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The Plot: I've never been an enormous fan of the sports genre of video games. While there are some absolutely marvelous games that offer a solid challenge and deep, detailed experience, a lot of sports games lack depth, offer an awkward control scheme, poor AI or an off difficulty level. "NBA Ballers", a game that I wasn't expecting a great deal from, has turned out to be one of the most entertaining sports games I've played in ages. It doesn't have an enormous amount of depth, but it hits that magic difficulty level that manages to seem realistic and offer enough of a challenge that I was eager to pick up the controller again - not throw it down. "Ballers" is a relatively simplistic game - it's you against the computer or a friend (or two) on the court - the courts being the courts at some of the most famous B-ball stars today. The rules are simple: best 2/3. First to 11 (win by 2) wins the round. But "Ballers" allows one to mess with the rules a bit and change some of the variables (such as goaltending penalties). One can win the game simply by mastering the basic controls and working within the game's rules (you're allowed a certain number of fouls; sometimes the game doesn't seem to "catch" fouls. If you reach your foul limit, the other player is allowed to shoot a free throw that'll count for 3 points and return of possession if made), but working with the "juice" button will allow your player to execute special moves. Some of the special moves throughout the game are impressive round-the-back or spectacular dunk type plays, while others (passing it to yourself...off your opponent's face, or rolling it between their legs and picking it up on the other side) are hilarious. You can also pass off the ball to an audience member on the sideline, who passes it back or throws it up for the dunk assist. What's great is that these moves aren't terribly difficult to do, thanks to an intuitive control scheme that's easy to pick up and not very difficult to get the hang of. Defense is also effective in the game, as the controls are easy - yet not too easy - making it very satisfying to get a steal or block a shot. Additional modes (such as themed "TV" tournaments - pros against younger players, etc and the "Rags to Riches" mode) and unlockables keep the experience fresh as players progress. The only real annoyance that I had with "NBA Ballers" is that the load times between menu screens seemed unusually long at times. Other than that, this is a fun, in-your-face basketball game that gets the humor right, gets the excitement right and has the gameplay down superbly. I didn't find the game just fun, I thought it was downright addictive. Rating: 9.2/10 The DVD Graphics: "Ballers" looks terrific. The animations for all of the moves are captured smoothly and gracefully. Some of the more humorous moves are even funnier, thanks to skilled animations. The players also look terrific, with impressively captured faces. The backgrounds aren't the focus, but crowds and the different courts still receieve attention, looking detailed and fairly busy. Rating: 9.3/10 Sound: "Ballers" offers an audio experience that's above average for this sort of fare. Sound effects both spectacular (accompanying the dunks and whatnot) and ordinary (dribbling, occasional audience trash talking) are well-recorded and clean-sounding. Surrounds do kick in with a pleasing amount of sound effects and ambience/background noise. The hip-hop soundtrack is quite good and I definitely liked the commentary from MC Supernatural, which was smart and funny. While it eventually did get a little repetitive after a long while of playing the game, I'm still not irritated by hearing many of the same comments over-and-over, because they're delivered well and are genuinely entertaining. Rating: 9.1/10 Rating Issues: "Ballers" is rated "E" (Everyone). Final Thoughts: "Ballers" rocks; it's fast-paced, it looks great, it's exciting and control/gameplay has been worked to near-perfection. Fans of NBA video games should certainly take a look at this release - at the game's $39.99 street price, it's an even better deal. Highly recommended. |