Reviews

Posted by: jkdmedia

As far as basketball franchises are concerned, the battle to win a basketball fan’s affections have always been between EA Sports’ NBA Live and 2K Sports’ NBA 2K franchise. While Sony’s first-party basketball franchise has been struggling to catch the attention of sports gamers, each year the franchise seems to be seeing some improvements in the gameplay. This leads us to NBA 07 for the PlayStation 2, a game that might not outshine its biggest rivals but it certainly isn’t a bad game at all. Its game modes have a lot to offer gamers and the improvements are noticeable. So why doesn’t NBA 07 for the PlayStation 3 play better than the current generation game?

One of the most obvious omissions in the PS3 version of the game is the excellent game mode The Life, which is a wonderfully deep and involving game mode from the PS2 version. This leaves us with just the basics and that’s not bad considering the fact that NBA Replay is here and it comes in The Season! as well as Games of the Week! There’s the option to jump into a full 2006-2007 NBA season as well as go directly to the playoffs. There is even a Training Camp, which is composed of a few mini-games geared towards tightening certain skills such as shooting and passing. There’s even a 3-Point Contest mode, although the dunk contest is missing from the roster. 

NBA Replay, however, is the mode that will have you playing this game for a long time to come and it’s mainly due to the number of interesting challenges. The Season basically places players into the sneakers of their favorite players and has them reliving 25 weeks of the 2006 season’s most memorable moments in chronological order … really, what more can a fan ask for? We’re talking about jumping into a specific moment in a game where Kobe Bryant dominated the court as if he were on fire. The challenges are timed, of course, and they’re not easy to complete but that’s what makes them fun. The second NBA Replay mode is Games of the Week where gamers can download five scenarios each week throughout the entire NBA season. This adds more real life challenges aside from the ones includes in The Season. As of this writing, I’ve already downloaded two weeks worth of challenges and trust me when I say that they’re current and excellent.

As far as the controls are concerned, shooting and passing is handled perfectly. The color-coded shot meter is just better on the PS3 than on the PS2. Green, for example, means you’ll make the basket while yellow means there’s a 50-50 chance you’ll make it and red means you’re more likely to hit the rim. What really separates the PS2 version from the PS3 are the SIXAXIS controller controls. Tilting the controller forward, for instance, allows players to perform a juke move while tilting it to the right performs a crossover to the right. Want to pull off a spin move to the left then turn the controller counter-clockwise. Not only does it free you from the usual timed button pressing but also it really makes pulling off these offensive moves fun.

Graphically speaking, NBA 07 looks like a million bucks in all its full 1080p glory so if you have an HDTV you are in for quite a visual treat. The arenas look amazing and watching the fans come to life when their team is scoring is a treat. Still, when it comes to the player models this game does justice to most of the star players including box cover athlete Kobe Bryant. Just watching the detailed facial expressions and the realistic way the cloth from a player’s jersey moves is impressive. Then again, there’s some PS2-styled clipping that absolutely has no place on the PS3.

If you like the sounds of Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Rakim or Bubba Sparxxx then you will love the game’s soundtrack. On the other hand, if you’re looking for announcers you won’t find any in this game and that’s a disappointment for those who like that televised game feel. Yet when it comes to the sounds of the arena and its fans going wild you won’t be disappointed. The sounds of sneakers on the hardwood and the ball bouncing off the rim sounds good as well.

NBA 07 for the PlayStation 3 just doesn’t quite cut it in terms of bringing next-generation gamers something fresh or an improvement over the PS2 version. Really, thanks to the lack of game modes found in the PS2 version as well as some glaring gameplay flaws, the game feels rushed and incomplete. This is not to say that everything about this game is bad. The controls are decent and the SIXAXIS moves add some much needed flavor to the game. Perhaps next time Sony will get their game together to give EA Sports and 2K Sports a run for their money on our favorite new console.

Gameplay: 6.8
Gameplay features such as the One Shot Indicator and color-coded shot meter work brilliantly but it is the juke, spin and crossover moves using the SIXAXIS controller that wins big points. Unfortunately, the game is plagued by a few bugs (Shaquille making a basket from across the court?) that make this a flawed basketball game. NBA Replay is by far one of the most gratifying season modes ever.

Graphics: 8.0
NBA 07 looks stunning in many aspects but it doesn’t quite scream next-generation visuals. The player modes are beautifully detailed and their jerseys show off some great cloth rendering. Facial expressions look great up close and during replays but there’s some awful clipping problems that feel so PS2.

Sound: 6.0
The fact that there’s no announcer team makes this feel less like a televised game but with the sounds of the fans going wild, a PA announcer and on-the-court conversations, you’ll feel like you’re attending a game. There’s some decent hip-hop music and that’s about it.

Difficulty: Medium
Sadly, your computer-controlled teammates aren’t always at their best and the CPU controlled rivals you go up against all seem to be playing by the same playbook. That means going up against the Clippers feels like going up against the Bulls.

Concept: 7.0
NBA Replay is the star of the show, although it’s hard to ignore the fact that the current generation game is far superior than this one in terms of game modes. There are some unlockable jerseys to look forward to and while the list of mini-games have been reduced, it’s good to see Own the Court. The SIXAXIS moves are just plain great.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Online the game runs rather smoothly with a few framerate stutters here and there during the middle of a game. The game allows you to participate in ranked or unranked matches and the real-time leaderboards are fantastic. Best yet, however, are the downloadable content that includes updating the roster as well as offering downloadable challenges that reflect real NBA scenarios.

Overall: 6.9
For a PS3 launch title, NBA 07 looks like a next-generation title but it certainly doesn’t feel like one even with the revolutionary SIXAXIS controller. Suffering from a number of gameplay glitches and a few bugs that get in the way of the gameplay, this basketball game doesn’t come close to being the game sports fans will want to buy for their new console.