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Stories in sports games are all the rage now. Keeping up with the times, Sony has incorporated a real story mode in the latest version of its NBA series for the PlayStation 2. The series took the last year off while Sony worked to improve the franchise. NBA 06: The Life Vol. 1 adds a story mode and takes some of the gameplay mechanics from the NBA games for PSP.
The game includes three main options: NBA, The Life, and Online. In the NBA mode, you’ll find the typical season mode, minigames, and exhibition games. Though the game includes a full season mode, there is no franchise or dynasty mode is available. It does include a number of minigames based on shooting, passing, defensive skills or some court games like 21 and two-on-two.
The Life is the game’s story mode, where you’re able to create a character, customize their appearance by changing physical characteristics and accessories like tattoos, headbands and elbow pads, among other things. Some of the customization is a bit limited since, for example, you can’t change the player’s position (they’ll be a point guard) or their size. The game then places this character in some pre-draft workouts (which act as a tutorial for the gameplay mechanics) before the character is drafted by your team of choice. The mode is made up of a number of games, minigames and cutscenes that tell the story of this player as he goes through the first year in the NBA. As you progress, your character will gain some attribute points, if you complete the assigned challenges. The early challenges rarely deviate from scoring X number of points or getting X number of steals though they do get more involved as the season carries on. All in all, the story mode works rather well though it is heavily scripted and somewhat frustrating since you may get stuck on some challenges for a while. Additionally, there is heavy loading between tasks and cutscenes that you’ll have to sit through.
The actual gameplay mechanics are somewhat similar to the PSP version of the game. The colored ring shooting system of that version returns. If you’re not familiar, the game makes you to press and hold the shooting button to make a successful shot. When you press it, a color-changing ring would appear above the player. A red ring indicated that the shot would not go in, a yellow ring indicated that it may go in and a green ring indicated a good shot. You had to release the shooting button when the ring’s color changed to green for the shot to go in. A similar precision system is used for alley oops. Aside from this, the game includes a momentum meter called the “showtime.” This temporarily increases players’ attributes by rewarding them for playing in a flashy manner.
NBA 06 includes a fully functional online mode. The online portion includes tournaments, messageboards and leaderboards. The typical exhibition mode is available online, although a number of the minigames mentioned above can also be played online.
The game’s visuals are pretty decent, though a bit too bland for a modern PS2 game. The player models look decent on the court, though close ups still reveal the relative simplicity of their character models. Their on-court presence is improved thanks to adequate animations and a good framerate. All of the animations from shooting to defense look great. The courts and arenas look good, though the crowds are flat and hurt the game’s authenticity.
The game’s audio fails to recreate the NBA experience, however. The sound effects accurately show the sounds of basketball. You’ll hear the ball being shot and passed around and the excitement of the crowd when a good shot is made. The soundtrack is made up of the typical hip-hop songs. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t include any play-by-play, which is a bit disappointing considering that this was included in the PSP version of the game. The game includes osme voice acting in The Life, which sounds reasonably well.
NBA 06 is a very enjoyable basketball simulation. The Life shows potential and there is definitely room for improvement. It shows that sports games can have decent story modes. The actual gameplay in the game pales in comparison to other, more refined PS2 basketball games. If you’re interested in the story mode, give the game a try. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Nov 30, 2005
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