Well, being honest, I don't enjoy basketball. I regularly get into debates about the merits of it as a sport, typically with my flatmate who is a big basketball fan. My usual argument pursues the theory that any game where the score ends 99-98 with amazing consistency time and time again is, unfortunately, neatly countered by the fact that in my sport of choice (football), the score typically ends 1-0 - if you're lucky enough to get a result, that is. Touche.

So, setting aside the ridiculously subjective topic of which sport is best - today I got to check out 2K Sports' NBA 2K9, the latest in their increasingly popular series. A lot of improvements have been made, some of which are immediately obvious - like the updated graphics - and some of which are a little more subtle, but no less significant.

The improved visuals are a really big part of the game, and they don't just extend to better player graphics - although this is where the most noticable updates have occurred, with the game now boasting more detailed models, better textures and animations, and much more realistic faces. Players will actually start to sweat when working hard, which shows up on their skin and in the form of sweaty shirts. The detail in the crowd has also been massively increased - zillions of different people in the crowd, all moving independantly, waving big foam fingers and shouting out as the game flows.

Another improvement is a focus on trying to create a more TV-esque experience - new camera angles and brief takes from various
views around the court really add to the atmosphere and the feel that you're "at the game" as well as being in the game. At the end of each quarter, highlights are shown from the action that just occurred, automatically generated and prioritised based on some clever algorithms that try to make sure the best and most signficant chunks of the game are shown - just like you'd expect when watching a game on the box.

A lot of attention has obviously been payed to the hardcore basketball fan audience, with a lot of effort put in to making sure all the players are in the game and recognisable at a glance. This is helped by the graphics boost, but other improvements in this area include more stylised signature moves for many players.

Some serious work has gone into the AI as well, in what the developers are calling "Adaptive AI". Anyone that's ever played a sports game will know the frustration of watching as your teammates just stand around staring blankly ahead while you're trying to pass to them or as an opposing player runs circles around them. The improvements in the AI system are (apparently - I didn't see a demo of this in the game) really helpful when a play breaks down and your guys are suddenly out of position while the opposition counters - they'll now react a lot more realistically (and more importantly, helpfully).

The build we were shown today is apparently 85-90% complete and it is certainly looking that way; the gameplay looks fast and furious and fun and combined with the very impressive visuals there's not a lot of bad stuff you can say about it. The only negative comment I could make is that it sometimes seems a bit abrupt when switching between player animation, resulting in a bit of jerking - not sure if this is on the cards to be addressed but some sort of magic animation blending system would help out here. Really a minor complaint though; the animations and visuals are otherwise stellar - if it was on at a bar and you were sitting a few metres from the screen, you'd just think it was a regular game.