Gaming Trend

Gaming Trend Review

NBA 10 The Inside

1. Official Site
2. Platform: PSP
3. Publisher: Sony America
4. Developer: Sony America
5. Release Date: 10/06/09
6. Genre: Sports

by Mike Repella

Last year I reviewed NBA 09 The Inside for the PSP and I gave it an 85%. I was impressed with the fact that the game offered something for everyone. There was a strong franchise mode that catered to the basketball simulation fans and there was an abundance of mini games that could be enjoyed by non-sports gamers and sports gamers alike. This year Sony San Diego is back at it on the PSP with NBA 10 The Inside. But this year Sony has more competition on the PSP since 2K sports also released an NBA game for the system. In addition, Sony decided to scrap the PS3 version of the game this year and is only releasing it on PSP. With increased competition and more focus from Sony San Diego, is NBA 10 The Inside worthy of your basketball dollar?

Not Much Has Changed

The first thing returning players will notice is that NBA 10 isn’t all that different from the 09 version. In fact, the visuals in this year's game look exactly like last year’s version. The players are still fairly well animated and move realistically. Visually, the game is clean and the players are individually detailed with headbands, wrist bands, etc. For 09' I complained that you will be hard pressed to tell Lebron James apart from Kobe Bryant and that remains true. This year after a particularly good play the game will give you a close up of a player's head, complete with his stats. The only problem with this is that most of the players look nothing like their real life counterparts. Even stars like Lebron and Kobe don’t look that distinct. It’s a bit of a letdown, but if you are playing an NBA game on the PSP chances are you aren’t looking for the best graphics possible, so I am willing to give this area a pass.

In NBA 10 Sony removed the licensed music soundtrack and went with what I assume is a custom sound track. Don’t expect to hear any current top 40 hits or even standard basketball music. This really isn’t that big of a deal since last year’s soundtrack wasn’t all that great to begin with.

The game's commentary is once again provided by Ian Eagle and former NBA star Kenny Smith. Eagle handles the play by play and Smith does the color commentary. There is a bit more variety in their commentary this year and overall they do a good job of calling the action. I did notice a weird sound glitch with the commentators that will occasionally cause the sound to cut out in mid-sentence. Occasionally the commentators will be in the middle of a sentence and the sound will cut out. This issue wasn’t present last year, but it’s a minor issue that doesn't happen all that often. The usual assortments of in game sound effects are all present and accounted for. The crowd will cheer at appropriate times, sneakers will squeak on the wood and whistles will blow.

As I mentioned earlier, not much has changed with this year’s game and that holds true for the traditional basketball gameplay more than anything else. The player primarily uses the face buttons to pass, shoot, steal and change players. Advanced players can use the directional buttons to call plays and select specific passing targets. The same shot meter is used as well and this is a good thing. When taking a shot the area around the ball will glow red, and quickly turn green when you are taking a shot. The idea is to release the shot button before the glow turns red again. The closer you are to green, the more likely your shot is to go in.

Is the AI Really Better?

Sony says that they worked on improving the A.I for NBA 10. After playing through roughly 40 games I can honestly say that I don’t see much of a difference in the A.I. One area that is an exception is the AI's shot selection and field goal percentage. This year the CPU will take better shots, which in turns leads them to commonly shooting over 60% in games. To me this is a bad thing. I can’t compete with an NBA team that shoots over 60% from the field. It makes it downright hard to stay in a game or to even stage a comeback when the CPU drains almost every shot they take.

Last year I pointed out that the CPU didn’t manage the clock at the end of the game. They wouldn’t foul intentionally if they were behind and they wouldn’t try to run the clock out if they were ahead. Another small improvement to the A.I. in NBA 10 seems to have fixed this issue. It’s common for the CPU to set up a wall at the end of a game and try to dribble around to avoid a foul, all the while running the clock out. This is a minor improvement, but it’s one that makes the game more realistic.

The core of any NBA title is the exhibition and season mode. NBA 10 offers a full 25 year franchise mode. Players will have the opportunity to take control of their favorite NBA team and make every decision from drafting players, signing free agents, managing player contracts and team budgets. You can also simulate franchise seasons. I once again did this with the Cavaliers for two years. At the end of each year you get to sign free agents, watch the lottery, play in the playoffs and then participate in the draft. This year my Cavs actually finished in first place in their division during both simulation years, so I was happy about that.

In what I find to be a very dissapointing move, the developers have removed the online multiplayer portion of the game entirely. Your only option for multiplayer this year is through ad-hoc play. On top of that I can't find any way to download updated rosters. Gamers are stuck with NBA rosters from August of 2009. I could live without the online multiplayer, since it wasn't all that great last year. But, having downloadable rosters is an important aspect to any sports game and should have been left in.  

Mini Games Galore

NBA 09 featured more than just basketball, with the inclusion of Conqest mode, Elimiquest mode, and a whole host of basketball themed mini games. This year every single one of those modes returns along with a few additions. New for NBA 10 is the expanded Conquest Mode, with three original features where players will take on the entire country and battle in the classic acquisition style of Conquest while playing Dodgeball, Give & Go, or MiniQuest which allows players to choose from 1 of 4 mini-games. 

In addition, two new mini-games have been brought into the mix—Open Lanes, a traditional 10 frame bowling game, and Cherry Pickin,’ a puzzle based mini-game that plays a lot like Bust-A-Move. All of that is in addition to the content that was there from last year. So if you really enjoyed the five on five conquest mode from last year like I did, then you can play it again this year. For those of you who don’t know what Conquest mode is, think Risk, but only each territory is an NBA city and you fight for control of different cities by playing a game of Basketball, if you challenge another city and win you take over that city and its players. Once again not all of the mini games are equal and players will enjoy some much more than others. The sheer variety of games means that there should be something for everyone.

Trophies!

Brand new this year is a trophy system. Since the PSP doesn’t officially support a trophy system like the one on the PS3, this trophy system is all handled within the game. You earn trophies by completing specific goals in each game mode. It’s a nice addition and it should keep completionists busy for a very long time, as there are over 100 trophies to earn.

The ticket reward system is back this year. By participating in the mini games you earn tickets, just like you would at a carnival. These tickets can then be handed in to unlock classic jerseys and new playable levels for the mini games.

For NBA 10 on the PSP I said that Sony threw in everything but the kitchen sink, and the same holds true this year. The biggest problem is that the developers didn’t really work on improving the actual basketball simulation game. With more competition this year, gamers will definitely be checking out NBA2K10 for the PSP to see how it stacks up. However, if you want a basketball game that has something for everyone, then NBA 10 The Inside is your game. The basketball simulation is solid, but not perfect. The Conquest modes are really fun and addictive. Plus the entire host of mini games will keep gamers coming back for more throughout the year. Just don’t expect to find a lot of new material over last year’s version. 

Gaming Trend Score

83

1. Graphics: 80
2. Audio: 75
3. Controls: 80
4. Gameplay: 85
5. Value/Replay: 92
6. OVERALL:83