NBA 2k9 coming to your cul-de-sac soon (Oct 7)

Just thinking about tipping off another season of NBA 2k9 makes my balls glisten with moisture. According to 360voice.com (a FMode fav) I played NBA 2k8 102 days topping any other game in the history of my 360 console.

My goal next season is to double that and hit 200 days, it will take dedication, a lot of ignoring real worldy tasks (father duties, husbandry and other work related nonsense) but I think I can pull it off.

More plagery below from a blog I frequent (sportvideogames.net)about NBA 2k's living rosters and NBA Insider for the franchise mode( self plug thank you).

In the last few days more NBA 2K9 information has been released than in the whole previous 12 months. To save you from being swept away in this torrential downpour of information we thought we would go through all the big news in one concise package, with links for further reading along the way. Just like NBA 2K9 itself you can dig as deep as you want.

The huge announcement everyone had been waiting for was unveiled by Gamespot today which you can find right here along with a discussion with the producers on the Gamespot Podcast here. It is well worth a listen as they cover off quite a few of the new features and its always good to hear it straight from the developer themselves.

The big feature everyone is talking about is surely 2K’s Living Rosters & NBA Insider. Not only matching NBA Lives “Live 365″ Feature but taking it to another level by adding a “human element” into the mix.

Basically 2K have employed someone full time, a real person, to keep track of the NBA over the course of the season and continually adjust the game to reflect the real life happenings. So say OJ Mayo turns out to be a disaster in the NBA, his ratings will take a tumble, and going even further, he may even lose his flashy dribble package or move specific animations he started with. On the other end of this spectrum is players who perform well may have their packages improved or if they develop a killer new move during the course of the season, it will be added into the game.

This isnt just a cosmetic thing either, 2K has promised to fully realise the additions of new moves in the form of full motion capturing just like every move the game starts out with. You can be sure that when 2K sets out to do something, they do it right.

” The 2K insider also has a blog on 2ksports.com that is interactive with fans. The 2K Insider will be able to communicate important news via a blog on the company’s Web site, as well as through calling out specific players via an in-game 2K Insider screen that will highlight the latest news and biggest movers in the NBA. In addition, the 2K Insider will be able to affect the stats of players on a regular basis. If Derrick Rose has had a consistent streak of missing from beyond the 3-point line, you can expect to see his 3-point percentage take a hit in the game, courtesy of the Insider.

But while the 2K Insider can take away, he can also give. If Deron Williams continues his success of last season or O.J. Mayo begins to dominate during his maiden campaign in the NBA, you can expect to see not just attribute bonuses but actual new animations available to that player as the season progresses. These new animation packages will be mo-capped, produced, and added during the course of the season by 2K devs and added to deserving players who have excelled during the season (or perhaps even developed a new signature move). In other words, this is new content developed during and relevant to the 2008/09 NBA season, not merely unlockable animation packages that are already in the game.”

This is clearly a feature that 2K was holding close to its chest, and while Live may have had the first jump on them with their 365 feature, it seems that 2K just may have overshadowed them with 2K Insider. No game before has ever promised to add new animations and dunk packages into a game via patches, and this could be a huge advantage for 2K.

The other key development, apart from all the gameplay tweaks which is an article in itself, is Association 2.0.

Building on the foundation of last years Association mode, 2K has their sights set on taking it to another level this year with a fully integrated NBA.com interface as the centrepiece. The big part of this is the way information is clearly displayed for the player, just like the real NBA.com.

You will see headlines covering everything from Players of the Week, Players of the Month, Rookies of the Week, Rookies of the Month, League Rumours, Trade Rumours, Injuries, Scoring Streaks & Career Milestones and Broken Records. If that sounds like a lot, well its just the start. 2K has stated they will include over 200 story types and 75 different game results to be included in the NBA.com headlines.

From this main screen of your Association you can then drill down to various stat charts, league leaders & dynamic stat reports that now include a more scientifically accurate metric stats such as efficiency and true shooting percentage. Also included of course is the trade screen, from which you can make trades with up to 4 players per team and including up to 3 teams.
The trades this year also include “Bird Rights” for the first time in a game, which will allow guys who are into Association mode to sign guys that are on your team for more than they can get elsewhere and beyond the salary cap, in line with collective bargaining almost.

Overall it really seems 2K has taken the Association 2.0 to a level all on its own. No longer will you feel like the only guy in the league striving for success as headlines from around the league and constantly updated information will keep your head in the game. This could be a first step towards an online association mode with all these features and we can’t wait to get a taste of it.

Coming in the next few days we will be breaking down the new gameplay elements to be introduced into NBA 2K9 as it truly is shaping up to be the best playing basketball game of all time. Be sure to check out all the articles linked and all our coverage here at sportvideogames.net.