Bling Anyone?

"Me and my homies be kicken it from the Westside all the way up into the 9-0-2-1-0 G so don't be hatin player and come hang with us!" If you know what was just said there, you'd probably dig this game. NBA Ballers attempts to steel the street hoops scene with a mix of bling and cool one-on-one action. In the main story mode Rags to Riches you play through a series of tournements with a created player collecting new cloths and bling under the guise of a reality tv show. Playing through the matches will then allow you to upgrade your character rpg style depending on how you play. Although stats do affect the way your character will play effectively, the raining king of gameplay seems to be the house bar. It is essentially a luck meter that fills up when you succesfully embaris your opponent. Although it feels more like an excuse for the computer to school you whenever it senses a loss closing in. The self proclaimed ballers in the game have a creepy resemblance to their real life counter parts, although they seem to have lathered themselves with olive oil before entering the court. The courts that are played on look nice enough. Lush artificial jungles and waterfalls along with deserts and yaghts would look alot better if you weren't too busy yelling at the annoying computer assisted A.I though. One of the games main selling points was the bling, cribs, friends, and rides that would be aquired. But sadly, they are more of a gimick than a cool feature in the game. Cars you aquire aren't driven, for an example. The controlls in the game are tight and responsive, but due to the wierd positions the camera angle gets itself into sometimes it can be hard to discern where the ball really is. But overall, NBA Ballers manages to take a premise that sounds boring and make it a rather enjoyable party game. Although it won't necissarily convert the masses from the more popular NBA Street series, it is a solid attempt at something new.