Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K9 Retrospective

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 version of NBA 2K9.

I had to double-check that I hadn’t already covered NBA 2K9 in a previous Wayback Wednesday retrospective. It’s not that I won’t revisit games that I’ve already profiled if I have new thoughts to share, but if it is my second opinion, I want to acknowledge my previous take. As it happens, I specifically reflected on NBA 2K9 coming to PC, but it wasn’t a detailed retrospective. My only real commentary on the game itself was to say that it doesn’t hold up as well as its successors. Irrespective of how accurate or inaccurate that critique of NBA 2K9 is, it’s hardly an in-depth retrospective or review!

Since then, I’ve developed a greater appreciation for the games that came before NBA 2K13. NBA 2K6 and NBA 2K7 have even retroactively become a couple of my all-time favourite basketball games! However, as I’ve previously explained, I wasn’t as impressed with NBA 2K8. It felt like a misstep, a sentiment reflected in many of the contemporary reviews. In any case, I was due to revisit NBA 2K9 next, so it’s been in my rotation in anticipation of this retrospective. With that being said, does it hold up, and has it also become a retroactive favourite? Let’s take a look back…way back…

I realise I’m repeating what I’ve said in my previous retrospectives, but it does bear mentioning that I struggled to get into the NBA 2K series as it was gaining popularity in the 2000s. I felt considerable brand loyalty to NBA Live, which also came out on PC and was the focus of our modding community. I’ll admit that I was annoyed at the way so many gamers were jumping on the 2K bandwagon, portraying it as a flawless sim as they delighted in bashing the struggling NBA Live series. As a 90s kid, it took me back to the Nintendo vs. Sega war, where so many of us picked a side and then mercilessly mocked the “enemy”. Oh, how we played into the hands of the suits!

Of course, it wasn’t just lingering nostalgia and fanboy loyalty that made it difficult for me to get into the NBA 2K series. While there was some familiarity in the controls and mechanics as a 5-on-5 NBA sim, the 2K games had a different feel and approach. As I’ve said before, the biggest hurdle for me was the dribbling controls. For all of the ups and downs of the NBA Live series as it lost ground to and was then overtaken by NBA 2K, the one thing that it still did very well was the dribbling controls. Freestyle Control was genuinely revolutionary, and Visual Concepts’ insistence on keeping the clunky Isomotion dribbling controls made their games less accessible to me for years.

Simply put, there’s a reason that the 2K series finally adopted right stick dribbling in NBA 2K13, and has retained those mechanics ever since! Having said that, as I’ve revisited the seventh generation NBA 2K releases with more patience and an open mind, I’ve been able to adapt to the original Isomotion controls; though, I still don’t love them! To that end, the dribbling controls in NBA 2K9 remain the weakest aspect of its gameplay. It doesn’t help that there’s no Absolute control setting, which I prefer for its consistency in stick movement no matter where I am on the floor and which camera I’m using. I still kind of hope for the best whenever I try to perform moves!

As I said in my previous retrospective, this was a problem in NBA 2K8 as well, and NBA 2K9 didn’t exactly overhaul the dribbling controls. Nevertheless, I have to say that I’ve enjoyed NBA 2K9 considerably more than NBA 2K8. Although they are very similar mechanically, NBA 2K9 feels much better tuned and balanced. One of my biggest frustrations with NBA 2K8 is that the CPU very blatantly cheats. You’ll be missing point-blank shots at the rim and bricking open jumpers while the CPU calmly drills shots in your face and waltzes into the paint where it finishes on every tough layup (and/or gets the whistle). Psychic interceptions are also annoyingly common.

That does still happen from time to time in NBA 2K9, but on the whole the CPU is much fairer, while still being suitably aggressive and challenging. In NBA 2K8, I felt like I was fighting the game every step of the way in wins, and losses always felt cheap. That hasn’t been my experience with NBA 2K9. I’ve had some exciting clutch victories and satisfying blowouts, and when I did lose, it’s because I’d played sloppily. Yes, the AI does hit some shots it maybe shouldn’t, avoids steals with convenient clipping, and otherwise tilts things in its favour at times. It is possible to lock in, play well at both ends, and pick up the victory though. Effort and strategy are rewarded.

This obviously isn’t to suggest that gameplay quality should be solely judged by our ability to beat the CPU, but it is a factor! Games are ultimately meant to be fun, which does require a challenge, but it must be fair. Strategy and skill need to matter, and not suddenly cease to be effective in the name of difficulty. We shouldn’t be able to easily blow out the CPU or always rally for a comeback victory either – some deficits should be insurmountable – thus achieving those feats should require a tremendous effort and great execution. Bottom line, the results mustn’t seem contrived. You can sometimes see the AI pulling the strings in NBA 2K9, but your play will still decide the outcome.

Like its immediate predecessors, NBA 2K9’s controls are impressively deep as far as the moves we can perform and the plays we can execute, but they are a bit contrived and clunky. The “hold sprint, move the left stick” method of Isomotion dribbling isn’t as precise as I would like. Also, while we can perform more moves on the block than with NBA Live’s “Own the Paint” mechanic, NBA 2K9’s post controls are definitely more cumbersome. The good news is that competent stick skills and basic basketball smarts can get the job done as you master the more advanced moves, but NBA 2K has come a long way as far as providing deep controls while also making them accessible.

It also helps that player movement feels good. Players have a presence, but don’t feel too heavy on their feet. There are moments where the AI feels a step quicker and able to catch up too easily on defense, but it doesn’t prevent us from making explosive moves. Naturally, there are some animations that feel dated now, but are good for the era. This includes a continued effort to expand the array of signature animations for players, and a variety of contextually-appropriate moves on the perimeter, in the post, and in the paint. While NBA Live arguably had better and certainly more accessible controls, the authenticity and organic feel of NBA 2K’s animations were superior.

For example, NBA Live 09 has some exciting spectacular dunk animations, but they aren’t always appropriate for the scenario. Most of them are also intended to end a fast break or a hard drive to the basket. Conversely, NBA 2K9 has a good assortment of basic dunks, and slams that begin from a standing start under the rim. NBA Live 09’s approach is fun but definitely less realistic, and it does result in janky moments when there isn’t a smooth transition between animations. There’s less warping and awkward movement in NBA 2K9 compared to NBA Live 09. Indeed, it’s also an improvement on NBA 2K8 in that regard, which is why I’ve been enjoying it far more on the sticks.

Ironically, there is a downside to some of the improvements to authenticity in NBA 2K9. The developers eliminated the rocket leaps to complete alley-oops that were in previous games, which was ultimately the right move. However, I find alley-oops in NBA 2K9 to be unusually difficult as a result. Trying to throw a lob to a player who’s streaking to the rim, or is already in position to catch a pass and dunk, doesn’t seem to work as often as it should. Either the ball handler will throw a regular pass instead of a lob, pass to the wrong teammate, or the intended recipient will leap to catch the pass but come back down with it. The rocket leap was unrealistic, but it made lobs work.

Still, it’s satisfying when you tee everything up properly and connect on a thunderous alley-oop! As is often the case, lobs also work better when playing co-op, since CPU teammates won’t always do and go exactly where you want. That being said, the new adaptive AI does do a good job of having players react to what’s happening and try to make moves accordingly, without calling plays or using the dual player controls. This definitely helps with the aforementioned balance, as well as achieving a realistic style of play. While the AI isn’t above some cheesiness, it mostly plays smart basketball. The shot distribution and player performances in general are also pleasingly realistic.

Although I’ve enjoyed NBA 2K9’s gameplay, it has its quirky moments. While the contextual animations are great, it’s still too easy to accidentally fire a shot into the side or back of the glass when going to work along the baseline. The post-basket camera cuts enhance presentation, but the count for five-second inbounds violations is weirdly in effect while they play out. As such, I got hit with a violation and a costly turnover as a result of a lengthy sequence, which felt rather unfair! It also seems like they’re triggered in a way that’s more convenient for the CPU, being far more likely to affect the user’s ability to get out and run after a bucket. I ended up turning them off.

While my time with NBA 2K8 was spent desperately trying to find the fun experience that I was sure was there, my sessions with NBA 2K9 have encouraged me to keep playing it. Yes, there are some lingering legacy issues from previous games, and it lacks the key improvements that would make future games even better. The original approach to Isomotion was a bust that the development team held onto for far too long, and there are obviously other ways that NBA 2K9 shows it age in 2025. That hardly makes it unplayable, though. Indeed, thanks to tightening up some mechanics and implementing better balance, it has great gameplay that I believe holds up well.

And so, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been having a blast with NBA 2K9! It reminds me a lot of NBA 2K6 in the way that I’ve been able to adapt to controls that I don’t necessarily love, but can make work. The AI puts up a good fight even on the easier difficulty levels, and while it has its cheap moments, you’re also rewarded for making the right plays and skilful input. Lock-On D works far better than it did in NBA 2K8. There are frustrating moments, but they quickly give way to enjoyment. NBA 2K9 is therefore rapidly rising through the ranks of my favourite NBA 2K titles, and for that matter, my all-time favourite basketball video games, just as NBA 2K6 did before it.

The presentation, aesthetic, and overall vibe of NBA 2K9 is also top notch. Even without any real network branding, the developers once again did an excellent job of replicating an NBA broadcast, from the on-court appearance of Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg in the pre-game cutscene, to their commentary during gameplay, to the overlays and post-basket cutscenes (intrusive as they can be). The post-game wrap-up with its stats screens, Player of the Game reel, signature highlights, and Top 3 plays, is well-produced. Granted, the picks for the Top 3 plays are questionable at times, but I expect that in video games. It ultimately doesn’t ruin a great presentation feature.

Also, while I’m hardly a snob when it comes to graphics, NBA 2K9 is a noticeable improvement over its predecessors in that regard. The colours and lighting are bright and vibrant, avoiding the dull look that too many games have adopted when trying to be “realistic”. The angular face models with textures that look a generation behind are definitely being phased out. NBA 2K8 had already made strides with its likenesses, but I think players look even better in NBA 2K9. That’s not to say that there aren’t some rather insulting faces in the game, but at least they don’t look like upscaled PS2 textures! NBA Live 09 arguably has better faces, but NBA 2K9’s graphics do pop.

NBA 2K9 runs at 60 FPS during gameplay, but like many games of its era – and far more recent titles, for that matter – the frame rate drops to 30 FPS during cutscenes, and in both automatic and manual instant replays, in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. However, the 360 version tends to get even choppier during those scenes, spoiling otherwise spectacular replays as the frame rate drops below 30 FPS. The PC version meanwhile maintains the 60 FPS frame rate in cutscenes, automatic replays, and manual instant replay. In that respect the PC release is the most polished version of NBA 2K9, though it doesn’t have the online functionality of the console versions.

Speaking of updates, NBA 2K9 saw the debut of Living Rosters. As with Dynamic DNA in NBA Live 09, it was intended to consistently push through new rosters with detailed and accurate updates to player ratings and tendencies on top of implementing the latest transactions and rotations. Whereas NBA Live 09’s updates were powered by data from Synergy Sports, the Living Rosters in NBA 2K9 were handled by the mysterious “NBA 2K Insider“. An alleged guru who would be poring (or as the IGN preview put it, “pouring”) over statistics and spreadsheets, the Insider would also be anonymously interacting with the community to solicit feedback about the rosters.

The results were mixed to say the least. Now, unlike other people who have made rosters over the years, I’m not going to pretend to be infallible, or condescendingly criticise the producers who work on the official rosters in video games. With that being said however, I will state that the rosters in NBA 2K9 are lacking a certain amount of expertise! An absurd number of players are rated above 95 Overall, with multiple players sitting at 99. That doesn’t look too bad for players such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, but Chris Paul being 99 Overall is definitely a stretch! Dive deeper and you’ll find several individual attributes that are wildly inaccurate.

Of course, inaccurate ratings are a recurring problem in the NBA 2K series, and it’s only gotten worse with the introduction of more and more historical content. There’s no doubt that NBA Live 09’s DNA updates and approach to ratings were far more realistic. As I previously mentioned however, player performance in NBA 2K9 is enjoyably accurate, so the questionable ratings didn’t result in a complete disaster. That’s not to say that they couldn’t be improved, and there were certainly efforts to fix the rosters at the time. Nevertheless, while the first attempt was a bit sloppy, Living Rosters with their frequent updates to lineups and attributes was a meritorious idea.

It’s unfortunate that the PC version missed out on those updates, especially as even the DVD-ROM release installed via Steam, and was thus connected to a digital platform. The same goes for the absence of online play, though admittedly in our community, people were simply thrilled to have the series on PC, particularly since NBA Live was now console-exclusive. As I’ve covered in detail in a previous feature and my NBA 2K9 PC retrospective, the bigger problem was that a number of copies didn’t include the necessary key to complete the installation. Valve stepped in and allowed the game to be validated as long as the disc was present, though this solution wasn’t permanent.

Needless to say, this has made NBA 2K9 PC difficult to collect as a retro game. If you validated your copy all those years ago, then you can easily reinstall it without the disc today (though you may need to install some components manually on a newer version of Windows). However, even if you pick up a sealed copy on eBay or another online store, there’s no guarantee that it’ll actually include the all-important key. The NBA 2K series’ arrival on PC definitely could’ve been smoother, but we were still thrilled to see it. There was a time when that seemed highly unlikely to happen, and I for one had my doubts. It’s a prediction that I was glad to be completely wrong about!

Unsurprisingly, the modding scene for NBA 2K9 PC wasn’t nearly as big as it would become for future games. The community had brand new files to figure out, which meant new tools had to be developed. Roster files were not in DBF format as NBA Live’s had been for many years, so we couldn’t readily open them with commercial software. A roster editor was developed, but it wasn’t as comprehensive as REDitor II and RED MC would be, limiting what we could externally modify. It was still a start though, and the tools remain in our archives in case anyone feels inclined to see what can be done with the game. It’d probably be wise to temper your expectations, though!

Getting back to features and modes that are in all versions of NBA 2K9, it retains the same selection as NBA 2K8. The Association received a welcome revamp with the addition of an NBA.com interface with in-game headlines, and remained a deeper franchise experience than what NBA Live was offering with Dynasty. NBA Blacktop facilitated fun streetball action at the iconic Rucker Park, though the Dunk Contest and Three-Point Shootout are inferior to their equivalents in NBA Live’s All-Star Weekend mode. The Rookie Challenge returns, along with single Season, Playoffs, and the underrated Situation mode. Practice mode also returned, with a key change.

The “Standard” practice mode was replaced by “Tutorials”, explaining the game’s controls through a combination of free shootarounds, 2-on-2 scenarios, and 5-on-5 scrimmages. In theory it was a good idea to add such onboarding given the depth and complexity of the controls, but the instruction pop-ups obscured the gameplay, and scrimmages with normal rules were less ideal than repeatable drills. It’s also a pain to lose the traditional shootaround mode, though the default “Movement & Shooting” tutorial is essentially a replacement for that. Later games have made the right move in separating the free shootaround from the structured tutorials and training camp modes.

On the whole though, NBA 2K9 is the deepest and most well-rounded NBA sim for the 2009 season, with well-designed modes and features. There are aspects of NBA Live 09 that I prefer, but having given the gameplay another chance all these years later, I’m now just as inclined to dust off NBA 2K9. The depth of The Association, retro jerseys, All-Decade teams, and other bonus content, puts it ahead of NBA Live 09 and Sony’s NBA 09 in several key areas. My biggest issue with the gameplay is that the controls can feel contrived and clunky, which admittedly is a big deal. I’ve been able to warm up to them though, and the underlying mechanics and AI are solid.

Turning to some loose ends and the gaming equivalent of intangibles, NBA 2K9 also benefits from the 2009 season featuring some interesting and appealing lineups all around the league. It isn’t difficult to find a fun team to use, as even the underdogs and basement-dwellers have some talented duos and future stars at their disposal. While I’m on the subject of roster trivia, there are some phantom stints and familiar faces in strange places. Jason Williams’ Clippers stint that was over before it began is reflected in the console versions, as is Darius Miles’ phantom run with Boston. Former Celtic Antoine Walker hadn’t yet been released by the Grizzlies, and so he’s on their roster.

I like NBA 2K9’s frontend aesthetic and navigation, though backing out to the main menu/Quick Game screen is slightly cumbersome. This is a very minor nitpick, but it does take a few more steps than necessary. It’s all too easy to accidentally close the menu with an extra button press, and have to start all over again. The soundtrack is fine, though none of the tracks are among my all-time favourites in basketball video games. Interestingly, it features “Jump ‘N’ Move” by The Brand New Heavies, which was previously featured in NBA Live 2005, and “Spaz” by N.E.R.D., which was also in NBA Live 09 that same year. It’s also the first 2K to feature Santigold’s “Creator”.

My opinion of NBA 2K8 perhaps skews more negatively than many of my fellow basketball gamers, though as I acknowledged, I do think it’s a generally well-made game. However, I’m guessing that even gamers who enjoyed NBA 2K8 a lot more than I have would still agree that NBA 2K9 was an improvement. Whether you see it as a course correction or the next step in building on a solid foundation, it polished up the mechanics and aesthetics, made some welcome additions, and delivered fun and authentic sim gameplay, with enjoyable modes that can keep you hooked. It’s hardly surprising that it marked the year that NBA 2K finally surpassed NBA Live in sales!

Apart from Living Rosters, NBA 2K9 doesn’t have a big new feature that isn’t just a better version of what was already in its predecessors. To that end, it’s a great example of how some of the best games don’t necessarily have a major innovation, but stay the course with their established staples that are already in great shape, and fine-tune the gameplay experience. NBA 2K9 isn’t a landmark release like NBA 2K11 or NBA 2K14, but it’s a strong release, and an improvement over the previous game. Besides, bringing the series to PC was arguably the major move that year. It was undoubtedly an exciting development in our community, even if the launch was somewhat rough.

I’m still undecided as to where I’d rank NBA 2K9 compared to the rest of the series. When Dee and I were ranking the seventh generation NBA 2K titles on the NLSC Podcast, I had it in second-last place by default. As I said in last week’s show though, now that I’ve spent more time with it, I’d absolutely place it much higher! It’s not quite an all-time favourite of mine just yet – only time will tell if that changes – and there are other 2Ks I’d place ahead of it. I do really like NBA 2K9 though, and I expect that it’ll become part of my retro basketball gaming rotation moving forward! For now, I’ll simply deem it an overlooked gem, and a very welcome improvement over NBA 2K8.