Boy, this year is shaping up to be a very good one for basketball sims. On the one hand, you’ve got NBA Live 09, a series that hasn’t been great in years, but is poised to make a comeback in 2008 with two potentially revolutionary features, “Dynamic DNA” and “NBA Live Rewind.” Then, there’s Sony’s entry into the fray, NBA 09 The Inside, which is being developed by SCEA San Diego (the same guys who produced the fantastic MLB 08: The Show). NBA 09 is taking a different tack with “The Life,” a story-based mode focused on bringing a basketball star from the D-League to the NBA.
And then there’s NBA 2K9. 2K Sports’ extremely successful basketball franchise has been top dog for a long time now, and with each of its four short teaser trailers, it has just been looking better and better. Now, 2K has sent over the first trailer consisting entirely of gameplay, and while it isn’t technically footage captured in-game (i.e., there’s no score overlay or HUD of any kind), the video certainly doesn’t contain any cutscenes or pre-rendered video.
To me, it looks absolutely fantastic, but hey, what do I know? Why don’t you guys tell us what you think? You can find more information at the game’s official Web site. Look for NBA 2K9 to make its way to store shelves on October 7th.
