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IGN Review of NBA '10
With NBA 09: The Inside, Sony's Studio in San Diego showed that they understand how to make a quality basketball title that's catered to the PSP's audience. They managed to package several mini-games and game modes that accentuate the system's strengths on the go while still providing a solid basketball game experience. NBA 10: The Inside provides much of the same gameplay philosophies while raising the ante slightly in terms of modes. I'm a little disappointed in some of the flaws in the core basketball, but that doesn't stop this year's Inside from being a solid offering.
Unlike most basketball games, NBA 10: The Inside doesn't cling to a single career mode or its franchise mode to provide the meat of the game. There's no doubt that the game's franchise is as strong as it was last year, but there are so many other PSP-specific modes to enjoy that it will likely get lost in the shuffle unless you're a truly hardcore basketball fan. Aside from the ridiculous carnival-inspired mini-games that have you playing versions of Hot Shot, skee ball and wack-a-mole (among others), you'll find some interesting takes on the Conquest Mode that made its debut in last year's game.
Basically conquest now assumes the gameplay mechanics of a few of the other mini-games. That means you'll get to play Give & Go, Elimination and Dodgeball with the conquest style that emulates the board game Risk. I enjoyed the standard Conquest the most out of any mode in NBA 10: The Inside. The notion of building up what is essentially an army of basketball players and then marching through every NBA city in hopes of capturing more pro talent is very cool. Every decision you make carries significant weight because you're always at risk of losing coveted professionals. When playing as the Lakers I shed several tears when I lost Kobe to the Cavs team that already housed LeBron. I basically created my own worst nightmare.
Aside from the pinball, Conquest modes and other carnival mini-games, there actually is a traditional basketball package as well. It's just too bad that the on-court action can't stand up to the impressive offering of modes. You'll see ridiculous behavior from your teammates, weird ball physics and plenty of other events that just shouldn't happen on a basketball court. I'm talking about things like the ball teleporting to the opposite hand when doing a crossover, players traveling and other actions that you wouldn't see from NBA talent. Not only that, but there's essentially no need to ever call a play to set up a teammate for a score. All you need to do is run around spinning and doing crossovers and you'll eventually find an open lane to the basket. Yes, this game is light on strategy indeed.
So while the complexities of the game of basketball don't make it through in this PSP iteration, that doesn't mean there isn't fun to be had. If you're someone who's looking for a plethora of basketball-inspired modes and doesn't mind if it doesn't fit into the mold of a "simulation" experience, you should probably plop down some cash and pick up this version of The Inside.
If you're looking for a stellar visual treat, you'll probably want to look elsewhere. The game doesn't look bad, but the inaccurate and sometimes otherworldly animations detract from a package that doesn't look that good to begin with. Colors look worn down and player models only loosely resemble their real world counterparts. I understand that the PSP doesn't have much horsepower, but I feel like it could've generated a more accurate depiction of both the sport and the players.
The sound in the game is acceptable with solid commentary that follows the action reasonably well, even if it is redundant after a time. I liked that they recorded separate commentary for even the most ridiculous modes in the game and while it isn't very diverse, the fact that it's there at all is cool. Effects can be muddled at times, but overall they do a good job of servicing the action.
©2009-10-07, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Unlike most basketball games, NBA 10: The Inside doesn't cling to a single career mode or its franchise mode to provide the meat of the game. There's no doubt that the game's franchise is as strong as it was last year, but there are so many other PSP-specific modes to enjoy that it will likely get lost in the shuffle unless you're a truly hardcore basketball fan. Aside from the ridiculous carnival-inspired mini-games that have you playing versions of Hot Shot, skee ball and wack-a-mole (among others), you'll find some interesting takes on the Conquest Mode that made its debut in last year's game.
Basically conquest now assumes the gameplay mechanics of a few of the other mini-games. That means you'll get to play Give & Go, Elimination and Dodgeball with the conquest style that emulates the board game Risk. I enjoyed the standard Conquest the most out of any mode in NBA 10: The Inside. The notion of building up what is essentially an army of basketball players and then marching through every NBA city in hopes of capturing more pro talent is very cool. Every decision you make carries significant weight because you're always at risk of losing coveted professionals. When playing as the Lakers I shed several tears when I lost Kobe to the Cavs team that already housed LeBron. I basically created my own worst nightmare.
Aside from the pinball, Conquest modes and other carnival mini-games, there actually is a traditional basketball package as well. It's just too bad that the on-court action can't stand up to the impressive offering of modes. You'll see ridiculous behavior from your teammates, weird ball physics and plenty of other events that just shouldn't happen on a basketball court. I'm talking about things like the ball teleporting to the opposite hand when doing a crossover, players traveling and other actions that you wouldn't see from NBA talent. Not only that, but there's essentially no need to ever call a play to set up a teammate for a score. All you need to do is run around spinning and doing crossovers and you'll eventually find an open lane to the basket. Yes, this game is light on strategy indeed.
So while the complexities of the game of basketball don't make it through in this PSP iteration, that doesn't mean there isn't fun to be had. If you're someone who's looking for a plethora of basketball-inspired modes and doesn't mind if it doesn't fit into the mold of a "simulation" experience, you should probably plop down some cash and pick up this version of The Inside.
If you're looking for a stellar visual treat, you'll probably want to look elsewhere. The game doesn't look bad, but the inaccurate and sometimes otherworldly animations detract from a package that doesn't look that good to begin with. Colors look worn down and player models only loosely resemble their real world counterparts. I understand that the PSP doesn't have much horsepower, but I feel like it could've generated a more accurate depiction of both the sport and the players.
The sound in the game is acceptable with solid commentary that follows the action reasonably well, even if it is redundant after a time. I liked that they recorded separate commentary for even the most ridiculous modes in the game and while it isn't very diverse, the fact that it's there at all is cool. Effects can be muddled at times, but overall they do a good job of servicing the action.
©2009-10-07, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved