders are usually useless while theirs will block your ass. The game's difficulty, though frustrating, makes wins and clutch performances all the more gratifying.

The create a player which was broken in previous installments has finally been revamped. There are no longer random colors appearing on your character's face as yo adjust their appearance.
The presentation is solid with newcomers Cheryl Miller and Clark Kellog replacing Craig Sager and Kenny Smith. Unfortunately, Kellog seems to be reading from the same script since he says almost the exact same things that Kenny said last year, save for a few corrections in Kenny's grammar. Still, why rerecord the same lines with a new commentator?
The new in game replays really add to the feel of a TV presentation and the highlights are always fun to watch, as they showcase some of the games new animations.
Despite some frustrating aspects, this game is still the best NBA experience out there. Just don't go in expecting the A.I. to lay down for you.