Here at N-Europe we feel like we're on the wrong side of the world whenever we play an NBA title. Afterall, the only memories we have of anyone making it big in Basketball was a girl in our Senior School. Scratch that. It was actually Netball and she was about seven foot tall with the arms of Stallone. So as you can imagine we took to NBA like a rounder's player takes to Cricket. We had a basic grasp of the game but some of the general play took some learning.

"At least there is an ALL-PLAY option!" screamed one of our reviewers. Me, I took the NES approach, slid the Wii remote sideways and proceeded to get creamed in all four quarters.

Nintendo have made it obvious that they want all gamers to be able to play Wii titles and EA seem to have taken that idea to the extreme. In subtitling their 09 sports range "All-Play" EA has tried to ensure anyone can enjoy their titles. (Even those who thought that Michael Jordan sang Thriller!)With NBA this actually works. Unlike say, FIFA which offered many control options and came across as a jack of all trades master of none pioneer, NBA 09's controls actually work. And it makes the game a lot more fun.

Playing with the traditional nunchuck/remote setup is simple enough and each button/motion responds perfectly. Flicking up (and then down to release) initiates a shot whilst the nunchuck analogue stick provides player direction. The ALL-PLAY setup indicates usage of just the remote and therefore player movement is CPU controlled. It actually works well and due to the nature of the sport the fast-paced passing/shooting element remains a highlight throughout.You can also hold the remote sideways (ala NES) and we found ourselves sticking with this control type for most of our play sessions. 1 and 2 are your primary shoot/pass buttons with B being run. No motion, no analogue, no more than 3 buttons and it works fine. Somewhat surprisingly we found ourselves questioning if this 'NES' setup would have been a better approach for EA's other ALL-PLAY titles. Namely Madden and FIFA.

Party mode is full of many multiplayer options ala 08.

There are many modes to discover in NBA 09 and EA have even thrown in (the now standard) party mode. After disapproving of FIFA's Party mode we actually had lots of fun here, and when played with multiplayer in mind, party mode really does add longevity to the title. We particularly enjoyed playing the slam dunk contests where on screen motions would flash up and if you didn't copy them you wouldn't dunk the ball. The mode also features 3 point contests and a fully blown 2vs2 contest mode. We were taken aback by how much depth the party mode offered and found ourselves playing this mode far more than in other EA titles. Crucially, the games may be simple but they are relevant to the sport and without an over saturation (or need) of Mii characters, we found that the party mode was a great companion piece to the usual modes.

The main time sink areas of NBA 09 could be seen as the season mode and online mode. Each offer your traditional EA Sports moments and work flawlessly. The season mode is as deep as you'd expect and offers a lot of competition whilst the online mode works as well as every other EA Wii title out there. In other words: It works without a hitch. Exhibition matches are also in place and 2vs2 can also be played out under this mode. They both play a solid game of Basketball and there were only a few cheap shots guaranteed to get you in the bucket every time. (Alley oops seemingly go in at all times!)

NBA 09 offers many different modes for many gamers; each playing around a solid control setup and gameplay model that indicates NBA 09 could be heading for a gratifying slam dunk over the finish line. But we do have one major complaint...

U.G.L.Y. You aint got no alibi....

Seriously, the graphics in NBA 09 are awful. Long before you hit the court you can see that the menus are simple and crude as they lack any graphical cutting edge. There are no superstar faces splattered on screen, no NBA affiliation written anywhere. NBA takes makeshift menus to a new level. (See click screen on the left for proof.)

And when you finally do hit the courts it's just as makeshift. Poor crowds surround blurry advertising boards which look like they were made in MSpaint. Ugly player models rear their heads with limbs out of proportion. Arms are longer than the average human and the larger players are so tall they make the rest of the players seem like ants. In all honesty it's a mess. Upon further play we found that an alley oop pass would score every time and so we decided to restrict ourselves from using this in multiplayer. A shame as it's turns into a wholly game-breaking scenario.

It's unfortunate that we have to slam NBA 09 for offering cheap shots and crude looks as the title genuinely offers plenty of jovial basketball outings for Wii owners with friends. Just don't say we didn't warn you when you realise you can repeat the same moves over and over again to win.