I don't think I'm cool enough to play And 1 Streetball. I don't have basketball skills. I don't have street smarts. I don't listen to Hip Hop. And although I wear extra large shirts, it's not to make a fashion statement, but because I need to wear extra large shirts.
In the new Ubisoft release, you compete in the And 1 Mix Tape Tour, a street basketball tournament spanning several cities in the U.S. You can create your own player, manipulating various physical attributes, such as height, weight and facial features. Much like in The Godfather: The Game, the character you create is placed in the cut scenes. Here, you have even more control over what your character looks like, especially with respect to how the face will look. For example, you can play with the distance between the eyes and with the length and size of the nose, as well as just altering general face shape and hair style.
In fact, if you have an EyeToy USB Camera, you can upload your own face onto the character.
Winning isn't everything and in And 1 Streetball, it certainly isn't enough. Here, the focus seems to be on special moves. In the five-on-five matches of the main run of the tournament, you earn respect points by performing stunts and taunts with the ball. You have to earn a certain amount of these points in a given game to move on.
In addition, there are side games, one-on-one and three-on-three matches, where you have to perform a specific move as well as win by at least two points.
With each game you win, you earn money you can spend on improving your skills and you gain access to new clothes. Though, for the most part, they look like variations on about three or four outfits.
The games themselves are okay. I like the variety in these matches, but the whole thing kind of feels like a ripoff of the Harlem Globetrotters, but without any of the really cool tricks or “Sweet Georgia Brown” playing in the background.
Performing the special moves becomes boring quickly as it slows down the gameplay as you stop shooting baskets in an attempt to raise your respect points.
You can also play individual matches, by yourself or in multiplayer mode. There, you can just play regular games and it becomes less cumbersome. But then it's just one of many basketball games on the market, except this one has lesser names attached.
And frankly, I don't think there has been a decent title since NBA Jam.
WHAM! Rating: |
4 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
E 10+ (Everyone 10+) |
Official Web Site: |
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