Arcade basketball games are some of the most important gaming experiences of my life. I learned how to shoot a lay-up from NBA Jam. My undying love of basketball started from NBA Jam. To give you some context for this review, know that I owned NBA Jam TE for Game Gear, Saturn and Genesis. I have watched this genre evolve from Arch Rivals to NBA Street. To say I was excited about NBA Playground is an understatement. I have missed this genre since the last NBA Jam: On Fire Edition EA made back in 2011.
What is NBA Playground- It’s a 2 on 2 arcade basketball game in the vein of NBA Jam. People have made comparisons to NBA Street but I do not see them. NBA Street was all about the handles. It was more like Tony Hawk than NBA jam in my opinion. My love of NBA Street being well documented, this is not that. I think the dunks in this game evoke NBA Street style with the multiple oops and different styles. NBA Playground has an arcade mode like progression where you play different tourney’s and you can play on-line.
What makes this game different from NBA Jam? The game is more skill based. The shooting is very particular. You need to have a perfect release (when you release X after you shoot) to get an extra point and make the shot. If you release too early or too late you will miss the shot (lay up, or dunk). This takes out some of the nebulous “why did John Stockton miss that open 3?” moments. If you miss, it’s because you got blocked or messed the release up. The game has a ton of powerups and plays loose and fast with points. There is a meter that fills up and when its full you get a random powerup. Some of these give you more points, more turbo, shorter shot clock, etc. It’s a neat feature that can give a team a chance to comeback or give you a chance to bury an opponent.
There are no teams. You just pick players from teams. When you start the game, you are given 3 packs of cards. Each pack has 5 players. Those are the players you can use, as you level up and play you get more packs to get more players. I love and hate this. I love opening cards, it’s an exciting way to add some replay-ability to this game. What sucks is that I want Patrick Ewing. I have not opened him yet. I have opened a large amount of packs (11 hours of gameplay). Luckily, I am an NBA head so playing as Paul Westphal and Thon Maker is cool but honestly some packs will have Roy Hibbert and Ian Mihimi in them and at that point….just shut it down.
Controls- The shooting controls need to be explained better. As of now, it’s all feel. You pick a player and learn his release. The game will tell you when you shoot too early or too late but it’s hard to place where in the animation to change up. This is most frustrating in the lay-ups and dunks. Dunks go slow mo and kill all timing. Dribbling moves are assigned to the right stick and are canned animations. Steal and jump are just button presses. To block a shot you need to release the button at the right time. It all works but it all needs better tutorials.
Graphics- The stylized players look dope! They exaggerate certain features on players….which can look a little problematic at times but the models themselves and graphics are amazing. The game runs very smooth and all the courts have a unique feel.
Sound- The music is forgettable and the commentating sucks. Find a podcast to listen to and mute the game.
Multiplayer- local, online and soon co-op (I have only played online a few times and I can say that it works well enough.)
Comparisons to other games- The most important characteristic this game shares with NBA Jam are the secrets. This series is known for secrets (hot spots, special animations for legends etc). All of the special moves legendary players have are a secret, player releases and hot spots are a secret. All NBA Playgrounds needs now is to have some presidents or mascots become playable. The game that this one reminds me of the most is the long forgotten NBA Jam for PS2.
There was an NBA Jam reboot for PS2 just called NBA Jam. It was an OK game that has very similar animations and character models to NBA Playground. This was a little unnerving because NBA Jam for PS2 was such a clunky game to control. It had the best progression in the series. You play through all the eras of the NBA. When you play the ’60s Celtics and Lakers the games are in black and white and there is no 3 point line. It’s pretty amazing. They simulate what a TV broadcast from each era would be like. NBA Playground emulates this to a point by having instant access to legendary players from each era. NBA Jam for PS2 also had a soundtrack from Bootsy Collins! It’s rarely mentions but he was the centerpiece of the entire games soundtrack and it’s great! NBA Playground does not have Bootsy or any licensed music for that matter. NBA Jam PS2 also had a lot of licensed music to evoke the eras it was representing.
This current NBA Jam representation (Playgrounds) does not lean into the era’s as much but they do utilize classic players. Instead of representing an era the game represents the special moves of each legend. Hakeem has a special dream shake on mid range jumpers. Iverson’s crossover has gold stars all over it and is unstoppable. Dirk has a fadeaway 3 that is unblockable. It’s a nice touch.
What I want from this game- WNBA Teams and players! Why not??? Put them in the packs of cards and let me use Candace Parker with Lebron James. The WNBA has the most Star it has ever had. Kelsey Plum, Elena Delle Donne, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Skylar Diggins, Maya Moore! That’s the just tip of that list. A game like this doesn’t need to worry about gender differences. Put them in the game and watch them work!
I like this game and I think at the 20 dollar price point it’s an easy risk to take. Buy it.
J3Blackgamer 