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NBA Ballers
by Jolex Del Pilar
Sunday, January 25 2004
Midway hopes to put the bling back into console basketball.
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Title:
NBA Ballers
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Platform:
Xbox
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Publisher:
Midway |
Developer:
Midway |
#
of Players: 1 - 2 |
Genre:
Sports
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Origin:
United States
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Expected
Release:
February 2004 |
Grapevine:
NBA Ballers will allow players to find new and creative ways to "break their ankles". |
Last year, EA's NBA Street was one of the most popular basketball games on the market. It wasn't because it featured realistic ball physics, or even a full NBA roster, but it was the over-the-top rendition of street basketball that hooked everyone. No refs, no fancy pick and roll plays, just a good pick up game where players got to show off moves that had them making behind the back 3 pointers. It was a game that you didn't have to think very hard about, you just had to enjoy the game of basketball and have fun.
In many ways, NBA Street reminded us of a game that was released nearly 10 years ago during the 16-bit generation, a game called NBA Jam which was developed by Acclaim. It's not surprising that Midway, perhaps seeing the success of NBA Street, has decided that they too would throw their hat into the ring of colorful basketball games. Midway's upcoming NBA Ballers is looking to be a game that features gameplay very similar to NBA Jam and NBA Street. There will be one difference however, NBA Ballers will primarily concentrate on the legendary one on one encounters that have made many players on the streets famous. You can forget about using that pass button while playing this game, but you can try and figure out new and creative ways to "break their ankles".
NBA Ballers is going to feature 60 real world players, including 24 all-time greats such as Larry Bird, James Worthy, and Magic Johnson. The prospect of taking Larry Bird one on one with current stars like Vince Carter and Allen Iverson is an alluring one. In fact, Midway has taken great amounts of time in trying to recreate the special skills that make a star great in this game. Larry Bird will be able to put his long range shot skills to use, while Allen Iverson will attempt to dazzle opponents with his great dribbling skills, and offensive explosiveness. Midway has even gone the extra step to include real world courts like Vince Carter's home court, or Tim Duncan's vacation house court set in the U.S Virgin Islands.
Larry Bird looks to launch a "trey" against Magic Johnson. These two saw a lot of action against each other in real life too during the 1980s.
The gameplay itself will be a mix of single player and multiplayer modes. In the single player mode, players will get to challenge in tournaments for cars, houses and, most importantly, the reputation as the top NBA baller, of course. Some modes will even include competitors in one-on-two, one-on-three and special rules matches. Unfortunately, the Xbox version of the game will not feature online play, though the PS2 version will.
Midway has thankfully included a create-a-player mode that seems, at least on the surface, to be very deep. Ten stats will be modeled, and the physical look of your player will be customizable including weight, height, shoe type, hairstyle, and even your "posse". With an engine that models 5,000 polygons per player, it will all look very good as well.
To round it out, the game features a distinctive hip hop soundtrack, something that has become popular as of late in the industry (See True Crimes). NBA Ballers is set for a February release, and there doesn't seem to be any reason why that date will not stand. It looks like Midway has come up with an interesting concept that most NBA fans should be excited about.
--- Jolex Del Pilar
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