As far as
basketball franchises are concerned, the battle to win a basketball fan’s
affections have always been between EA Sports’ NBA Live and 2K Sports’ NBA 2K
franchise. While Sony’s first-party basketball franchise has been struggling to
catch the attention of sports gamers, each year the franchise seems to be seeing
some improvements in the gameplay. This leads us to NBA 07 for the PlayStation
2, a game that might not outshine its biggest rivals but it certainly isn’t a
bad game at all. Its game modes have a lot to offer gamers and the improvements
are noticeable. So why doesn’t NBA 07 for the PlayStation 3 play better than the
current generation game?
One of the most
obvious omissions in the PS3 version of the game is the excellent game mode The
Life, which is a wonderfully deep and involving game mode from the PS2 version.
This leaves us with just the basics and that’s not bad considering the fact that
NBA Replay is here and it comes in The Season! as well as Games of the Week!
There’s the option to jump into a full 2006-2007 NBA season as well as go
directly to the playoffs. There is even a Training Camp, which is composed of a
few mini-games geared towards tightening certain skills such as shooting and
passing. There’s even a 3-Point Contest mode, although the dunk contest is
missing from the roster.
NBA Replay,
however, is the mode that will have you playing this game for a long time to
come and it’s mainly due to the number of interesting challenges. The Season
basically places players into the sneakers of their favorite players and has
them reliving 25 weeks of the 2006 season’s most memorable moments in
chronological order … really, what more can a fan ask for? We’re talking about
jumping into a specific moment in a game where Kobe Bryant dominated the court
as if he were on fire. The challenges are timed, of course, and they’re not easy
to complete but that’s what makes them fun. The second NBA Replay mode is Games
of the Week where gamers can download five scenarios each week throughout the
entire NBA season. This adds more real life challenges aside from the ones
includes in The Season. As of this writing, I’ve already downloaded two weeks
worth of challenges and trust me when I say that they’re current and excellent.
As far as the
controls are concerned, shooting and passing is handled perfectly. The
color-coded shot meter is just better on the PS3 than on the PS2. Green, for
example, means you’ll make the basket while yellow means there’s a 50-50 chance
you’ll make it and red means you’re more likely to hit the rim. What really
separates the PS2 version from the PS3 are the SIXAXIS controller controls.
Tilting the controller forward, for instance, allows players to perform a juke
move while tilting it to the right performs a crossover to the right. Want to
pull off a spin move to the left then turn the controller counter-clockwise. Not
only does it free you from the usual timed button pressing but also it really
makes pulling off these offensive moves fun.
Graphically
speaking, NBA 07 looks like a million bucks in all its full 1080p glory so if
you have an HDTV you are in for quite a visual treat. The arenas look amazing
and watching the fans come to life when their team is scoring is a treat. Still,
when it comes to the player models this game does justice to most of the star
players including box cover athlete Kobe Bryant. Just watching the detailed
facial expressions and the realistic way the cloth from a player’s jersey moves
is impressive. Then again, there’s some PS2-styled clipping that absolutely has
no place on the PS3.
If you like the
sounds of Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Rakim or Bubba Sparxxx then you will love
the game’s soundtrack. On the other hand, if you’re looking for announcers you
won’t find any in this game and that’s a disappointment for those who like that
televised game feel. Yet when it comes to the sounds of the arena and its fans
going wild you won’t be disappointed. The sounds of sneakers on the hardwood and
the ball bouncing off the rim sounds good as well.
NBA 07 for the
PlayStation 3 just doesn’t quite cut it in terms of bringing next-generation
gamers something fresh or an improvement over the PS2 version. Really, thanks to
the lack of game modes found in the PS2 version as well as some glaring gameplay
flaws, the game feels rushed and incomplete. This is not to say that everything
about this game is bad. The controls are decent and the SIXAXIS moves add some
much needed flavor to the game. Perhaps next time Sony will get their game
together to give EA Sports and 2K Sports a run for their money on our favorite
new console.
Review Scoring Details for NBA 07 |
Gameplay: 6.8
Gameplay
features such as the One Shot Indicator and color-coded shot meter work
brilliantly but it is the juke, spin and crossover moves using the SIXAXIS
controller that wins big points. Unfortunately, the game is plagued by a few
bugs (Shaquille making a basket from across the court?) that make this a flawed
basketball game. NBA Replay is by far one of the most gratifying season modes
ever.
Graphics: 8.0
NBA 07 looks
stunning in many aspects but it doesn’t quite scream next-generation visuals.
The player modes are beautifully detailed and their jerseys show off some great
cloth rendering. Facial expressions look great up close and during replays but
there’s some awful clipping problems that feel so PS2.
Sound: 6.0
The fact that
there’s no announcer team makes this feel less like a televised game but with
the sounds of the fans going wild, a PA announcer and on-the-court
conversations, you’ll feel like you’re attending a game. There’s some decent
hip-hop music and that’s about it.
Difficulty:
Medium
Sadly, your
computer-controlled teammates aren’t always at their best and the CPU controlled
rivals you go up against all seem to be playing by the same playbook. That means
going up against the Clippers feels like going up against the Bulls.
Concept: 7.0
NBA Replay is
the star of the show, although it’s hard to ignore the fact that the current
generation game is far superior than this one in terms of game modes. There are
some unlockable jerseys to look forward to and while the list of mini-games have
been reduced, it’s good to see Own the Court. The SIXAXIS moves are just plain
great.
Multiplayer:
7.5
Online the
game runs rather smoothly with a few framerate stutters here and there during
the middle of a game. The game allows you to participate in ranked or unranked
matches and the real-time leaderboards are fantastic. Best yet, however, are the
downloadable content that includes updating the roster as well as offering
downloadable challenges that reflect real NBA scenarios.
Overall: 6.9
For a PS3
launch title, NBA 07 looks like a next-generation title but it certainly doesn’t
feel like one even with the revolutionary SIXAXIS controller. Suffering from a
number of gameplay glitches and a few bugs that get in the way of the gameplay,
this basketball game doesn’t come close to being the game sports fans will want
to buy for their new console.
