Whereas franchises like EA’s NBA
Live series and 2K’s NBA 2K have been constantly trying to outdo each other with
accurate representations of the game of basketball, SCEA’s NBA franchise has
been a bit of the odd man out. This is especially true for the PSP iterations,
as the NBA franchise has forgone most attempts at recreating realistic
interpretations of professional ball, and instead shifted its focus on providing
quickplay mini-games that tie very loosely to professional hoops. This is
especially evident in this year’s outing, NBA 10: The Inside. The game handles
on the court pretty much exactly as it did last year, with the developers
seemingly continuing to shift from the basketball side of things and going for
more increasingly strange mini-games.
For those familiar with last year’s
PSP iteration of the NBA franchise, NBA 10: The Inside hasn’t changed things
much. The game still features some fairly simple to grasp controls, and
emphasizes arcade-style play over a sim-heavy experience. The action moves very
quickly, and the game’s pace focuses more on quick plays and fast breaks than it
does calculating your strategy. You’ll have some rudimentary play calling
abilities courtesy of the D-Pad, but nothing too deep or major. Additionally,
the game makes use of a color-coded halo system for shots, which help you
determine when to let go of the shot button. When the halo is red, you have a
very little chance of making the shot, while a green halo indicates nothing but
net.
The on-court gameplay is pretty fast
and frenetic, but the AI is very buggy and inconsistent. When trailing, the
opponent AI will constantly attempt three-pointers with a lot of success, which
is extremely frustrating. Additionally, I ran into a few instances when the
opponent was losing by several points towards the end of the game and proceeded
to foul my players no less than eight times in the last minute of the game. As
this was a boxed retail copy, either I ran into a completely unique occurrence
more than once, or there is something very wrong here.
The on-court action is pretty
underwhelming, but the other portion of the gameplay, the mini-games, fare much
better. Last year’s NBA 09 offered a pretty robust selection of mini-games, and
this year ups the ante a bit with several new elements. The Conquest mode plays
out like a turn-based strategy/RISK style of game, this mode adds a little bit
of strategy to the basketball element in the game. Block Party offers a variety
of mini-games that are directly correlated to the game of basketball, like HORSE
or Own the Court, as well as some pretty off-the-wall ones like Block the Shot,
Pinball, and even a new Bowling mini-game. There are 20 mini-games total, and
they are quite varied and can be pretty fun.
Aside from Block Party, the game
offers up the standard fare for the basketball genre. Exhibition games,
Playoffs, and All-Star Weekend are here for those looking to get into the game,
and for the more sim-oriented fans, NBA 10: The Inside features a franchise
mode. In the franchise mode, you can trade, sign, drop players as you progress
through the NBA season, and keep tabs on your draft options for the next
seasons. Additionally, you are able to tweak the gameplay in the franchise mode,
taking advantage of several sliders that influence your team’s decisions on the
court, including their focus on defense or offense and pace.
Graphically, the game is much the
same as last year’s NBA 09: The Inside, which isn’t a bad thing. The player
models look fairly good, and move smoothly on the court. The animations are also
fairly well done, and the game moves at a very nice 60 fps clip without any
slowdown whatsoever.
The sound is pretty decent, but
nothing special. The commentary does a good enough job of translating the
on-screen action, and the soundtrack is pretty generic, even for a basketball
game.
NBA 10: The Inside has some pretty
big gameplay issues when it comes to the actual basketball, but that’s not
really the focus of the title. If you liked the mini-games last year and would
like to try your hand at more, then NBA 10: The Inside is one you should check
out. However, if you’re looking for a true representation of basketball, you may
want to look elsewhere.
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Gameplay: 7.0
The mini-games are pretty fun and varied and should keep you engaged in
short bursts, but the on-court basketball is hampered by buggy and frustrating
AI and frantic gameplay.
Graphics: 8.0
The player models look pretty solid and are well animated, and the action
moves at a smooth clip.
Sound: 7.0
Nothing too special here, just adequate commentary, decent court noise, and
a generic sounding soundtrack.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 6.5
The focus on mini-games is an odd choice, and hopefully the design team will
retool the basketball gameplay for next year’s outing
Multiplayer: 7.0
The multiplayer element allows two players to compete via ad-hoc in a
variety of different games, including dodgeball, Own the Court, and standard
Exhibition modes.
Overall: 7.0
While the mini-games can be pretty fun experiences on the go, the basketball
element needs a lot of work here.
