NBA Academy

Just to clear things up in case there's any confusion, the NBA Academy is not the ground-breaking feature in NBA Live 09, though it's definitely one of the best additions this year. The Academy is the first thing you'll encounter when you get past the title screens as it replaces the practice arena of NBA Live 08. Like the practice arena however, more than one player can shoot around at once and even take part in the drills.

As I mentioned throughout the gameplay report, one of the key advantages of the Academy is the ability to practice scenarios such as 2-on-1, 3-on-2 and 2-on-2 breaks (to name just a few combinations), rebounding drills, pick and roll drills and a full five-on-five scrimmage with no scores and no time limit between players on a single team. You can even pick each side in a scrimmage and choose between playing the offense and defensive roles in the different drills.

You can access the different Academy options through the main menu or by approaching the coaches that are standing around the practice court. Making a selection through the menu is fairly self-explanatory but to select a drill through one of your coaches you'll need to walk up to them and press a button to see which drills they offer; going to different coaches presents you with different options. For those in a hurry, the menu is the better method.

At first you'll be able to attempt some fairly basic drills in each aspect of the game but by reaching a set target score you'll be able to unlock and practice more complex scenarios. This allows you to pick the basics and work on advanced techniques in a fun manner and also provides an enjoyable mini-game even if you'd rather jump straight into a game and learn the new features that way. It's also the kind of thing that's likely to be linked to an Xbox Live Achievement though I don't have any confirmation of that as yet.

Because you can choose to control either the offensive or defensive team when you're playing the different scenarios, you'll get an idea of how to best handle the situation no matter which side you're on in a real game. An example of an offensive scenario would be to score in different ways after a pick and roll play (using Pick & Roll Control). Extra points are awarded if you score in a specified way, such as dunking or making a shot from the perimeter. Points are also awarded simply for completing certain tasks such as getting your teammate to roll or pop after the pick but if you want a shot at unlocking the advanced scenarios you'll need to make the bucket too. Defensively speaking, it's about preventing the offense from successfully completing the scenario which will in turn earn you points.

There's also a rebounding drill in which your teammates stand around the perimeter and fire up shots one by one. The player you're controlling and another teammate controlled by the CPU will then have to compete for the rebound, offering you the opportunity to practice boxing out, positioning and timing. As you would expect, the more rebounds you grab the more points you earn.

Unfortunately the Academy lacks a facility to practice free throws which would have been useful given the new free throw system, however it probably won't be a problem for most users since it makes use of a meter so you'll know why you've messed up the timing. Still, it would have been a nice feature rather than learning the new system in-game.

I mentioned it in the Dynasty report but it's worth mentioning again; the NBA Academy's presence in Dynasty Mode allows you to invite prospects to a pre-Draft camp and work them out in scrimmages so you can see how they play in 5-on-5 competition. It's also used in training and developing players though I didn't get to see that in action so I'm not sure of the impact of one training session in the Academy.

The NBA Academy is a big step forward for the game because it's more than merely a Practice Mode. For the first time you can really get a feel for the game without jumping straight into an exhibition game or a Dynasty, while also using it to develop and scout players which greatly adds to the atmosphere of Dynasty Mode. The lack of free throw practice is disappointing but the NBA Academy is still a huge, and very welcome addition to the game.

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