And 1 Streetball

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Will a funky new control scheme make this b-ball game fresh?

There's a handful of genres for which we probably don't need any more games: World War II shooters, medieval fantasy RPGs, and street basketball showdowns. Still, the makers of And 1 Streetball think they've got something fresh for gamers stuck at the intersection of NBA Live and NBA Street.

That something is primarily a new control scheme, designed to let you express yourself with creative moves while still bringing the thunder with a nasty dunk. And 1 calls this "I Ball," but we'll call it "questionable until finished and possibly a bad idea." Twiddle both analog sticks on the controller and you'll build up fancier moves, like specialized jukes, crossovers, and just plain obnoxious showboat stuff like bouncing a ball off a guy's head. Once you've built up enough mojo, you'll hopefully unleash an advanced Ankle Breaker move as you break for the basket.

Using both sticks to pull off slick tricks might be novel but in the miles-to-go early playable version, it doesn't feel fun. Although some I Ball moves can be performed while running, you often stand in one spot while fiddling with the sticks, which makes basketball about as exciting as golf. The fact that the game promises twice as many moves as the competition suddenly seems less like a promise and more like a threat.