Basketball video games

Basketball became video-game friendly sometime in the 80s.  That was when the stand-and-pass style of older franchises like the 1950s Celtics gave way to a high-flying and acrobatic version of the game – one that dominates today.  Julius Erving may have been the first player to take flight on a nightly basis, but later innovators such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan brought untold inventiveness and fluidity to the sport.  No wonder game designers leapt at the chance to immortalize such feats in digital form, dating all the way back to One on One for the Commodore 64.

Due largely to such evolution, basketball today is one of the true international sports.  Major leagues exist throughout Italy, Greece, Russia and Croatia, with countless other countries contributing their own street takes on roundball every year.  And yet, there remains nothing like the NBA – the locus of the sport’s finest talent and home to some of the biggest personalities on the planet.  Fans and players alike know there is no authenticity without using the names and likeness of such marquee figures, which is why the NBA has sanctioned its own official gaming title for years.

NBA 2K7 is the league’s answer to the MLB franchise of the same name.  The latest release heralds a breakthrough in verisimilitude by offering graphical power unlike anything that has come before.  In this HD, 3D version, the players sweat, snarl, and high-five.  Sneakers are designed and detailed down to the stitching, and the uniforms crease and fold under the lights.  You could be forgiven for believing a real game is on TV – countless players have experienced this very phenomenon with parents and friends in the room.

But the game play is what truly sets the latest version apart.  You can choose from an astonishing number of playing modes, including tournaments, 24/7 and Quick Play, and the games themselves offer innumerable dunks, spins and other animations to satisfy fans.  As a coach, you run everything from practice to back-office negotiations, while nuances from substitutions to strategy get detailed airings.  As a player, you can dribble through your opponent’s legs, feint behind the back and shoot over the glass.  There has never been a more complete version of the nation’s fastest sport.

Want to take the fun with you?  NBA Street Showdown for the PSP is another flavor of hoops – one that commands the same powerful loyalties as its parquet counterpart.  Anyone who played the game on console platforms knows what it’s about – quirky play, secret moves, trash talk and plenty of brass.  Three-on-three play keeps up a relentless pace, and the blacktop challenges only grow stiffer as you move up through the ranks.  Alley-oops, mind-boggling jams and plenty of colorful style keeps this game as exciting on the PSP as it was on the big screen.

If hoops is your passion, you may want to look into the hottest video game sites to get your hands on top titles.  Stick with good prices and smart rental plans if you want to get the most out of every game.