It's not a secret that the SCEA version of an NBA game has struggled with critics for years.  Each year the team at SCEA seems to get a bit closer to something great, but sometimes just ends up being shorter than the competition.  People might have accused the dev team of being a bit short on flash or short on accuracy, but I'm not sure that's where they are shooting for.  As I have been playing this game for many days now, I've come to realize the good and the bad of the series.  What I have also realized is that they're trying to make this type of game more than a one-dimensional sports title.  They're trying to add more than just trophies and pats on backs.  They want to add two more needed dimensions to the game and maybe this is where critics are failing to appreciate it or see it for that. 

NBA fans, time to open your ears. 

There are fouls, but certainly nothing intentional

The gameplay in NBA 09 The Inside is diverse to say the least. The main gameplay, which is the normal NBA game you're use to and love, is probably a little bit below the rest of the NBA game field.  There isn't much flash to the main game itself, there's more flash in the story mode.  With that said, you don't need flash to make a game good.  Most people still have dreams of David Robinson's Basketball (or whatever it was called) and/or Lakers vs. Celtics (one of EA's early basketball titles), but for today's standard there are certain things you must preserve to make a good NBA game.  The basic mechanics are a must. For the most part, people will be able to pick up the game and play.  That's the plus side of this and the absolute must-have in the game.  If you can get a gamer to come in for 10-20 minutes and play that game and know exactly what it's made of than it's at least a good game. The basic control functions of the game are very simple to pick up.  You have a wonderful shooting meter that is displayed when the player shoots, giving him/her a chance to get a good percentage on the shot.  If you can imagine the pitching meter in the MLB games from SCEA than  you have a good image. The overall movements on the controller is easy to pick up on and not tight like an NBA 2K game (sorry, the controls have always been a little tight in that series).  There's a bit more smooth to the movement of the players on the court.  That's a huge plus as I haven't seen this type of smooth moving in some time in NBA games.  It's always been a bit stiff (you figure that someone would wake up and figure out this aspect).   

The mechanics in NBA 09 The Inside are a bit buggy.  The first problem is rebounding.  Getting your player to rebound is more work than it should be.  The appropriate angle you must achieve has got to be precise.  In an easier mode of play, because I'm a complete wuss, the game gives you some sort of indication where you have to stand.  The problem is when you line-up your player in this particular area the defensive/offensive player needs only to slightly touch you to move you out of that circle and thus out of any chance to pick up a rebound.  If you're not in the circle, no rebound; there literally isn't wiggle room.  What's even stranger is that there times where you're not in the wrong position and you still can't get the rebound.  That's very frustrating, considering that if you're not on the rookie mode of the game rebounds are essential. 

Speaking of 'rookie' mode, there is also a large discrepancy between this level of difficulty and the 'veteran' level, which is where you start in the game.  The veteran level is near impossible.  It literally will drive you nuts!  You don't get the luxury of help with rebounding and the shooting meter, which is easy to see thanks to a very clever shooting system.  The problem with this is that you don't have a snowball's chance to see the meter or stop it at the appropriate time.  I know that Grant Hill, Steve Nash and Shaq don't have as many shooting problems as the game indicates on this difficulty level.  It's like you don't even get a chance when scoring.  That's very unkind to the player. On the flipside to that coin, I think the 'rookie' level of difficulty is blast (though you shouldn't really score 82pts. with one player).  It brings ease-of-use to entirely new level and makes blowing out teams even more fun.  What's neat about the A.I. on the rookie level is that the game will literally up the difficulty a notch when the playoffs arrive.  Up until the playoffs I could destroy teams by 40+, but as the game gets more serious with the final portion of the NBA season, it soon started getting more difficult to accomplish such a feat.  Sure I beat them by double-digits, but the computer at least made it close.  My hats off to SCEA for doing it this way, even though the difficulty was basically set on easy. 

As for the look and feel of the game, it's not flashy (like I mentioned before).  It's graphically caught between a PS2 and PS3 title, nothing extraordinary for an NBA title.   One of the greatest parts of the game, visually, are the arenas and crowd.  There are a lot of different crowd reactions to what is happening on the court, which is fabulous considering that never really is a focus of the many NBA games today. From there it's also quite obvious that SCEA spent a lot of time on recreating an accurate depiction of the arenas the teams play in.  They are so well-done that it's nearly a distraction from the game.  The floors are shiny, the rims are gorgeous and the hardwood floors in Boston are just brimming with life.  It's amazingly beautiful.  As for the character models, they're not as creepy as NBA Live models, but aren't up to par with the models from NBA 2K.  They have a set amount of animations after shots, the same animation when something disappointing happens and a far from accurate flow of the actual players.  Of course, if any NBA title had every player accurate it would be a miracle and a half.  The faces of the players are damn accurate though.  Steve Nash's look is perfect.  He still has stringy hair that flows and attaches to his head more and more as the game gets deeper into the quarters.  It's neat to watch, which is great for SCEA.  Visually, again, I think that SCEA is definitely good, but still hasn't reached great yet. 

What's the story on this game?

What has always set SCEA's NBA game (at least recently) apart from the rest of the NBA titles out there is the story mode.  They have always given a different dimension to the NBA game and allow you to take it further by wanting you to create/cultivate a character of your own.  It's not simply a Soulcalibur type of character creation, it's literally a journey to take this player through.  You create the player, form them from head-to-toe and they put you in the Developmental League to hone your skills.  As you're honing them you're set a certain amount of tasks that will help your player get better and better.  Each game is portioned, meaning you're not playing an entire game, and your created player is given a certain amount of tasks to accomplish otherwise you won't be able to move on.  For every set you accomplish you get to move further and find yourself getting better and better.  I love this part of the game; it brings a entirely different aspect of gameplay to a game that needs more to it (when I say game, I mean all NBA games).   SCEA did an ingenious job bringing this into the NBA gaming world and I think that with a few more tweaks here and there, it could be a top-notch game.  Again, right now the game is good, but not great.  

Is it worth trading your first round draft pick away?

I think that overall the game is fun.  If you can excuse some of the frustrating manners of rebounding, some very minor bugs that should have been worked out in beta testing (like having a player forever palm a ball and never relinquish it -- it happened only once to be fair), what you'll find is a very different NBA gaming experience than what you're use to in the past.  Most people might find this jarring, but it's actually quite an entertaining experience.  It truly shows how SCEA has been trying to change things up a bit, which is great.  Add this to the online play, which is probably near flawless and you've got yourself a more than decent game that's fun.  There's plenty here for $59.99 and it shows. 

You have to praise SCEA for this, or at least give them a firm pat on the back.