NBA 2K9 - PS3/360/PC

When we get the first details about the new game.
 
Vote for the cover you want here.

PSP version confirmed too.
 
This arrived this morning courtesy of eBay, had to pay £2 for Blockbuster to use their magic disc fixing equipment because it was scratched to fuck and wouldn't work after him telling me he "only played it once or twice"...

ANYWAY, I need help. I can score okay, but I can't defend for crap. I'm losing games by 20 points every time. Does anyone have any defending advice? I can lock onto them with L2/LT but as soon as I do they just run past me and score, I can't get anywhere near them.

Cheers!
 
Chris Davies said:
This arrived this morning courtesy of eBay, had to pay £2 for Blockbuster to use their magic disc fixing equipment because it was scratched to fuck and wouldn't work after him telling me he "only played it once or twice"...

ANYWAY, I need help. I can score okay, but I can't defend for crap. I'm losing games by 20 points every time. Does anyone have any defending advice? I can lock onto them with L2/LT but as soon as I do they just run past me and score, I can't get anywhere near them.

Cheers!
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Found this:

Quick-Hitting NBA 2K9 Defensive Strategies
Submitted on: 10/30/2008 by Nathan Marshall

It has been a good while now, and the verdicts are in. Some say that NBA 2K9 is the best representation of video game basketball ever, while others say it is far from that. Either way, many feel that it is entirely too easy to score (and get scored on). Slider tweaks may fix some of the high percentages in this game, but still, sliders should not be used as a crutch to substitute for bad defense. If your defense isn’t strong, changing the sliders will not help you. So I’ve devised a few pointers to help you out:

Defensive Pressure and Matchups

Far too often, a user is getting beat to the punch, so he or she thinks it's a bright idea to play tight coverage on everyone. Cheese tactics like this don’t work in this game. If you have a poor defensive team like the Knicks, the players won’t be able to stay in front of a snail, let alone a NBA player. Using tight coverage incorrectly will allow the opposition to drive right past you. Tight coverage should be reserved for spot-up shooters (think Kyle Korver and Jason Kapono).

If you are playing defense against a poor shooter with good handles (Rajon Rondo), sag off of him. If he takes the jump shot, that’s better than him driving to the hole. Most importantly, he will be forced to give up the ball, because you’ve stamped out his greatest strength, which is driving to the cup for the layup or simply forcing the defense to collapse and kick it out to an open man. Sagging off your man also cuts down on some of the backdoor passes the CPU likes to use.

Playing against superstars is a Catch-22 because they can kill you in so many ways. You sag off, they will hit the J. If you play them tight, they will drive in for the dunk. What you want to do is use the medium lock-on D, and make sure your best defender is guarding them. NBA 2K9 has actually taken a page from College Hoops series because now you can assign a primary defender to an opposing player. No longer will Bruce Bowen guard Luke Walton if Kobe switches to the small forward position. Bowen will now guard Kobe for the duration of the game, granted they are both on the court. Make sure your defender plays the same or similar position, though; it won’t quite work if your best defender is a center and you’re trying to guard Allen Iverson.

Next, don’t go for the double team too early. Make the superstar prove he can score on you. If he does, then it’s time to analyze whether or not he should be double teamed. If he doesn’t have any complimentary scorers, then yeah, it’s easy to choose the double team option. However, if he has a team of 3-point shooters or a main secondary scorer, that makes the choice more difficult.

First, you want to analyze how he has been scoring his points. If he has been hitting difficult shots, I would live with that rather than him getting his other guys involved. If he’s been doing whatever he wants out there, then it's time to double him and let those other guys beat you.

Learn the Controls

I touched on lock-on defense earlier, but it's not the way you may remember it from NBA 2K8. Lock-on D is not nearly as strong, so it can't be used as a crutch for bad defense. Think of it as a tool and not a vital part of gameplay. The way I use it is mainly to guard the player I want to guard, especially when a switch-off occurs. Also, with the new shading feature, I will shade to the right or left, depending on where my help defense is, to hopefully force my opponent into a difficult shot.

Playing defense in the post may seem difficult, but it’s not impossible. In order to prevent tons of points in the paint, make sure you push the post player out the paint before he catches it. This can be done by engaging with that player and pressing the L-stick towards the player. If the post player does catch the ball, you can still press the L-stick to keep your guy from getting backed down; this all depends on your post defense and strength rating. If players are getting too deep in the paint, you can always foul. It's always better to force them to shoot some free throws when the other option is being posterized.

Also, avoid the block-happy temptation that courses through your veins. Everyone wants to block every single shot, but that's not going to happen. Sometimes, you will have to go for the steal against unstoppable power-dunk artists like Shaq, Amare and Dwight. If you are getting posted up, time the steal at the right time, and you will actually poke the ball away, which works with the same effectiveness as a block.

Of course, if you are severely mismatched in the post, there is always the double team option.

If you are playing against someone who likes to use Isomotion a lot, make sure you attempt to draw some charges. For one, it will force a turnover, but more importantly, he or she is probably abusing Isomotion controls with a superstar player, so if that player is in foul trouble, he’s one less player to worry about.

Blocking shots is an imperative part of defense. It is much easier to block shots this year, but don’t abuse it or you could get called for a foul -- or be caught completely out of position on a head fake. Another beautiful thing about the blocked shot is sometimes you will get called for a foul (I believe in the philosophy of "no layups allowed." If you are trailing on a play and the other guy has what he thinks is an easy layup, foul him and put him on the line. You can also press the steal button for a ball strip in this situation.

Play Smart

Sometimes defense can be less about forcing turnovers and more about simply controlling the tempo. If you are not having a good start and the other team has been running you up and down the court, do not fall into the trap. Slow down the tempo.

Give yourself a chance to get some sure buckets so you can set up your defense to prevent the other team from scoring. If you shoot the ball too quick, the other team is off to the races.

Don’t double a role player. He’s only in the game for one reason. If you double him, there’s a high probability that the main scorer will be left wide open or mismatched.

Only use zone defense as a last resort. There is a reason why zone defense is not as prevalent in the NBA; the players are way too skilled. Make sure you learn what each zone defense's strengths and weaknesses are. You can find this out by going to the coaching menu.

Don’t crash the boards if the average height of your lineup is 6-foot-4 and the other team's average height is 6-foot-9. Missed boards lead to fast breaks, and if you get too far behind, you will be playing catch-up.

I’m not saying that utilizing these tips will make you undefeated from here on out, but just playing smart basketball will more than likely help keep you in the game.
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Hope it helps. :)
 
The main thing is to stay big and track runs. Try your best to just stay with them so you force them to take a shot or pass, or force them to take risk as the shot clock runs down.

Also, it is easier (in my experience) to try and steal/intercept the ball when they are moving, rather than when they are still and looking for the pass. Note: this doesn't include when they are trying a skill move. Just wait for your moment, stay close, and try to intercept. Don't mash the intercept button otherwise you are likely to concede a free throw.
 
I love Evo-Web.

Thanks guys, I'll study all of that in detail. Got to stop getting my ass handed to me.
 
The advises that airjoca posted is exactly all the things I do in my matches in my association. It's incredible how smart and focused you must be all the time in order to avoid the opponent do their play. Sometimes they will score even if you do a perfect defense, bur so do I with my stars. It's all a matter of knowing the strenghths of your players and your team as a whole.

And try to avoid counters, and break their streaks by calling timeouts, never put a team full of role players in the key moments, try to learn the patterns of your opponent.

To defend, I will also add that it's quite important to cover the pass lanes. Sometimes I have my defender one meter or two away of their player (if he's a good 3 pointer it's not a clever thing to do, though) and try to cover the pass lanes. Press steal when the pass is done to move the hands and try to intercept the ball. That works marvels when you can foresee the movements of the rest of players. Watch your opponent as a whole, don't just focus on the ball. You'll recognize the screen that will let one player alone to receive. Then is the moment to anticipate the pass.

Even if you do it, sometimes the cpu will surprise you and shoot or do an unexpected thing. That's great even if sometimes it's fustrating.

Now, about defending the post, first of all you should lower the slider sfor the nearest shots to something about 35, both for you and your opponent. That will focus the game a little more to mid-shooting and running plays. You can also lower to 10 or so the TENDENCY to shoot from the paint.

Secondly, it's very important to hold the position. Don't jump until the opponent starts the shooting movement. Sometimes he will fool you, that's ok, you can fool him too (unlike in football games). Sometimes he will push you almost to the basket. Even then not everything is lost. Wait, wait and push him, even if it seems to no effect. Then, you can use the steal button (as described in airjoca's post) or wait to jump. Anyway, it's important to do it IN THE DIRECTION of the opponent, so you try to unbalance him when shooting. That is a key factor in the game, balance. Centers use to have bad shooting ratings when unbalanced.

I'm not a fan of doulbing the defense. It works only in certain situations, when there are no passing lanes left. But most of the times, the center will just pass the ball for an easy jumpshot in midrange or 3 points lane.

Screening is very important in the game (as in reality), so I prefer strong centers that can play physical and dominate the paint and can do great screens than skilled centers that can shoot but lack strength.

I also advise you to play very long matches. 10 minutes per quarter is what I play. When you master the controls, then you can adjust the sliders a little more.

Have patience, it takes a lot to get used to things. It's even harder to start playing awesome plays, but it's possible. Another thing you can do is activate the many helps on-screen, such as the indicator of the player you should be defending with your active player. It's possible also to have the offensive plays marked on the floor, it's a great way to know certain movements.

I hope you really enjoy it, because it's the deepest sports game I0've ever played. There's just so much to do and learn.
 
I'm really enjoying it so far Drekkard even though I do suck at it - I suppose there's fewer teams and so fewer players to concentrate on than in a football game, which makes it easier for them to work with, but wow. Every player is different.

Is there a recommended slider setting anywhere? I'd love to make it as realistic as possible all-round and then try to get used to it using those settings...
 
What difficulty are you playing on?
 
Pro, the default difficulty. I didn't want to go any lower than that because then I feel like a big fat cheat. :ANX:
 
You can gets sliders from OS, can't remember right now whose sliders I use, I'll post them later.
 
cheers. been tweaking teh sliders a bit making short range shots just a tad easier and bumped it to 70 from the default 50 and instantly beat L.A Lakers 72:68 it was a mind blowing close game

26368c63c0fde0a5d732741684c7626780b095da.jpg


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Can you upload pics from the ps3 or 360 version of this game?

edit: that guy on the last pic wearing the white head band is blooming useless from the 3 pointer range :( he missed ALL of them!!

check out more pics here http://www.xfire.com/screenshots/jonneymendoza/?ss_file=5d89164ec9aa62d53503846f86a807019b7faf42.png
 
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Did you remember which sliders you use yet Tobi?

Be interested to know which ones you think are the best ones to use.
 
Oops, I forgot, still playing MLB The Show right now, I'll load up 2K9 shortly.
 
All this talk about 2K9 being the best sports game available is making me tempted to get it. I had 2K7 and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
 
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The new one is out next month, but considering I know nothing about the sport I thought I'd be best to get this first and hold back on the new game.

I think I was right, looking at the manager mode I literally have no clue what 50% of the options mean...
 
Offense - USER Settings - CPU Settings in bold.

Close Shot Success - 35/35
Mid Range - 45/45
3PT Success - 50/47
Layup Success - 44/44
Dunk Success - 50/50
Dunks in Traffic - 15/15
Screen Success - 35/35

Defense

Steal Success - 59/60
Help Defense Strength - 100/100

Attributes

Stealing – 25/25
Blocking – 19/18
Ball Handling – 40/30
Dunking Ability – 47/45
Offensive Awareness – 28/25
Defensive … - 75/75
Offensive Rebounding – 44/44
Defensive … - 65/65
Clutch Factor – 15/15
Speed – 45/41
Strength – 85/85
Stamina – 49/49 (This can vary, if the players are getting tired too quickly then bump it up a tiny bit)
Durabilty – 63/63 (I bumped this up because of the Seperated Shoulder bug)
Vertical – 30/30
Quickness – 0/0
Hustle – 25/25
Hands – 11/11
On Ball Defense – 50/47
Injury Severity – 40/40 (toned down because of Seperated Shoulder bug)

Tendencies

Take Close Shots – 8/8
Mid Range Shots – 100/100
3PT Shots – 39/39
Attack the basket – 32/32
Finish strong inside – 45/45
Look for post players – 60/60
Use triple threat – 100/100
use fadewaways – 70/70
hookshots – 60/60
putbacks – 30/30
throw flashy passes – 10/10
commit fouls – 60/60
play passing lanes – 65/65
go for on ball steals – 63/63
contest shots – 97/97
use sizeup moves - 80/80

I get realistic results with these, 10 minute quarters.

Regarding Association mode, just let the CPU take care of the ones that your clued up on. What team are you using?
 
I dont know much about the sport either apart from the Laker girls and the supposedly proven scientific fact that if you say 'Kobe' before you throw anything your 60% more likely to hit the target! Tomorrow im going to download the demos for MLB The Show 09 after seeing Tobi go on about it, Madden NFL 10 and NBA 2K9. I already love NHL 09 so that Americana sport can be left for the time being. :)
 
Thanks a lot Tobi. :)

tobi said:
Regarding Association mode, just let the CPU take care of the ones that your clued up on. What team are you using?
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I've got the CPU controlling everything but staff and renewing contracts, I don't want them getting rid of someone I like. I'm using the Bobcats, it was them or the Bulls and for some reason I favoured the former.

BillyBoy said:
Tomorrow im going to download the demos for MLB The Show 09 after seeing Tobi go on about it, Madden NFL 10 and NBA 2K9. I already love NHL 09 so that Americana sport can be left for the time being. :)
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I couldn't get into MLB The Show 09, way way way too complicated for someone who knows nothing about it. So many weird things going on and the commentators say all kinds of things that mean nothing to me. And as for hitting the ball... Forget about it. The time you have between hitting the ball and missing is literally milliseconds, and you've got no visual guide - it's a nightmare for someone with a casual interest in the game. I'm trying the 2K Sports baseball game after a recommendation from Placebo, apparently the analogue stick hitting works really well.

NFL 10 is another one I just couldn't understand, every game was finishing 0-0 (this in the extended demo). It's 3 seconds of running, then a tackle and a scrum (or whatever it's called in American Football). Over and over and over again, no gameplay whatsoever. Impossible for a noob like me.

NHL 10 looks great though, I can't wait to play the manager mode in that!
 
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OK, Raja Bell is a good defender.
 
I have my sliders near these values, so you should have great matches in 10 minutes quarters. Plus, I forget to say it but every player has its own shooting animation (not exactly everyone but there are literally dozens of them) so finding the moment to release a 3 pointer, for example, can be tricky. Take Calderon and Rudy Fernandez, they both are great 3pointers, but their shooting routine is quite different. It took me some days to get used to both of them. That's for Johnney, because that man with a white band in the head CAN nail 3pointers if he's balanced, alone and you time it well!
 
Chris Davies said:
Thanks a lot Tobi. :)


I've got the CPU controlling everything but staff and renewing contracts, I don't want them getting rid of someone I like. I'm using the Bobcats, it was them or the Bulls and for some reason I favoured the former.


I couldn't get into MLB The Show 09, way way way too complicated for someone who knows nothing about it. So many weird things going on and the commentators say all kinds of things that mean nothing to me. And as for hitting the ball... Forget about it. The time you have between hitting the ball and missing is literally milliseconds, and you've got no visual guide - it's a nightmare for someone with a casual interest in the game. I'm trying the 2K Sports baseball game after a recommendation from Placebo, apparently the analogue stick hitting works really well.

NFL 10 is another one I just couldn't understand, every game was finishing 0-0 (this in the extended demo). It's 3 seconds of running, then a tackle and a scrum (or whatever it's called in American Football). Over and over and over again, no gameplay whatsoever. Impossible for a noob like me.

NHL 10 looks great though, I can't wait to play the manager mode in that!
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no wonder, your using one of the worst teams... LOL
 
i have not given this a proper go at this but will do in the next month or two. if i start to like it and get use to it more, i may buy nbak2k10 but most likely for my PC though unless it doesnt have any online modes anymore.

Im planning to build another PC for games like this and PES10 so i can play it sitting on my couch with a 360 or ps3 controler playing the game at native 1080p res with mods and better graphics supported by higher res textures and AA/AF bumped right up to the max making it crispier.

In other words, a HTPC im planning to build ;)
 
gomito#10 said:
no wonder, your using one of the worst teams... LOL
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Well I didn't want to go Barcelona or Man United - errr I mean the Lakers or the Celtics, but I couldn't find any other teams reasonably close to them. Who would you recommend for a challenge (but not an impossible challenge)?
 
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