Head's up! It's time for "NBA 09: The Inside," the latest title in a long series of NBA games. It is -- unfortunately -- only for the PS2, PS3 and the PSP.

To be honest, I am not into basketball so I had a hard time figuring out the gameplay. I am used to shoot-'em-up titles. It's a rough transition. But once I got the hang of it, I started to beat my opponents bad on the virtual court. I won one game by 20 points.

You choose the match-ups, of course, and can pair your favorite NBA teams as well as 14 of the 16 NBA D-League (Developmental League) teams. I guess the Erie Bayhawks and the Reno Bighorns are holdouts. You play as one guy, but you can switch between players on your team. The announcer says things like, "Yes, this is how you want to attack ... Free yourself up for a jump shot!" and the crowd cheers.

Turn on the "Showtime" feature and you play even flashier and the fans go crazier.

There are some pretty cool new modes in this game. "The Life" lets you customize and play three different players as they evolve from the playground to the D-League. They actually do improve their skills -- and stats -- as they train. Franchise Mode gives you a chance to run a team, signing free agents, building your roster, and planning strategies for your offense and defense. Michael Jordan should have played this before he took on the Washington Wizards.

I personally think that the NBA Replay mode and the "Games of the Week" are the coolest because you can replay real games that actually happened in the '07-'08 and the '08-'09 seasons. You can recreate them or try to change history.

Usually there is just one player on the cover of every "NBA" game but there are six this time: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer, Paul Pierce and Dwayne Wade. Maybe they think this will draw more fans.

The graphics are OK, but the players still move a little stiffly on the court and the offensive play seemed weak. The defense players played a little more aggressively. I will give "The Inside" an 8 out of 10 because it is a solid game even if there aren't any Bulls on the cover. The little touches make it fun. Once, when I was playing as the Bulls, the announcer said, "Welcome to the Windy City!" See ya!

Liam Gascoin, 13, one of the nation's youngest gaming critics, writes exclusively for The Times. Reach him at TheVidKids@aol.com.