![]() ![]() Thou hast found the +15 Magic Kicks of Mad Ups. The roaming portions really feel more like a side-scrolling experience, with the ability to move into or out of the screen at certain junctures, like in River City Ransom. The neighborhoods and character models look pretty basic, and the areas aren't particularly large either, so you shouldn't expect this wide roaming, Grand Theft Auto-like experience. Most of the NPCs in the game that have tasks for you have a yellow exclamation point over their head (World of Warcraft, anyone?), but some are hidden, so it pays to try and talk to everyone you see. There are even kiosks with trivia challenges that require you to know NBA lore, such as which high school Kevin Garnett attended and which NBA star earned the nickname Mr. You'll also find other things to do, such as battle rap with Jin (the one-time star of BET's 106 & Park) in a DDR-like minigame or a spelling bee where you have to try and puzzle out how to spell the names of (mostly European) NBA stars with complicated surnames. You'll find non-player characters who'll give you tasks, such as putting up promotional posters around town or finding diamonds that you can turn in to a store for jewelry. The other hook to the story mode is the array of side quests you can find and do besides playing ball. ![]() There are dozens of different players in Phenom, ranging from current superstars, such as LeBron and Dwyane Wade, to legends, such as Magic Johnson. Each area includes a number of tournaments that you can enter, and you'll play against random streetballers and/or NBA players. Once there, you'll find yourself in a free-roaming, third-person mode where you can walk around a neighborhood. After creating your own baller and customizing from a satisfying array of appearance and skill options, you can travel to different areas of LA, including Hollywood and Beverly Hills. The story mode is set up as a hub system in and around Los Angeles. The NBA-sponsored streetball tournaments during the Finals festivities are your chance to exact a little payback and earn a little glory and money of your own along the way. Not only did he take the money and the glory, but he also had the gumption to steal your girl along with everything else. You and Hot Sauce were once partners on the blacktop, but when the endorsement offers came rolling in, Hot Sauce convinced the suits that he was the true talent behind the twosome and left you high and dry. You've got revenge on your mind for this week, as you've recently been jilted by your one-time partner, Hot Sauce (the slick-handling guard who made a name for himself with And1). Apparently, Midway didn't get the memo that Kobe's now all by himself in Tinseltown, and the Finals in LA is a bit of a stretch unless they think the Clippers are going to make a Cinderella run this year. The core of Phenom is its story mode, which portrays you as an up-and-coming street baller looking to make a name for himself during the week leading up to the NBA Finals in Los Angeles. Once again, it's time to make a name for yourself as an elite baller. Phenom has also added a two-on-two mode and a free-roaming story mode to its repertoire, but underneath those additions is a game design that hasn't changed much and a graphics engine that is beginning to show its age. Two years later, the NBA has outlawed gaudy hip-hop style on the sideline, and NBA Ballers Phenom has also scaled back its fashion sense accordingly, showing Chauncey Billups in business casual on the cover instead of an iced-out Stephon Marbury wearing a velour warm-up suit. The original NBA Ballers brought a breath of fresh air to the arcade basketball genre in 2004 with its focus on one-on-one play and a story mode that glamorized the bling-bling lifestyle of NBA players. ![]()
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