Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 9.5
Sound: 9
Replay Value: 9

From the first time you boot up NBA Ballers, you know you are in for an NBA experience unlike any one you have had before. You are about to become immersed in the NBA lifestyle that fans can only dream about. Cars, money, bling, mad game? it's all here.

Stepping away from Midway's NBA Jam roots of 3-on-3 basketball, Ballers is a one-on-one game. Ok, and occasionally one-on-one-on-one game. The point is, the game lets you get up close and personal with each player in the game.

Now, let me say this right now. This game has the best graphics as far as the players go. Ever. You don't need to use names in this game. Everyone is recognizable (if you are a fan and have seen the people on TV). From classic athletes (Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Wilt Chamberlin) to the modern (Lebron James, Carmello Anthony, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, just to name a few), all of the athletes look like their real life counterparts. The game has about 60 current stars, as well as around 25 legends. However, you have to work to unlock them.

For your created baller, you are able to make him look as close to you as you can. You have many options for size, weight, build, and various options for the face, as well as many options for clothing. You are able to have your athlete don any of the current jerseys (including the Charolette Bobcats who will have their first game this upcoming October) as well as many classic jerseys. A nice touch is your player's name and number will be on the jersey. You can have your character wear a variety of chains and watches, as well as many options for how the character wears either a hat or visor, if you choose to wear one.

The animations in the game are very fluid. The team at Midway brought in some popular streetballers (such as Hot Sauce) to perform moves to be used in the game. This made the animations look lifelike and believable. The animations are nice and some are the craziest you will ever see in a basketball game. The Act A Fool moves are cutscene-esque moves where time slows down and your baller gets to make his opponent look stupid, such as running circles around them, kicking the ball between their legs or spinning the ball around their head before dribbling through their legs. There are also Stunt Dunks, where your character will in some way leap off of the opponent to per! form a large dunk. Now, these come with risks, however. A timely button press will reverse the move, leaving your baller in an unfavorable position and the opponent with the ball ready to score.

The only problem with the animations is the large amount of clipping in the game. There will regularly be instances where a player merges with another player. Another problem is when the camera sweeps around the character. Often the camera gets too close and goes inside the person. These are minor little glitches in the graphics, but the game is still the best looking basketball game on the market.

The game seems to be a bit too focused on offense. The defense is limited to steals (that don't work too often), blocking shots, fouling the opponent, getting lucky enough to reverse a move, and drawing a charge. Now, that last one seems a little weird to me. In a street basketball game, you are able to draw a charge. The ability to draw the charge is very nice, however. It adds a bit of balance and can really annoy the type of player that only performs juke moves to try to knock your player over. Plus it adds a foul to the opponent's number of fouls. Once a player has five foul! s, the opponent gets to shoot a free throw. This free throw counts as three points and it gives the player possession. This is huge, for the games usually are only 11 points.

There are a few separate modes. There is the traditional 1 on 1 mode. This is where you choose a baller and an opponent, pick a court, and play. It is the basic mode and can also be taken on-line. There is also a 1 on 1 on 1 mode. This is where three players compete. The mode has every man for himself. Then, you have the real meat of the game.

There is the TV Tournament. This is a mode where you pick a player and compete against certain themes of players such as first picks, MVPs, rookie of the years, players from a certain team past and present, and other tournaments. This is the mode that allows you to unlock many players and earn credits used to purchase some players, courts, and other customizable items for your created player.

In addition to the TV Tournament, there is the Rags to Riches mode. This is where you take your created baller, assign him some attributes (the baller starts off pretty weak) and work your way up the ladder. You start while playing against no-name street ballers and work your way up the ranks. Eventually you take on the league's finest players. After beating certain 'episodes', you earn different pieces of your house, such as your land, pool, house, and court. This mode has some nice cutscenes and boasts a deep tournament. This has probably the deepest arcade-sports single player experiance yet.

But single player is not where it ends. There is a multiplayer mode where you are able to take on your friends. And if you are lucky enough to play on-line, you are able to take your created baller and your created house on-line.

The sounds in the game are well done. The game is full of music and includes many liscensed tracks. There is a play-by-play announcer who has many comments and is not too repetitive. The basketball sounds are also well done.

The game has an on-line mode and is sure to keep one busy for a long time. The game is basically a fun pick-up-and-play basketball game. There are also some moves that require more experienced players to perform. The game is fun enough to keep one busy.

There is one glaring fault in the game. The load times are incredibly long. The only loading time I know that is longer is starting up GTA, and this one actually compares to it. The loading time (for some reason) is longer on the Xbox than on the PS2, but both are extremely long.

In conclusion, the game is very pretty and boasts some pretty good gameplay. The game will take a while to beat, but part of that is due to the insanely long load-times. The on-line mode is sure to keep you coming back. This game is fun for basketball fans and also for fans of any arcade sports.