You’d be immediately
forgiven if at first glance if you thought that NBA Ballers was merely a knock
off of EA’s NBA
Street, a cashing in
if you will on a popular, well received concept. However, you’d also be wrong.
Midway has created a game (and I’m sure a new franchise) that while in some ways
and in spirit is similar to
NBA Street;
it does do enough differently to be considered its own game.
Similar to NBA Street and
of course Midway’s earlier attempts at over the top, arcade basketball, it’s all
about defying gravity, physics, and human capability. It’s all about flash and
dash. You use the shoulder buttons as a boost, or in this case “Juice”, to blow
by your opponent and also as a shot/dunk modifiers aka NBA Street. Different
combinations of the “Juice” buttons combined with your place on the court and
distance from the hoop, changes the type of shot/dunk you put up. Where NBA
Ballers begins to differentiate itself from the competition is that rather than
being played as a team sport, 5 on 5, 3 on 3, or even 2 on 2, NBA Ballers
features 1 on 1 matchups. No teammates to bail you out of trouble, no teammates
to kick the ball out to for the open trey, just you and your opponent struggling
for hoop supremacy.
Beyond those differences,
without doubt the single largest difference between NBA Ballers and every other
sports game on the market is the locations in which you play. You don’t play
solely on “street” courts, nor do you play in NBA arenas, the vast majority of
the games you’ll play take place in the opulent and some would say,
overindulgent, pads of NBA superstars. It’s the NBA meets the street, meets
MTV’s Cribs, and while it may seem to be nothing more than a cheap gimmick, it
somehow fits perfectly together seeming as natural as peanut butter and jelly.
We all laugh when we hear athletes plead their cases, “It ain’t about the
money”, but NBA Ballers knows the truth
and makes no apologies for it whatsoever, reveling in the excesses of athletic
fame and inviting you to take part and to “get yours”.
The heart and soul of NBA
Ballers is the “Rags to Riches” mode, which serves as its career mode. You
begin this mode by creating and outfitting your “baller”, and assigning a
predetermined amount of attribute points across a very healthy roster of
skills. From there, you are treated to what has to be one of the most bizarre
methods of conveying “story” in a game yet, as you learn that some nondescript
TV executives want to create a new reality television series about an up and
coming street baller that takes on NBA players in various tournaments. The
story portions of the game are not told in CG cut scenes, nor are they told
using full motion use of the in game engine, nor are they even told in artist’s
stills. No, they use a combination of the last two. Stills rendered with the
in game graphics engine. It cannot be put into words how bizarre this comes off
without having seen it for yourself. It doesn’t really take away or add to the
gameplay, I’ve only included it because it is something I’ve never seen in a
game before.
The goal of this mode, is
not only to work your way up the ranks of NBA stars by winning progressively
harder tournaments, the real goal is all about acquiring the BLING. As you rack
up the wins and therefore the credits, you use your money to buy a crib, rides,
attire, and in the ultimate nod to money and fame, you can also buy friends to
accompany you courtside. But these “friends” aren’t just merely hangers-on, nor
are they just members of the money grubbing masses, they can actually, in
theory, help you out on the court. Once you’ve unlocked the ability, you can
actually pass the ball to your courtside friends as you maneuver to get yourself
in better position, at which time you choose when they dish the rock back to
you. It’s kind of a nice feature strategy wise, but in reality, it’s not all
that useful and you also run a higher risk of turning the ball over. What’s
really cool about this mode and innovative is that once you’ve completed this
mode, the crib you’ve acquired with your blood, sweat, and tears becomes a new
arena should you decide to start over with another Rags to Riches mode.
Up to this point, we’ve
established that for the most part Midway has created a unique and even
innovative take on the arcade basketball genre, but where the shiny exterior
begins to dull is in the gameplay and computer AI. Being a 1 on 1 game, you’d
expect an entirely different gaming experience than what we’ve come to expect in
this genre. You’d expect epic battles of man on man basketball, constantly
searching for an opening or weakness in your opponent’s game, trying to find a
way to exploit your strengths. In a perfect world and maybe in the inevitable
sequel we’ll get that, but we don’t get it here. What we get is easily
exploited AI, that is easily schooled using the same moves and strategies
repeatedly, game after game, tournament after tournament, should you choose to
do so. Like NBA Street it does punish you for using the same moves and shots in
succession, but it is so simple just to alter one button press to change the
shot, earning you maximum credits, so it does pay to mix up your shots. But how
you get there can always remain the same. “Juice” towards the basket, gets a
step on your opponent, wide-open shot/dunk. Where Midway has artificially tried
to even the playing field is by periodically having you miss the same wide-open
shot/dunk that you’ve put home the previous several times. It’s not so
troublesome and irritating with jump shots, but when you somehow miss an open
dunk in which you’re several feet above the rim, is too much. If it was
contested, that’s one thing, but when your opponent is still standing at the top
of the key when you soar in, it becomes too obvious that the developer is trying
to cover up the shoddy AI.
In addition to the “Rags
to Riches” mode, the game features the “usual suspects” of modes that we’ve come
to expect in our sports games, as well as one that is unique to this game, the 1
on 1 on 1 mode. Similar to the game of “21” that anyone that’s ever played
playground ball has no doubt played, it’s a battle to be the first player to 11
points. The rules are the same as the playground favorite; if the ball hits the
rim, you must clear it, if it doesn’t, you’re free to put it right back up.
It’s such a natural and perfect fit for a game like this that it’s a small
wonder someone hasn’t thought to do it before. The rest of the modes consist of
the “versus” mode where you play against the computer or a friend, the “TV
Tournament” mode where you play in tournaments that allow you to unlock NBA
players to use in the other modes, the “practice” mode, and the online mode.
The online mode is surprisingly robust allowing you to play 1 on 1, as well as
in tournaments. The online mode features most of the bells and whistles we’ve
come to expect such as USB chats, various rankings, and a lobby. The one
glaring omission is 1 on 1 on 1 mode, which would have been a blast to play
online.
The graphics and the
sound on the other hand, fare much better. On the selection screen, the
rendered NBA players look frighteningly realistic and there’s not a whole lot of
drop off from the selection screen to the court. The players and their various
moves, over the top and otherwise, are animated very well adding a small degree
of believability to their gravity and death defying moves. While the players
you create are not rendered nearly as well as your NBA counterparts, they do
look pretty good. This is to be expected. With the real world players, the
developer is working a known entity, which can be accurately and realistically
rendered, whereas with the create-a-player you are creating a unique
character/being. The courts and the “cribs” of the NBA players are very nicely
rendered, giving them the look and feel that you would expect. The only real
graphical hiccup that stands out is that occasionally the players appear to be
levitating a few inches off the ground while dribbling. It only pops up now and
again, but it is noticeable when it does. The sound is comparable to the
graphics. The sounds of the game being played are realistic from the ball
bouncing on pavement to the rattle of the rim and backboard after a monster
jam. The chatter that comes from the courtside spectators is also well done and
is often times very comical, especially when they’re carrying on conversations
that have absolutely nothing to do with what’s going on anywhere in the game.
MC Supernatural is the play-by-play announcer and he’s turned out a performance
that one would expect. Nothing too great and nothing too bad, he just blends in
with the look, feel, and sound of the game, which is all we as gamers can ask
for.
In closing, NBA Ballers
is a solid first attempt at a new basketball franchise for Midway. They do an
awful lot right with the game, that helps to differentiate it from the
competition, but the simple AI is a pretty big stumbling block. Despite that,
it’s still a fun and interesting take on the street ball genre, that with a
little spit and polish will stand up favorably against the current champ, NBA
Street. If you enjoy arcade basketball or are just looking for something
different, then give NBA Ballers a shot.
Gameplay: 7
It’s fun and fast
paced, with tons of stuff to buy and acquire, ramping up the replay value
nicely, but the AI is way too easily exploited for most gamers.
Graphics: 8
The graphics are
really well done, comparing favorably to the other games in the genre. The
courts in which you play are suitably lush and littered with the trappings of
fame and fortune.
Sound: 8
The sounds of the
game of basketball being played are suitably realistic sounding. MC
Supernatural does a good job of carrying the “vibe” of the game, without
venturing too far into the annoying or grating.
Difficulty: Easy
There’s no two
ways about it, this game is easy, no matter the difficulty level. It seems that
the only difference between the difficulty levels is the amount of misses you’ll
endure and the computer-controlled players are a bit more aggressive, but still
easily dispatched.
Concept: 9
Midway could have
easily produced a carbon copy of NBA Street, but they didn’t. They chose to go
in a completely different direction focusing on the “lifestyle” of NBA players,
which with shows like MTV’s Cribs has become just as big a factor in basketball
culture as actual skills. It’s a unique concept that is pulled off really well.
Multiplayer: 8
Whether online or off, the
games against human players are much more exciting and fun than those against
the computer. The 1 on 1 on 1 game mode is an absolute blast and a circus of
basketball goodness. It really should have been included in the online options.
Overall: 7.5
NBA Ballers is
the beginning of what could be a truly stellar franchise for Midway. All of the
trappings are here, as well as the ideals, for something special; now all that
Midway needs to do is to improve the AI and to focus more on the unique nature
of 1 on 1 basketball. If they can do that, then they’ll have no problem rising
to the level of NBA Street and maybe even beyond. But for the time being, we
are left with a fun and enjoyable game that will leave ballers begging for just
a little more.
