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.