NBA 06

The previous version of NBA for the PSP, which was a launch title, turned out to be somewhat of a discouraging experience. Although it was fun at times, the clunky shooting mechanics, shoddy load times, and the brain-dead A.I. made it nearly unplayable. Thankfully, this year’s version improves upon almost every aspect that plagued Sony‘s first offering, although a few minor shortcomings still keep this baller from making it to the big leagues.

You will notice right from the start that a lot of work went into making NBA 06’s gameplay more seamless. The biggest improvement has gone into the shooting department, which if you remember correctly, was probably the most hampering aspect of last year’s game. In the previous version players had to press the shoot button, and then wait until the ball turned green before activating the shot. Even though the color scheme is still present this year, it relies more on a press and release type system this time around, which lets you time your shots more accurately, and ultimately have more fun on offense.

The shooting mechanics aren’t the only thing that has been overhauled, as most of the other aspects on the offensive side of the ball have been retooled as well. Players now move with even more grace and style, and performing crossovers, 360 spins, and rim-rattling dunks has never looked better. Unfortunately for simulation fans, this year’s version is still an arcade experience at heart. Even though you have the ability to pull off some fancy moves while dribbling the ball, I wish there were a few more low post moves that could help keep the run n’ gun style of action to a minimum. Don’t get me wrong, the basic back down and spin to the hoop is present, there just doesn’t seem to be enough resistance, or people battling for the ball near the rim. In addition, one of the problems that occur when trying to back opponents down near the rim is that the spin move and post up ability is mapped to the same button, so a lot of times you will be trying set up for a move near the basket, and instead you will do a 360 spin, which of course will result in a travel. I also had a similar problem when performing crossovers or stutter steps in the open court, as you have very little control over the direction of the move, and sometimes ended up going out of bounds, but at least they were fluid in motion, and the more I tried to pull these moves off, the easier it became.

Probably the biggest problem with the gameplay, is with the defensive A.I. Even though it has been improved, your teammates still stand around just a little too much away from the ball. A lot of times I would be playing solid defense on the ball carrier, when the computer would just pass to an open man running through the lane for a wide open shot. It wasn’t like the guy in the lane had to work for his easy basket either, most of the time my teammates would just simply watch him run by for the easy bucket. There were also rampant mistakes made on both sides of the ball during play calls as well. The defense would do a lot of standing around when my guys were running the respective play, and on the same note, a lot of the times the offense just wouldn’t respond to the signal and mess up the whole play, which in turn caused me to repeatedly call out the play before they would actually do something. Like I stated above, this is an arcade game at heart, so it’s no surprise that there’s a lack of refinement with the defense, and maybe it’s for the better considering that a complicated control scheme could have really hurt the overall fluidity of gameplay, and might have caused the fun factor to diminish a bit.

For those of you who wish to just pick and play without the burdens of a full season, you will be glad to know that there are a total of five mini-games to choose from, which feature the likes of 3 Point Contest, Own the Court, Skills Challenge, Dodgeball, and Horse. There’s also a shoot around mode which lets you strap on the warm-ups and hit the courts with the other starters from your team. This mode won’t particularly teach you how to play the game, but it’s good for some quick fun, and will help you get comfortable with the controls. Dodgeball just might be my favorite of the new modes, and yes I know it sounds silly, but just watching the players go through the animations of a game of dodgeball is pretty hilarious. Horse is also a nice diversion, and will ultimately help you learn the finer points of shooting the ball, as most of the shots performed by the computer really force you to know what you’re doing. Seeing your opponent pull off a turn around fade away jumper is just as common as a free throw in Horse, and really pushes the difficulty of this mode up a bit, but nonetheless it’s very entertaining. That’s the great thing about the mini-games, they are very accessible right form the start, and offer some quick fun on the go without forcing you to sit through an entire game.
 

Visually you will notice a much improved version over last year’s game. Not only do the animations look better, the actual player models have gone through some renovation as well. Players now look more lifelike and mimic their console counterparts more closely, and you can now start to tell the difference between the NBA superstars, which really adds to the personality of the game. Stadiums have also been reworked a bit, and feature some new lighting and crowd effects, though it’s not as apparent as the player model upgrades, the improvements are still a nice addition.

Notable advancements in nearly all aspects of the game really helps NBA separate itself from its predecessor, though a few nagging control issues down low and near the sidelines hamper the experience somewhat. While I'll be the first to admit that this game isn’t perfect, it is however fun, and that’s something that the previous NBA wasn’t.

Gamplay: 8.1
Tons of new animations on offense, and some slight improvements with the A.I really help get this series back on track. Throw in some very addicting mini-games, season mode, and online play, and you’re left with an enjoyable basketball game for on the go.

Graphics: 8.3
Improved player models, beautiful menus, and better looking arenas help make this portable one of the best looking sports titles available.

Sound: 7.5
The in game commentary, although not deep and informative, is a nice compliment to the onscreen action. NBA 06 features a nice soundtrack, and even though it’s mostly hip-hop, it does fit the mood of the game very well.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.0
Realistic basketball on the go. What more could you want?

Multiplayer: 7.8
Playing NBA 06 online, both locally and Internet, work very well and slowdown almost never becomes a problem.

Overall: 7.9
Any PSP owner looking for a solid basketball title should definitely give NBA 06 a try. It does have its share of problems, however, but not so many that it takes the fun away.