NBA Ballers: Chosen One

Game Shark (B+)

Street basketball is all about over the top game play. However, it’s more fun when you feel like you’re making those moves, instead of watching it unfold on the screen with minimal interaction. At times, NBA Ballers: Chosen One is more like turn based combat or a fighting game than basketball. The Story mode is very well done, with high production values and an engrossing environment, but the basketball play itself is not as exciting as it could be.

TTGamer (8 out of 10)

NBA Ballers: Chosen One surprised us. With NBA Street 3, EA produced the finest street game available on the planet and the gauntlet was thrown down. Midway has picked up the pieces and put together a fantastically playable game, even for those who may not be the biggest basketball fans. Fans of Street wanting something new to play in 2008 and any sports fan in general will get something out of NBA Ballers: Chosen One.

411mania.com (7.8 out of 10)

Midway has done an excellent job with NBA Ballers: The Chosen One. Did it make me want to sell my Genesis and the original NBA JAM? No. I enjoy the Ballers franchise but with the inclusion of the Street Series I really have no preference of one over the other. While this is a great game in and of itself I would love to see Midway return to its roots and bring us a better formatted version that includes the NBA JAM stylings as I can’t see much more being added to this game franchise in the future. You could do a lot worse than buying this game

Inside Hotwire 3D (7.5 out of 10)

If there is one hoop game Midway is good at, it’s NBA Ballers. The most fun we had with this franchise was on the Playstation 2 years ago. However, we are amazed to see that same level of high-energy fantasy street ball still lives in the present, and you’ll find it in Midway’s latest offering NBA Ballers: Chosen One. The game is all about elaborate tricks, flashy ankle-breakers, and outrageous dunks, which have been the trademark that made the franchise a reputable one. But more importantly, it’s the storyline of starting from rags to riches that appeal to many optimistics, living that dream of fame and luxury. And the road to stardom doesn’t always mean facing frustrated, wanna-be NBA athletes but going up against the pros of today’s NBA.

Game Informer Magazine (7.25 out of 10)

Regardless of the areas this game could improve in or expand, it hard to argue with it too much when you kick the ball over your head into the basket or breakdance during a game.

Game Tap (7 out of 10)

In the end, this is one of the tougher games to actually give a score to as I love the one-on-one game and can see Ballers as a game that stays in rotation whenever friends come over talking junk about my skills on the sticks, but at the same time, I don't recommend the single-player experience at all (unless you want to see the cool boss intros). When I got this game, I was hoping for a Kobe. Instead what I'm left with is more of an Odom. Not bad by any means, just not the superstar I was looking for.

Xbox Family (7 out of 10)

When it’s all said and done, this latest b-ball game from Midway gives the Ballers series a nice first outing on the Xbox 360. The new counter moves make defense fun for casual fans. The graphics look okay. And the variety of game types keep things fresh. The only down sides to this game are the load times and referee AI. I honestly hadn’t seen load times like this since 2K Sports’ Top Spin 2. If you played that game, you know you spent more time with loading screens than playing. Ballers: Chosen One comes close to that level of annoyance. As for the AI, this could just be a situation of calling foul without just cause, (Pun intended). If you’re looking for a casual basketball game with big names that strays from the norm, then check out NBA Ballers: Chosen One. It’s worth a rent, but the full price of admission seems a bit steep.

Xboxdynasty (XD) (6.9 out of 10)

Je länger ihr NBA Ballers Chosen One spielt, desto mehr Ernüchterung macht sich bei euch breit. Kann euch der Story-Modus noch ein wenig davon überzeugen den Controller nicht wegzulegen, geht eure Stimmung drastisch in den Keller, sobald ihr mal einen anderen Spielmodus ausprobieren möchtet. Sicher könnt ihr hier und da ein paar 1vs1 oder 2vs2 Matches absolvieren, ohne Rekorde und weiteren Einstellungsmöglichkeiten macht dies auf Dauer aber überhaupt keinen Spaß. NBA Ballers Chosen One ist ein klassischer Blender, krasse Musik, hochglanzpolierte Basketballplätze und auf den ersten Blick abgefahrene Trickmoves. Auf dem zweiten Blick bleibt eine recht unterhaltsame Einzelspielerkampagne und ein enttäuschender Mehrspieler- und Xbox LIVE Modus.

Wonderwallweb.com (6.9 out of 10)

NBA Ballers has surprised me somewhat, I’m not really a big fan of basketball games however I did find this very easy to pick up and play. While it is far from perfect if you are looking for a basketball game that’s not quite street and not quite a simulation then this could be the one for you.

XBox Front (69 out of 100)

„NBA Ballers: Chosen One“ verschenkt viel Potential. Es gibt viele gute Ansätze, die allerdings nicht konsequent genug ausgebaut worden sind. So ist der Story-Modus anfangs noch sehr motivierend, verliert aber aufgrund der sich ständig wiederholenden Aufgaben schnell seinen Reiz. Auch der etwas knappe Umfang und der desaströse Online-Modus stoßen dabei sauer auf. Positiv dagegen fällt das solide Tricksystem auf, dass es aber nicht ganz mit dem von „NBA Street Homecourt“ aufnehmen kann. Grafisch und akustisch gibt es dagegen kaum was zu meckern, auch wenn hier mit etwas Feinschliff noch viel mehr drin gewesen wäre. Im Vergleich mit EAs Streetball-Spiel zieht „NBA Ballers“ also klar den Kürzeren. Streetball-Fans sollten den Titel auf jeden Fall erst einmal Probespielen, um zu sehen, ob man mit dem Spiel überhaupt was anfangen kann.

Console Monster (68 out of 100)

Overall, NBA Ballers: Chosen One is a half-decent title. Midway have brought in a few interesting ideas to spice up street basketball and whilst a few of the ideas work, a lot of them let the game down. The singleplayer is great in short doses and the multiplayer is fairly strong if you canfind players online. I doubt many gamers will replay the story mode after completion unless they are after the “Double Double” achievement (Defeat every Episode of Story Mode twice) as it is generally a very repetitive game.

Game Informer Magazine (6.75 out of 10)

Overall, NBA Ballers: Chosen One offers a decent arcade basketball experience, but its short single player and weak online options ultimately keep it from unseating the current street champ, NBA Street Homecourt.

Game Chronicles (6.5 out of 10)

Compared to the likes of NBA Street or the highly underrated Street Hoops, NBA Ballers: Chosen One seems sluggish and contrived. Trying to bury questionable gameplay beneath flashy presentation and snazzy visuals only lasts for so long. Adding some cool variants on 1-on-1 does make things a bit more interesting, but it doesn’t change the fact that I would still rather be hooping it up with Homecourt.

MS Xbox World (6.5 out of 10)

NBA Ballers: Chosen One has some enjoyment if you play in short sessions. If you do get sucked into trying to beat the unnecessarily tough challenges then beware, because you'll either age 10 years or start hurling abuse at the TV screen. I think non fans could enjoy some aspects of the game, such as playing with friends, but for the most part the game is pretty inaccessible to non basketball fans. Even the language used is steeped in phrases you might not understand right away. All in all I can't say I've come away fully enjoying the game. There's an almost masochistic flavour to proceedings, although I must confess that the joy and elation gained from beating the last boss is second to none.

XboxAchievements (64 out of 100)

This game is definitely not the Chosen One. As far as street or arcade-style basketball games go, this is a far cry from what you'd expect. Taking too many strides towards "legitimate" basketball loses all of the charm, and frankly the fun-factor, that we've come to expect from this genre. Homecourt got it right and is a much cheaper, more enjoyable option. Hopefully Ballers learns from this and makes a better game in 2010.

Cheat Code Central (3.2 out of 5)

NBA Ballers: Chosen One is definitely a game that focuses on its themes rather than gameplay or functionality. The theme is definitely the building of your "baller" status, though the process of doing so is sometimes nonsensical given the rule system and gameplay mechanics. Still, playing among friends or online can prove for fun times as you get a taste of the baller life - even if it is from you're living room.

360 LIVE (6.3 out of 10)

(...) Insgesamt hat »NBA Ballers« gute Ansätze, bleibt aber unspektakulär, umfangsarm, einfallslos und irgendwie auch einem »NBA Live 2008« oder »NBA 2k8« noch zu ähnlich. Leider nicht das erhoffte Comeback der schnittigen »NBA Jam«-Games, das sich der eine oder andere sicherlich gewünscht hat.

Gamesmania.de (62 out of 100)

Schade, aber NBA Ballers kommt spielerisch wie technisch nicht einmal in die Nähe eines NBA Street Homecourt und das obwohl Homecourt inzwischen über ein Jahr alt ist. Eine Kaufempfehlung kann allerhöchstens für diejenigen ausgesprochen werden, die Homecourt bereits in- und auswendig kennen und Wert auf aktuellere Daten legen. Wobei noch einmal erwähnt sei, dass nicht einmal hierbei Ballers wirklich punkten kann, da die Daten nicht auf dem aktuellsten Stand sind. Richtig schlimm sind hingegen die KI und vor allem das eintönige Gameplay. Also: Finger weg!

4Players.de (62 out of 100)

Die spieltechnischen Ideen des Arcade-Basketballs klingen auf dem Papier allesamt gut, leiden in der Umsetzung aber an fehlender Balance (Stichwort: Powermove der Stufe 3 = sofortiger Sieg) sowie mangelnder Dynamik. Rap-Legende Chuck D wirkt als Moderator ebenso verheizt wie die NBA-Lizenz im Allgemeinen. Und dass die Technik insgesamt nur Durchschnittswerte erreicht, hilft auch nicht gerade, den dank mäßiger KI ohnehin kaum motivierenden Einzelspieler-Modus aufzuwerten. Zu zweit wird wenigstens das Manko der schwachen CPU-Intelligenz ausgeräumt, so dass das Spiel dadurch zumindest kurzfristig unterhält. Midway wollte viel, hat dabei aber den Sinn für das Wesentliche verloren. Denn egal, wie arcadig sich ein Basketball-Spiel auch präsentiert - wenn das Balancing den Bach runter geht, können selbst spektakuläre Dunks nicht mehr viel retten.

IGN (6 out of 10)

Overall NBA Ballers: Chosen One delivers more of the same gameplay from the Xbox version, but with new additions that do nothing but hurt the overall formula. The multiplayer action is still fun if you can get enough friends to sit down and play with you, but that’s probably not enough to warrant the sixty dollar expenditure.

GameSpy ( )

While Ballers hits from long-range with pretty graphics and plenty of Cribz-esque intros and unique elements, it clangs off the rim a bit with its Chosen One storyline execution. But if you're in it for a rental, or to have a party game to bust out from time to time, Ballers is still worthy of a roster spot.

GameDaily (6 out of 10)

With that said, it's not a great one, either. NBA Ballers: Chosen One has its moments, but none of them justify dropping $59.99. Midway just didn't do enough to flesh out the street ball experience. Otherwise, this could have been the new NBA Jam we've craved. As it is, it's just a passable bball game that's worth a rental to extract its Xbox 360 Achievement points. Ball up.

GameZone (6 out of 10)

NBA Ballers: Chosen One for the Xbox 360 is not without its charms but when it comes to the basketball action it just doesn’t have what it takes to be a fun sports title. While some aspects of Story Mode have its moments, it just remains to be a repetitive basketball game that lacks style even with the numerous NBA superstars in the game. Sorry, Midway, but this isn’t the b-ball lifestyle fans will truly love and should skip altogether.

GBase - The Gamer's Base (6 out of 10)

Zeitweise kann NBA Ballers - Chosen One wirklich Spass machen. Hübsche Dribbeleinlagen, coole Tricks und exotische Schauplätze sorgen für eine stimmige Streetball-Atmosphäre. Doch leider ist nicht alles Gold, was kurzfristig glänzt. Das überladene Tricksystem, die teils hakelige Steuerung und das paradoxe Gameplay stossen sauer auf. Zudem ist der Umfang des Titels alles andere als zufriedenstellend. Nachdem der Karrieremodus in maximal acht Stunden gemeistert wurde, stehen euch lediglich noch einige wenige Modi zu Verfügung, welche mit euren Kollegen offline oder online den Spielspass noch um einige Stunden verlängern. Das war's dann aber auch schon. Die Quintessenz: Wer Arcade-Basketball sucht, greift lieber zum ausgereiften NBA Street Homecourt. Oder anders gesagt: NBA Ballers ist wohl doch nicht "The Chosen One".

ZTGameDomain (6 out of 10)

Overall NBA Ballers: Chosen One suffers from great ideas not coming together in the end. The combo system is a fantastic addition; let's just hope the problems are ironed out before the next outing. The multi-player is still addictive and beefing up your baller is simple enough for anyone to enjoy, but the problems float a bit too close to the surface for fans of the genre to ignore.

Daily Game (6 out of 10)

NBA Ballers: Chosen One tries to do too many things at once, never really succeeded at any of them. You're probably better off buying last year's NBA Street in the bargain bin; it's much more fun.

Gameplanet (6 out of 10)

While you can play this game autonomously and finish it for the sake of finishing it, it generally won't fill you with a sense of accomplishment. Having said that, there are loyal fans of the NBA Ballers franchise and this will definitely be someone's cup of tea. Have a go, you can always trade it in at a later date.

GamesRadar (6 out of 10)

One-on-one basketball is ritual humiliation. Bounce the ball off your opponent’s head, wave it in front of his face, snatch it away, fake him out and leave him crumpled on the floor, but don’t slam it into the basket until you’ve told him at least five juicy facts about his mom. We’ve played GTA, Manhunt and that naughty Mass Effect, but no videogame has filled us with such murderous rage as NBA Ballers did. It’s the most infuriating thing ever.

GamePro (US) (3 out of 5)

It isn't enough to be in the NBA these days--you gotta be ballin'. Rolling onto Xbox 360 with new high-def graphics and remixed gameplay, NBA Ballers: Chosen One puts a little bling into basketball. Showy new moves make it an entertaining experience, even if balance problems and unnecessarily long loading times put its cool factor on ice.

HardGamers (60 out of 100)

Bref, Midway manque une fois de plus son coup avec cette édition. Le jeu est mal balancé, propose un produit très répétitif grâce à une exécution pitoyable et manque gravement d’artifice. Les plus grands adeptes de basketball pourront opter à la limite pour une location, sinon je vous suggère fortement de retourner au dernier NBA Street en attendant le prochain bébé d’EA BIG.

Xbox Gazette (6 out of 10)

NBA Ballers Chosen One ne captivera pas très longtemps le joueur lambda, qui y trouvera un jeu bien rigolo, fun et défoulant, mais qui ne s'y accrochera pas trop longtemps. Les fans de la NBA et surtout de ses stars seront sans doute plus attirés. La plupart des jeux de Basket classiques, de part les règles même de ce sport sans contacts physiques, sont parfois un peu décousus, la faute à moult interruptions de jeu. Ici, on ne se prend pas là tête dans des matchs qui misent sur le fun et la simplicité. Dommage que les temps de chargement très longs viennent franchement plomber le rythme. Le mode Live, qui n'accepte que deux joueurs en 1 vs 1, est, pour l'instant, vide de concurrents. Peut-être que le manque de modes pèse aussi… Face aux NBA Street de la concurrence, Midway se devait de répondre par un titre dans la même veine. Les spécialistes des parquets trancheront.

Worth Playing (5.8 out of 10)

NBA Ballers: Chosen One is a title that has solid basics in place, but it really needed a lot more time and budget to get everything just right. As it stands, the title is a buggy, unpolished mess with easy-to-use, overpowered moves and gameplay that is often more frustrating than it is fun. A slick interface and competent basics can't save the game from the broken garbage it's piled on top and refused to refine. If you need an arcade basketball title, just get NBA Street Homecourt, which is a better game in virtually every aspect.

PAL Gaming Network (PALGN) (5.5 out of 10)

Sadly, NBA Ballers: Chosen One delivers more of the winning gameplay from the versions on last generation's consoles, but the execution of the new features and an overall sloppy package have put this title another step behind the competition.

GameSpot (5.5 out of 10)

NBA Ballers: Chosen One deserves credit for trying to bring some new ideas to a genre that isn't known for mixing things up. But while many of these ideas may have seemed good during the design phase, they don't work in the context of the actual gameplay. There's no reason to pick this one up, regardless of how bad you need a basketball fix--there are plenty of cheaper, better options available.

Planet Xbox 360 (5.1 out of 10)

NBA Ballers is a scatterbrained game that never decides quite what it is, and at no point resembles anything good. The game is only impressive in just how badly they miss the mark.

Thunderbolt Games (5 out of 10)

Ultimately, NBA Ballers: Chosen One was probably doomed from the start. This is one for the hardcore basketball fans only, as they are likely to enjoy the short-burst addictive action it has to offer. With that said, don’t expect to find any challenge here. When the last point has been sunk, you won’t be tempted into coming out of retirement, as there are greater adventures to be had. It seems Midway’s attempts at creating a three pointer have crashed off the backboard and into the surrounding crowd, who no-doubt will throw it straight back at them.

Maxim Magazine ( )

Midway's mad scientists went into a laboratory and attempted to splice the DNA of a basketball game with the DNA of a fighting game, with the genetic material of MTV's Cribs mixed in for good measure. The results: What they created is a monster that the local torch-wielding villagers had to chase into the old windmill.

Eurogamer.net (UK) (5 out of 10)

It's not NBA Live, it's not NBA Street and it's not NBA 2K. And playing Chosen One you'll be reminded of this every couple of minutes. If you need a fourth basketball title then NBA Ballers will pass a couple of hours, but you'll be constantly thinking of the elements that are better in the other b-ball games you've got on your shelf.

TeamXbox (5 out of 10)

NBA Ballers: Chosen One is one of those games that tries to do a little bit of everything, but never gets quite any one thing right. The graphics look cleaner, but more artificial. The create-a-player is functional, but nothing spectacular. Character development looks good on paper, but not in practice. The addition of combo minigames is interesting, but takes away more than it adds. At the end of the day, you’re just left with the feeling that somewhere along the way, Midway simply dropped the ball.

Xbox World Australia (XWA) (50 out of 100)

Chosen One is a decent enough romp for a couple of nights play, however it's hard imagine you'd invest any more time than that. It fails to exceed the fun factor, and overall quality, of similar games to come before it. Anything fresh Midway tried to do only ended up being detrimental as they took several backsteps in development. Maybe if they'd just rested on their laurels in making the first two Ballers games, they would have had a halfway decent game. The sooner they realise quicktime events aren't for sporting titles, the better.

GamersHell.com (4.5 out of 10)

Nearly an identical, less-than-stellar experience on the PS3 or 360 (save for knowing what you unlock after each episode on the PS3), NBA Ballers: Chosen One feels like a step back for the arcade genre. Commendation is due for trying a different approach to street ball, but when plagued with so many issues, there’s not much reason to cough up the dough with summer just around the corner, with too many other potentially-good titles in the pipeline.

UGO (UnderGroundOnline) (C-)

NBA Ballers: Chosen One offers some fun for a limited amount of time, provided that you're willing to wrestle with the controls at first. Really, there's no excuse for the lack of a tutorial, especially with so many brand-new concepts being introduced. Any other missteps pale in comparison to how unapproachable the game becomes for not teaching newcomers how to play it. With other, better street basketball games available, NBA Ballers: Chosen One is definitely one to be skipped.

G4 TV: X-Play ( )

Though there’s only one real flaw of note in Ballers: Chosen One, it’s a pretty major one. It takes everything good about the game’s design (and there’s a lot) and ends up rendering it almost moot. If you don’t care too much about precise game play, Chosen One is a good, brainless time. Otherwise, the game just becomes infuriating.

Gamekult (4 out of 10)

Vous l'aurez compris, NBA Ballers : Chosen One est tout sauf un tueur d'arceaux. Moins convaincant que son concurrent direct en dépit de quelques efforts, on le réservera à la limite aux drogués du ballon orange désireux de tater son mode solo assez riche et pas trop mal mis en scène. Ca fait quand même cher le trip virtuel de seconde zone à l'heure où les playoffs battent leur plein.

Giant Bomb ( )

It has some nice animations and the player models look great, and it’s actually pretty decent, in small doses. But everything about the gameplay feels really mechanical and absolutely inorganic, like nothing you’re doing with the controller feels connected to the moves that are coming out on the other end. Chosen One’s canned moves and button-mashing minigames make it feel like a relic from the PS2 and Xbox era. It’s going to take a pretty serious overhaul for Ballers to get up to date and compete.

Totally Gaming Network (4 out of 10)

NBA Ballers: Chosen One is so far behind other basketball games already available on XBOX 360 (and even many of those released on the last-gen consoles). We're not saying it's disastrous, but it is so lacklustre, so tepid, so unrefined and unbalanced that it can not be recommended as anything other than a sub £10 purchase. If this were a XBOX Live download, available for around £10, we would have been a little more forgiving of the games shortfalls. As a full price game, we just can't let them slide.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) (D+)

This latest NBA Ballers seem to have been built in a vacuum. Outside of the player faces, the generation-straddling visuals are awfully amateruish, especially when compared to those in rival (and the real chosen one) NBA Street: Homecourt.

1UP (D+)

The real shock is that, nearly 14 months later, Chosen One doesn't live up to the tech, the style, or the ambition of EA's Homecourt. The game has far too many flaws -- and far too little polish and juice to make it worth playing.

RewiredMind ( )

In short, NBA Ballers: Chosen One is so far away from the fun and replayability that keeps NBA Jam fresh even now (in short bursts), that I can see no reason to recommend a purchase whatsoever. It isn’t hard to lay down a cold review for a title that seems to have had a very, very short time spent on it in terms of testing (I can score a basket from behind the backboard by just going through it as if it didn’t exist? Fun!) and QA, and a whole stack of man-hours wasted on an above-par (just) graphical experience. I just hope that the developers can honestly look at their respective bank balances and say that it was all worth it.

Gamervision (3 out of 10)

Due to a unique arrangement with the NBA, Midway and EA share the license to create games using NBA teams and players. On alternating years, EA makes NBA Street games, and Midway makes NBA Ballers games. This year, the choice is clear: wait for next year’s NBA Street. Ballers is just too glitchy, ugly and frustrating to be worth even a rental.

X-Box Gamer (6 out of 20)

Chosen One est une déception ? Plus que ça, il laisse le terrain libre à un NBA Street Homecourt déjà disponible depuis une année entière et déjà bien plus accessible, amusant et bien réalisé. Ici, NBA Ballers propose un solo monotone, un multijoueur désert, de nombreux bugs et une localisation française totalement absente. Comment être gentil avec lui après tout ceci ? Reste que les plus gros fans de la pratique y trouveront quelque peu d'intérêt, mais absolument rien d'inoubliable, bien au contraire.

Game Revolution (D-)

I could go on for much longer, pointing out the weightless feel of your player, the cheap and featureless last-gen graphics, the repetitive and unimaginative play-by-play banter, the purposeless customization options or the usually desolate and ultimately just as crappy online multiplayer. But that would be treating the game as if it had tried, when it’s apparent that this baller was looking to ball the pooch all along.