I’ve had a chance to spend some time with the upcoming title NBA 09 The Inside for the PSP. I’ve enjoyed Sony’s basketball series for a couple years, so I was looking forward to see what kind of changes they’ve worked in for this iteration.

Last year, NBA 08 was the best show in town on the PSP. The NBA Live series has never really caught hold on Sony’s handheld while Sony’s own series has done fairly well. NBA 08 was decent, but nowhere near as good as it’s console big brothers. It held it’s own for a portable basketball solution, though. However, with NBA 09 The Inside, Sony looks to up the ante.

The graphics this year look much better than what we’ve seen in the past. Player models have improved a bit and look good for the system and the default Action camera angle works well (same as last year). The presentation has changed a bit since 08. The menu system now has a 70’s retro feel to it, much like what you saw in one of the older NBA Street titles. On the audio side, the commentary has seen a refresh since last year. New announcers Ian Eagle and Kenny Smith from TNT broadcasts take the reigns and call the shots. They do a pretty good job and don’t seem to miss plays altogether like Kevin Calabro and Mark Jackson did last year.

NBA 09 received some nice AI tweeks to make the game a bit more realistic and action-oriented. Most of the controls remain the same, so if you played the previous NBA titles, you’ll know exactly how to drive the lane when you step in with The Inside. The biggest edition this year is Franchise Mode, which has been sorely lacking from the series. You can now take over all aspects of your team and play through more seasons than you can probably fit into your mobile gaming time. Another new mode is Elimiquest, which is an extension on the Conquest mode seen in last year’s game. You play a sort of territory acquisition game where you go around the country and the world playing teams to take over their players and cities. In Elimiquest, you play through using elimination-style mini-games instead of full basketball games.

Speaking of mini-games, NBA 09 adds a few more to the mix of what was included in NBA 08. You get a new Give & Go game, which is a modified half-court 5-on-5 game where you gain points for dishing the rock. Also added is Band the Boards, where you play one-on-one half-court and see who can get the most rebounds and points. These are the coolest additions that you’ll actually want to play often.

The Inside features online play, as expected. I wasn’t able to play online with the preview build I received due to the servers not being online yet. But I’d expect the same level of online play as last year’s title. A nice addition is a menu item on the home screen that allows you to download updated rosters without having to go into a lobby and connect to a game.

Overall, NBA 09 is a nice upgrade from last year’s title. If you’re a big basketball fan and like to game on the go, this one will be for you when it drops on October 7th. It’s a solid title, but with all the other big name games dropping this Fall and Holiday season, I’m not sure how much game time this will get.