You want the
car, the cash, the status. You want the crib, the hype, the endless praise.
You want to be an NBA phenomenon. Like cover athlete Chauncey Billups, only 10
times better.
To those
just about to enter the NBA: good luck! I hope you don’t end up with the
Lakers. To the rest of the world, video games can help fulfill your hopes and
dreams. NBA Ballers: Phenom shoots for the stars with loads of NBA stars, a
licensed soundtrack, Sprite sponsorship, and more tricks than that silly
rabbit. (And these aren’t just for kids.)
Everywhere
you turn, Phenom is about style. Its story mode, Live the Dream, is about two
stylin’ ballers separated by greed. Both were good, but one wanted all the
fame and fortune for himself. He took a sweet deal, made himself out to be the
star, the only star, and ran for Hollywood. As if that weren’t enough, he also
stole the love of your life: Kimberly. His choice left you – the self-created
baller – alone to shoot hoops by yourself. All those cool tricks you picked up
along the way would go unseen… If you give up. But you don’t give up,
and that’s where the game begins.
The core
gameplay mechanics aren’t that different from before. Side camera angle,
one-on-one battles, combo-based evasions, etc. This being one of the few
sports games that isn’t from EA, Phenom doesn’t have the usual array of trick
stick moves. But you can juke with the right analog stick, or taunt your
opponent by pressing it in conjunction with the left trigger. Shooting,
passing, stealing, alley-oops, and blocks are executed with a button or two.
The trick system goes deeper, but this is nothing like a simulation sports
game. Anyone can pick it up at any time for some quick thrills.
Of course,
the developers hope that you take the time to play through the story mode,
which has a lot of thrills, a few odd moments, and some interesting
developments leading up to your baller’s victory.
Keeping up
with today’s gaming trends, Phenom lets you "explore" LA to find new
challenges. You win challenges to increase your credits. Credits are your
tourney currency. The more you have, the more tournaments you can enter. Thus,
that’s what this becomes a game of – winning to have the chance to score more
wins.
For those
who like this gameplay style, Phenom’s many (uh…similar) objectives are hard
to resist. And what’s not to like? The controls are solid, as are the player
animations. The combo system lets you rack up tons of points before merging
your moves into one seamless dunk. The same can be done with shots. Perform
three consecutive moves and immediately shoot for a three-hit combo. Combos
increase the likelihood that you’ll score, making them all the more desirable.
Credits are also obtained by performing moves. They also accumulate whenever
you miss a shot, growing till someone wins the match. The winner gets the pot.
While the
difficulty is fair the AI starts with a lack of intelligence. I’m all for a
game giving the player the chance to get used to the controls, the style, any
new mechanics, etc. However, this is a sequel to a game that played a lot like
NBA Street, which played similar to the game that started the arcade sports
genre – NBA Jam. Though you can never be certain, it’s likely that the
majority of Phenom’s players will be gamers who have played its predecessor
and/or one of the games that inspired it.
But let’s
suppose I’m new to this gameplay style and I don’t want the AI to be too
extreme at first. I am, however, familiar with basketball and expect certain
things from it. For example, when I attempt to steal the ball, I expect my
opponent to block or evade. Phenom’s opponents do that fairly well throughout
the story mode. What they don’t do is know what to do when they drop the ball.
Sometimes they’ll freeze, other times they’ll start to run away … then stop.
This leaves no room for a struggle. Just grab the ball and take a shot.
Luckily the
game redeems itself later on, when ballers become more proficient in their
skills. They won’t drop the ball as often, nor will they stand there like an
idiot when they do. Not to say that the game is overwhelming, but players will
have to up their skills and perform better than ever if they want to keep up.
Overall the
Live the Dream mode is great, but it’s the multiplayer gameplay that gives
Phenom its longevity. Nothing beats the thrill of having NBA Jam-inspired
gameplay in 3D, with new moves, in a more immersive environment, with
four-player capabilities. Play 1 vs. 1 matches, 2 vs. 2, or 1. vs. 1. vs. 1.
Whatever you choose, Phenom is a grand multiplayer addiction that can’t be put
down.
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Gameplay: 8.0
All the b-ball
you crave without any artificial flavorings. Exploring LA acts as a
preservative, extending the life of the story mode, but it’s not drawn out to
the point where it’ll turn you off. Since this is an arcade-style sports game,
expect a considerable amount of repetition from the single-player matches.
Despite this flaw, Phenom is an excellent game that’s worth your time, and
your cash.
Graphics: 8.0
The player models
look great – great textures, facial details, etc. Very well modeled, these
players look a lot like their real-life counterparts. The environments aren’t
perfect, but mostly look good and will impress those who want to build their
own crib (or visit the cribs of their favorite athletes). There is a definite
lack of emotion in the players’ faces, but that doesn’t detract as much from
the visuals as it has in other sports games.
Sound: 4.9
Does an
arcade-style sports game need commentary? Phenom’s announcer produces one of
the most annoying, repetitious sounds in recent memory. He constantly recites
the obvious: I have the ball. My opponent has the ball. Someone just stole the
ball – and look, now someone’s in the lead. Guess what Mr. Announcer: I’m
playing the game! I know what’s going on! To make matters worse, he wasn’t
always accurate. He’d say I was in the lead when I wasn’t, or vice versa.
Furthermore,
the rap / hip-hop-style music just doesn’t cut it for me. It might seem
appropriate for a basketball game, but why not give us some variety? Why not
throw in a few rock tunes for good measure? Are they assuming that only fans
of rap music will play this game? That’s like assuming that only people who
like rock music will play a baseball game. It’s a stupid assumption, and it
couldn’t be further from the truth.
The
voice-overs are alright, I do have to give Phenom some credit for that. But
the story sequences can be skipped, and they’re tiny a fraction of the sounds
you’ll hear – most of which will make you reach for the mute button.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 7.5
More of the same,
expanded and partially improved. This is a good game, but it doesn’t stand out
as much as the original. There have been a few copycats since, which tends to
lessen the impact of a sequel that doesn’t shake things up as the original
did.
Multiplayer: 8.3
Not since the
first NBA Ballers has there been a multiplayer experience quite like this. Up
to four players can jam together, online or offline. Whether you’ve got a
complete game or only one opponent to thrash and talk trash to, Phenom is a
very addictive sports game that’ll be hard for anyone – even gamers who don’t
like sports – to put down.
Overall: 8.0
High stylin’
ballers with phat cribs. NBA Ballers: Phenom has just the right moves to help
you get your groove on the court. The controls couldn’t be any easier to
learn, making this one of the few pick-up-and-instantly-enjoy basketball games
available. It isn’t as intense or as cinematic as NBA Street V3, but it’s just
as competitive, and has its own cool moves you won’t find in EA’s hit baller.