Platform: PSP

Genre: Sports

Number of Players: 1 - 2
 

Sports aren’t necessarily my bag, but I love videogames.  So, to be honest I usually don’t play sports video games, but I’ll try them out on occasion.  I really like golf (all the Hot Shots Golf games are excellent), and I’ll play some hockey games.  It seems that most sports games are geared towards the true sports fans so that they have an outlet for their interest while there aren’t any games on TV.  Since I don’t watch sports I value game play more than the ability to play a specific team or athlete, and I think this aspect is often lacking in many of the games I have played.  Basketball is a fairly straightforward sport, so trying out the new PSP game NBA didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Being licensed by the NBA, this game has all the 2005 teams, players and venues you would expect.  The game offers several modes of play including: practice, exhibition, season, and playoffs.  It’s probably a good idea to get in some practice before you move on to play the other modes, if you want to have a good record.  An exhibition game is just as it sounds, a one time game between the teams of your choice.  As far as I’m concerned the season is where it’s at, I like the idea of taking a team through the whole competition.  You can also skip right to the playoffs, which gives you several options for how the tournament can be set up.

But wait, there’s more.  If you are bored with the same old basketball games there are three mini games available for your gaming pleasure.  The skills challenge lets you take your favorite player through a basketball obstacle course, racing for time and accuracy.  The paint game lets you challenge another player in a shooting competition.  If you make a basket in an area of the court it becomes your territory and you get points for it.  The player with the most “painted” territory at the end wins.  There is also a 3-point contest, where you pick a player and shoot as many three-pointers as possible within the time-limit.  Also available is online play, which can be connected to by wi-fi or ad-hoc.  This option let’s you compete with other gamers in an exhibition game or in any of the mini-games.

 It’s got a lot of gaming options, which is a good thing, but what about the game play.  The basic thing I can say about NBA’s game play and fun-factor is that it is a very frustrating.  The controls are simple, but when it comes down to it, the computer AI is tough to beat, unless you’re on the easiest “rookie” setting.  You try and make a shot, and you get stuffed.  You try to block a shot and you almost never stop them.  I still never have won a game against the computer on anything but rookie.  And that sucks.  What else kind of bugs me is that you can trade for any players you want, making your own dream team.  I think that’s a little cheap and unrealistic, but I’m sure it makes some fans very happy.

On the bright side, the game looks pretty nice.  The PSP’s ability to produce bright clear colors helps out.  It’s hard to believe how well done this portable system has been made.  The sound isn’t bad either, but the music is fairly repetitive.

The multiple play modes do keep this title interesting for a short time, but eventually the tough AI gets annoying.  I have already moved on to playing other PSP games that are able to keep my interest.  I think NBA fans will probably love this handheld version of their favorite sport, but for the rest of us, it’s probably best to just find a better game to spend some time playing.

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