1-v-1 title will launch in February on Xbox, PlayStation2

What else would you expect from a game that incorporates a rags-to-riches storyline?

Midway Sports Asylum called on those in the entertainment industry, pro athletes and journalists Wednesday night to celebrate the pending title, NBA Ballers. The setting was perfect for the high-end that players can achieve by working through the ranks of a street baller who makes it big - a mansion in Beverly Hills, complete with Maserati, Ferrari and Porsche parked outside.

Fans who want to take on the challenges of one-on-one basketball, who look to elevate a street player the ranks of opulence and bling-bling will have to wait though. The game does not release on the PlayStation2 and Xbox console platforms until February.

The game is a made-for-television broadcast which features stars of the NBA, past and present, indulging in a one-on-one tournament on backyard courts. The idea is to work up the ladder and be crowned the top baller. There are 60 current NBA stars and 24 all-time legends featured, and the game features first one to 11, and best two-out-of-three match play in the ‘cribs’ of NBA players.

There is also a create-a-player mode that allows gamers to make up a street player, and then accrue status and wealth (which can be squandered on the lifestyle of a baller) through entering the tournament.

High-flying dunks, dazzling rejections and juke moves you are not likely to see on any NBA court have all found their way into this game. Run off a string of unanswered buckets, and your baller will start to smoke. Like all Midway titles, the game has attitude.

The title also has pretty solid graphical elements. It features more than 6,000 polygons per player, facial motion-capture and signature skill sets for each of the players. If there is one drawback, it may lay with the camera angle. The game locks players into a side-fixed camera angle, which can make the depth of the play a bit more challenging when trying to steal the ball or tracking down a loose ball.

Gameplay is easy, and the interface will allow players to jump into the competition with little learning time.

MC Supernatural not only provides commentary and a solid title track, but the music and announcing are spot-on for the genre. MC Supernatural was also on hand at the Beverly Hills party to tantalize the assembled crowd with three tunes, all of which played to and involved the crowd.

The party in Beverly Hills was a teaser to the lifestyle of a baller. There was energy, there was enthusiasm. There is little doubt that Midway has gotten the game off to a hot start. We’ll just have to wait until February to see how the final product turns out.