This year live could have been better......
So, let's start with the good...
The best, in my opinion, thing in NBA Live 09 is The Crown system. It's a big series of tasks you need to do throught dynasty, season mode, exhibition games, mini games etc. Each time you win a medal for one of them (bronze, silver, gold), based on whether you have won the previous medal. For example, on 2-on-2 if you have won a bronze medal by scoring 2 consecutive 2pointers in order to win silver you have to make 3 or 4. By completing these tasks your rank increases from rookie to superstar (this takes A LOT of time), while doing these you'll be given unique challenges in order to unlock retro jerseys and/or All Star Teams.
The next thing that I liked with NBA Live is the FIBA World Championship Mode. There, you'll have to choose one (or more) of the 24 FIBA national teams given in the game (Angola, Argetina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, U.S.A) and crown yourself as a world champion.
Other good things are Hot Spots 2.0 (which you can see in-game by double tapping triangle), and the voices of Marv Albert and Steve Kerr commenting the games.
One last thing I loved about this game is the soundtrack, which includes songs like "The IV" by Braille, "Don't touch me" by Busta Rhymes, "Throw your hands up" by Elephant Man feat. Rihana and "Beggin'" by Madcon.
Now let's go to the weaknesses (which, trust me, are major),
The worst thing about NBA Live 09, I think is that it hasn't improved much since last year. For example, the mini-games are the same since NBA Live 07 (2 Ball, Handles) with the exception of a new one called 2-on-2 which is a friendly 2-on-2 between players of your choice and while playing you can take powerups similar to the ones in 2 Ball. In other words mini-games aren't deep enough in Live 09.
Next, this year's Dynasty Mode hasn't improved at all, being the same since Live 07.
Also, rosters are a bit "old" since they are since July 18th, and i don't think I have to mention the sloppy frame rate and the repeateble clipping when it comes to graphics.
At least, EA Sports could have added online multiplayer which also misses in the game.
In two words Live 09 is a fun game which can keep you busy, but definetly isn't worth 40$ and needs renting first.