Who has time for year-long Season modes when arguably the best part about sports games is talking trash with your best friend/roommate/girlfriend? Toeing the line between the ridiculous arcade-y action of NBA Jam, franchise ballin’ and hip hop culture is NBA Ballers: Chosen One, the third iteration in Midway’s popular hoops series for the PS3 and 360. Judging by the near-finished version we sat down with, we’re confident Ballers will be the perfect pick-me-up as the NBA season winds down come spring.
Besides standard play where Shoulder buttons give you “juice” (turbo), Square/Circle steals/shoots, and the right analog stick jukes, you’ll spend time in the combo-driven “Act a Fool” mode, while charging your Super Move meter. Act a Fool enters you into a minigame with your opponent to extend your combo by quickly imputing the button command that appears at the top of the screen.
Success means the combo is extended and will nab additional points when you take your shot (3 moves give you +1 point, 4 moves +2, etc.). It’s risky since your opponent can beat you to the button command, effectively ending your combo and almost always resulting in a turnover. We were able to pull off a few combos, yet found it challenging to extend them.
