|
The
only ones who will get the most out of Phemom are
those who haven't played the first game. What a way
to alienate fans of the original. by
Colin Thames
April
5, 2006 - If
you haven't already played the original NBA Ballers,
you will in all likeliness probably enjoy this game.
I'm just pissed that despite some new content, it's
just a repackaged version of the original game. The
one-on-one action is still good but the addition of
a two-on-two mode, a free-roaming story mode and the
online play just isn't enough to warrant a recommendation
to buy this game. Rent it if you think you can't live
without it. You might have a gang of homies to feed
that will love the four-player mode but the two-player
mode is where all the best action is, and that's been
released more than a year ago.
Phenom
has a really lame, revenge-fueled storyline. It seems
that your partner Hot Sauce has taken off with your
girlfriend and also managed to finagle an endorsement
deal that was meant for both of you. He's talking
all kinds of trash about you and making himself out
to be the star. So what are you going to do about
it? You're going to challenge him to a showdown and
put him in his place. But before you can do that,
you've got a lot of work to do to rise through the
ranks before you can take the NBA-sponsored tournament
title.
In
the mean streets of LA you can wander around in suburbs
like East LA, Hollywood and Beverly Hills looking
to get into a game. While you're walking around you
will bump into various non-playable characters that
you can perform side quests for. Some of these quests
are like mini-games. Non are particularly challenging
and very few have anything to do with the game of
basketball. There is a spelling bee in which you have
to correctly spell the names of popular European players.
Hint: The less vowels you use, the better. You'll
also have to put up poster and answer trivia questions.
There's even a rap-inspired rhythm game. You will
find these NPCs all throughout the streets but some
are hidden so you'll have to search extra hard to
find them all. Can you say filler?
Games
are played on one half of the court. The first player
to score 13 points is the winner, but you have to
win two out of three matches. There are variations
to the rules and you can even change some of the rules
yourself, such as allowing fouls. Money is earned
from matches as well as side-quest. With it you can
purchase new moves, gear, bling and cribs. The gear
actually makes sense as it enhances your abilities
similarly to a RPG. Certain shoes will increase your
lateral jumping skills and hats can make your shots
more accurate. The bling and crib stuff is just crap
to appeal to the pseudo gangbangers that this game
targets. As is the comically tough hip hop music that
sounds like it was recorded by the same untalented
pack of losers. Do I sound like I'm in a bad mood
or what?
You've
got the same basic moves as before. Jukes can be performed
with the right stick and you can add some extra spice
to your moves by unleashing the Turbo meter button
in tandem with a juke move. You'll get points for
stringing together different moves such as jukes with
dunks and alley oops. These moves will also fill your
House Meter, which will set you up for an automatic
win when you unleash it before the next alley oop.
It triggers a stock animation that shows you breaking
the backboard. The act-a-fool move is back and it
will also trigger over-the-top animations of you outsmarting
your opponent by performing a variety of wacky, Harlem
Globetrotter-approved shenanigans.
You
can create your own character or use any of the unlocked
NBA players. There are all kinds of customizing options
for your created characters including race, body type,
outfits, hairstyles, jewelry, shoes, shades, tattoos
and other superfluous accessories. You can then take
your creation online and show him off to the world.
The online mode is limited to one-on-one matches which
suits me fine. The lounge includes stats and a leaderboard.
Getting into a game is easy and I did not experience
any lag or slowdown. The four-player, two-on-two mode
can only be played locally offline.
Where
the game shows signs of age is in the graphics department.
This is starting to look like a 20th century game,
especially the backgrounds. LA looks a lot like the
city in Crazy Taxi. It also doesn't help that some
of the NPCs have large yellow question marks over
their heads. The faces on the character models look
great. You can definitely recognize the NBA stars.
The likeness of each player is good, and there are
some good facial expressions, but they all kind of
default to a zombie-style stare. But the eye candy
bounces downhill from there. The details in the background
are terrible. There are jaggies and other visual scats
and bops.
For
my money I want a completely overhauled game and not
something that feels nuked. Don't give me some cheesy
unlockables and a few new modes and call it a new
game. This isn't a new game. It's like an expansion
pack for a PC game. If you pay more than twenty bucks
for this game, you've paid too much. If you still
get a kick out of last year's Baller, then save your
money and keep playing it until Midway comes out with
something substantial for this series. If you haven't
played the first Ballers, then by all means try it
out and see if it's what you've been looking for.
Features:
- For
the first time ever in an NBA video game, take your
game off the court and interact with the local scene
of LA neighborhoods like Hollywood and Venice.
- The
exciting NBA Ballers action is back with all new
game modes, brand new luxury courts, and the most
insane blacktop moves.
- Every
choice affects your path to the NBA as either the
next #1 draft pick or an entrepreneur, complete
with a record label, clothing line and movie deal.
- All-new
2v2 gameplay allows you to pick a partner from the
best players in the NBA and pair up with a teammate
to take it to the online courts.
By
Colin Thames
CCC
Freelance Writer
|
