NBA 06 Hands-On

The second NBA game for the PSP in 2005, NBA 06, is set to launch in just under a month, and we had a chance to check out a recent build of it in anticipation of the game's release. Our last look at the game back in July only gave us a chance to check out some of the minigames that will be featured, so in this build we wanted to take a look at some of the more traditional modes to see how the game is coming along before tip-off in October.

First things first: This is a quick-moving game of hoops. With passes flying up-court and shots fired from every angle, the action on the hardwood is quick and places an emphasis on offense. This approach is bolstered by a control scheme that feels intuitive from the get-go. On offense, passes are executed with the X button, shooting with the circle, and spin moves with either the triangle or square button, depending on which way you wish to spin. On defense, you block shots with the triangle button, change the player you control by pressing the X button, take a charge with the circle, and attempt a steal with the square button. In our time with the game, we found steal attempts to be little more than automatic penalties when defending against a player with possession of the ball, so it's likely best to be judicious when trying them.

One thing we liked about NBA 06's gameplay was the aggressive defense exhibited by CPU-controlled teams. The artificial intelligence was much more apt to go after loose balls or to intercept passes, which made for some tense moments in close games. As such, we found out the importance of using icon passing--which is executed by holding down the left trigger button and then selecting the player icon you wish to toss to--to make the most effective passes possible.

The shot system has been subtly changed from the original NBA for the PSP. Whereas the original game introduced the color-coded shot system, in NBA 06 things have been simplified somewhat from a two-button system to a one-button mechanic that has you pressing to begin the shot and releasing the button to let the ball fly. As you go up for the shot, the ball will be surrounded by a colored ring, one that starts off red and slowly shifts in hue from orange, to yellow, and finally to green--which is when you should let go of the shot button. A "green" shot doesn't mean an automatic basket, mind you, but it's got a much better chance at finding twine than a red or orange shot. Various factors affect your shot meter, such as the player's shooting ability, the amount of pressure in his face, and the distance of the shot.

Should you get close enough to the basket, your player will shift from a shot attempt to a dunk or layup animation, though it's sometimes tough to see exactly how close you need to be to enable the animation. On the plus side, there seem to be a good number of dunk animations that are fun to look at, even if you seemingly don't have much control over how things play out when driving to the basket.

By using the directional pad, you can call plays on the fly in NBA 06, which is a handy way to mix up your offensive and defensive sets. Things are simple on the offensive side of the ball, as you can call for a pick, post-up, run the baseline, or send in a cutter to drive to the hoop. On defense, you can choose between a couple of zone sets and a man-to-man defense. You can also make specific player matchups by pressing the start button and accessing the team strategy section of the menu. However, we didn't see any options for making double-team or defensive-pressure assignments.

Gameplay modes in NBA 06 will include exhibition, season, and playoffs, as well as a shootaround that lets you take shots from all over the floor and a free-throw practice mode. Wireless multiplayer returns in NBA 06 as well, in both ad hoc and infrastructure flavors. We tried the ad hoc multiplayer, and, except for a brief patch of lag in the middle of our test, the game played just as quickly online as it does offline. All the minigames featured in the game will be playable online as well, including the NBA 06 take on dodgeball (Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller not included, unfortunately). You'll even be able to hook up with buddies online, and you can trade playing cards that you earn in games. Unlike trading cards in other sports games, cards in NBA 06 don't feature special power-ups or set game conditions; they're merely there to add to your collection or to trade with friends.

So far, NBA 06 is looking like a fast-paced and attractive game of basketball, as well as one that seems to be aiming for arcade fans with its relatively simple mechanics and swift gameplay. NBA 06 won't be the only basketball game in town on the PSP for long--since EA Sports is bringing its hoops franchise to the handheld as well--but as the second game in the series, the folks at Sony are hoping NBA 06 helps to further establish the company's grip on the PSP sports market. Expect to see a full review of NBA 06 when the game reaches stores in October.