NBA 09 The Inside PSP Review

NBA 09 The Inside

PSP Review
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: SCEA

NBA 09 The Inside storms out of the gate this season on the Sony PSP and may just be the best basketball game on the handheld.

The latest install of the NBA series from SCEA is improved over a year ago, and has proven once again to be a great choice for basketball fans.

It combines plenty of new features with new mini games, franchise mode, better AI, downloadable rosters, etc.

In terms of the visuals, the game is not that much improved over what we saw on the PSP a year ago, but considering it looked great last year there is really not all that much to complain about.

The game is very clean with some nice detail, as well as a solid TV-style presentation throughout.  The game is smooth in regards to framerate, and could have benefited from a wider variety in animations.

The audio is well done with a nice music soundtrack, as well as commentary from Ian Eagle and Kenny Smith.  They do a great job with the commentary.  Sound effects are pretty standard though.

Getting down to the good stuff, the gameplay, NBA 09 The Inside is a lot of fun on the Sony PSP.

The game is very easy to pick-up-and-play which is a good thing on the PSP.  The shot meter mechanic is back once again and works well on the PSP, but still needs to be improved to add depth and factor in fatigue and such.

Beyond that, there are still a few bugs with the way in controls in that the A.I. can still mess things up with turnovers and such.

In regards to the gameplay modes, you get some new mini games, online play, downloadable rosters, as well as a full 25-year franchise mode.

Other modes to make a return from last year include the Conquest Mode, adding quite a bit of strategy to the experience, as well as some nice mini-games from a year ago.

Another great bonus on the PSP release is the inclusion of some nice unlockable items and pinball games to mess around with.

NBA 09 The Inside on the Sony PSP is a great package with a wide variety of game modes, fun controls, and great graphics, audio.  If you are a basketball fan, this is your best bet on the Sony PSP!

Graphics: 8.0 The game looks great on the PSP with some nice details and smooth framerate.

Audio: 8.0 The musical soundtrack fits and the commentary is well-done.

Gameplay: 7.8 The same shooting mechanic returns and needs an overhaul, overall the game controls nicely though.

Replay Value: 8.5 Tons and tons of replay value with all of the stuff mentioned above.

Final Score: 8.2

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