Release Date	April 25 2008
Format	360
Publisher	Midway
Developer	Midway
Price	£29.99
Distribution	Trilogy
Contact	0845 456 6400

NBA Ballers: Chosen One

Basketball: generally the realm of giant men with boat-like feet and a deep affection for ostentatious body art who are particularly adept at putting balls in hoops, it has a special place in the heart of gamers.

Ever since those heady days of Mega Drive-powered, super-charged matches featuring all the big names of the day performing mind-bending tricks on court, basketball has been at home with consoles.

Perhaps it’s because of the fast paced high scoring nature of the game, or the limitless scope for showboating, or simply because basketball is a lot of fun to play – whatever the reason, basketball titles have always been popular. NBA Ballers Chosen One, Midway’s third installment in this series, looks set to carry on this successful tradition.

“The aspirational lifestyle which is communicated in Ballers really underlines the fact that professional basketball players are the gods of their game – and it’s a fast moving game at that,” comments senior brand manager Aidan Minter.

“Overall I think the fact that the sport has ‘street roots’ in terms of social acceptance for setting certain trends like street wear and trainers is an important part of its popularity. Basketball courts are nearly as popular as football pitches but I think most guys have played the sport at school because it remains on the curriculum.”

Combining one-on-one or two-on-two gameplay with off-court celebrity shenanigans, this is a title set to appeal not only to basketball fans, but also to those of us who could do with a little more bling in our lives.

“Above and beyond direct comparisons to most of the other basketball games on the market, NBA Ballers is the only basketball video game featuring fantasy lifestyle elements based on today’s NBA superstars,” adds Minter. “Primarily it’s a game about that superstar lifestyle so your performance both on and off the court will determine the evolution of your career as both a player on the hardwood and as a superstar in life.”

Focusing on smaller games rather than full teams as you might see in the NBA, Ballers keeps things frenetic and instant, with a story mode, quick play mode and online compatibility all part of the package.

“Basketball is probably one of the most intense sports in terms of direct rivalry,” says Minter. “In Ballers we’ve really emphasised that with the moves you can perform in the one-on-one scenarios – the Shut ‘Em down and Act a Fool combo moves.

"There are over 30 unique and over-the-top “Shut ‘Em Down” Super Moves with the opportunity for the player to collect them all and wow the competition with dazzling dunks, blocks, jukes and steals that have never been seen in a basketball video game before. ‘Act a Fool’ combos are the moves you use to humiliate your opponent but with loads of style.”

Throwing in an all-new combo system such as this keeps things fresh for gamers, and the opportunity to both show off and make the opposition look silly is one few will pass up. ‘Act a Fool’ combos such as bouncing the ball of the other player’s head or bouncing it off his foot before spinning round him and making him feel like a very silly billy indeed, are all part of the game.

“Overall we wanted the Xbox 360 version of Ballers to put across the return to fun, easy and fast Ballers basketball action,” says Minter. “Using the power of the console means that visually we can present the roster of 80 plus NBA legends and current superstars with cutting-edge, realistic graphics. The anti-aliaising on the Xbox 360 version is particularly good but the character models, attention to detail and lighting effects really make the title come to life.”

Support in the form of a three-month specialist press campaign, a newsletter and poster drive, as well as in-store dummy boxes is on the way, and fans of the series are sure to want to get their mitts on this as soon as possible.