Stop me if you
heard this one: You’re a talented baller who grew up playing hoops in the grimy
basketball courts in your neighborhood and the only thing that really matters is
showing your stuff and proving you’ve got what it takes to go pro. It’s
essentially the setup for the first NBA Ballers game that made its
appearance a long while back on the original Xbox and made street ball fun and
stylish. The series certainly had its ups and downs since then but on the
next-generation console, we were expecting a game that pushed the series forward
in a good way. Sadly, NBA Ballers: Chosen One for the Xbox 360 doesn’t do
that at all.
The game still
features a Story Mode with the same unknown-baller-playing-his-way-to-the-top
scenario and you can always just pick up and start playing a one-on-one with the
likes of cover athlete Dwight Howard. You can still create your own baller and
pit him up against real NBA pro in the other game modes that involve anything
from a one-on-one to a two-on-two match. You can play a Ballers Shootout
Challenge (which is a basic jump shot challenge) and a 3 Point Challenge (it’s 3
point shots or nothing). The game even has online multiplayer as well as a
decent offline multiplayer match that pits you up against three friends at once.
Story Mode takes
your created player through a number of chapters that have up to three main
challenges each. You start off by going up against top street players and work
your way up the ladder to challenge actual NBA superstars such as Kobe Bryant or
LeBron James. The story, told through animated cut scenes as well as narrated
through Sports Center-styled video featuring rapping legend Chuck D doing
analysis. Chuck D does a marvelous job as presenter and he even handles the
commentary front during a game. Your goal, of course, is not only to go up
against NBA superstars but also earn much respect from everyone else. In this
game, in order to earn all the bling and ladies you’ll have to show off your
skills in the flashy courts.
Of course, the
charm of NBA Ballers has always been the fact that NBA regulations are
tossed out the window and the courts in this game are glitzy penthouse courts
only the super wealthy or, say, Shaquille O’Neil can only afford to play on when
not playing in an arena or stadium. It’s on these courts where players show off
stunt dunks that are quite flashy and steals that would normally get a player
tossed out of the game. Chosen One brings back the moves like Super Block
and Super Juke but this time around they don’t have the same flash as previous
games in the series. Even the Off the Hizzle 2 Ally Oop doesn’t have the same
charm anymore.
The game
continues the leveling up of your player so you can perform different types of
Super Shots or interesting dunks like the Shut ‘Em Down Super Dunk move. These
moves will certainly help when going up against power players or NBA Superstars
such as Carmelo Anthony who – in the game – can rush past your defense and make
3 point shots faster than you can blink. There’s also a combo system in the game
but it just doesn’t work the way it should. The combo system features Act-A-Fool
combo where you can clown the opposition via button icons that appear on screen.
When pulled off correctly it will leave your opponent wondering what just
happened while you rush past them to score without much resistance. Then there’s
Back-In Mode that, well, works better on your friends than with the opponent AI.
In short,
Chosen One has the moves but it just doesn’t implement them as well as it
should have and the result is a basketball game that makes the competition a
bore rather than an exciting exhibition. Your “phenom” rarely gets a good taste
of the sweet sweet Superstar lifestyle and even if you do get a following your
sideline buddy rather pass the ball to Dwight Howard than you. At least the
online multiplayer runs smoothly and you can play a solid 2-on-2 game with your
friend offline using any of the 80 or so NBA stars in the lineup.
On the graphics
front, Chosen One looks decent but certainly not up nearly as impressive
as it could have been on the Xbox 360. The player models look good and many of
them do look like the real NBA Superstars while others are a miss. Some of the
environments don’t look very good either and look as though they would feel
right at home on the original Xbox. Also, the crowd of fans that have gathered
to watch the game look a bit off in this game as well.
As I mentioned
above, casting Chuck D as the announcer and commentator was a great idea and he
never gets too repetitive. He’s actually an excellent commentator and brings his
own brand of commentary to the game or player introductions. The music is also
good if you like the hip-hop and rap without the lyrics. The tunes are purely
instrumental and actually very catchy. The rest of the sound is just Ok so don’t
expect to hear a lot of noise during a game with the exception of other players
taunting you.
NBA Ballers:
Chosen One for
the Xbox 360 is not without its charms but when it comes to the basketball
action it just doesn’t have what it takes to be a fun sports title. While some
aspects of Story Mode have its moments, it just remains to be a repetitive
basketball game that lacks style even with the numerous NBA superstars in the
game. Sorry, Midway, but this isn’t the b-ball lifestyle fans will truly love
and should skip altogether.
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Gameplay: 6.0
Chosen One
doesn’t provide
real drama in the story department and challenging stars like Kobe Bryant in a
snazzy private airplane dock loses its charm after a few rounds. The other game
modes add more of the same although the online portion works really good.
Graphics: 7.5
The game looks
decent and many of the NBA Superstars look just the way you expect them to look
with some slight exceptions (Shaq just doesn’t look right). There’s some crisp
video tossed in that looks straight out of Sports Center. The backgrounds and
crowds look awful, though.
Sound: 7.5
The music is
instrumental and actually very catchy if you like good rhythm tracks. Chuck D
was a brilliant choice to provide the commentary and he does a great job
throughout.
Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
Playing against
the Superstars will really provide quite a challenge and some of the other
nobody ballers can also bring their game. Story Mode has limited continues so
you’ll often find yourself replaying entire chapters.
Concept: 6.0
A rising player
you design yourself challenges ballers for fame, money and all the glitz NBA
Superstars experience on a daily bases. This is basically the setup of the game
and while we’ve been playing games like this for years, Chosen One could
have been different and fails.
Multiplayer:
7.0
Online you can
bring your game by challenging others and it runs at a steady framerate without
much trouble at all. You can also play against three other friends offline for a
little two-on-two action.
Overall: 6.0
I like to
Act-A-Fool on this virtual court but unlike The Matrix’s Neo, this game
is certainly not the Chosen One. NBA: Ballers: Chosen One has all the right
stars but when it comes to the game, it lacks the stylish action that made this
series such a blast to play. Here’s hoping next year is a lot better.
