NCAA Basketball 09
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Sports
Platform: XBOX 360, Playstation 3 
Fans of video college basketball games won’t have to worry about choosing between games this year. 2K decided not to release a college basketball game this year. So like it or not, NCAA Basketball ‘09 is the only game in town. Right out of the gate, the first thing you notice about the game is how well it captures the whole NCAA game experience. Everything from team mascots to authentic school arenas are accurately portrayed. EA has even added more school-fan chants, with the majority of them being school specific. Combine this with excellent player modeling, much improved ball physics and realistic player movement, and you have the makings of a pretty solid game. Teams tend to play like their real-life counterparts, especially when controlled by the CPU. You can even customize your own playbooks for your team. It’s when you take control of a team that certain quirks become evident. There are times when it seems the CPU, for lack of a better word, cheats. CPU-controlled players always seem to crash the offensive boards, fast break or hit three-point shots a little better than you, not matter what team you have. Players willing to put in more time playing the game will probably get to the point where these little quirks won’t even be a problem. That said, looking at the whole picture, NCAA Basketball ‘09 does offer up a fun way to get your NCAA basketball fix.
