Freestyle Street Basketball Hands-On

When you think of hip-hop influenced, fast-and-loose basketball games, you're likely to picture American efforts such as EA's NBA Street or Midway's Ballers series. Of course, neither company has the market on street basketball, which is why we're happy to see Freestyle Street Basketball, developed by the Korea-based JC Entertainment, heading to American shores in the early part of 2007. We got a chance to play the game at a recent Sierra press event and came away impressed with its easy controls and attractive look.

This wasn't our first glimpse at Freestyle Street Basketball--the game was tucked away in a corner at this year's Game Developers Conference in San Jose--but, at the time, it didn't have an American publisher. We also got a brief glimpse of the game at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006, after it was picked up by Sierra Online. At the most recent press event, we got to see the game for a more extended period of time to get an idea for not only how it plays but also some of the different role-playing aspects the game uses.

Though Freestyle is a PC game, its cel-shaded character models and simplistic environments mean you won't need a hefty machine to run this one at optimum frame rate. In fact, Sierra is pushing this as a casual game, one that will be available at launch at both retail stores and through digital distribution through various channels. Adding to the casual nature of the game, the controls in Freestyle are as straightforward as it gets. The four arrows move your player in the appropriate direction, and various shots, blocks, and special moves are controlled by the W, A, S, and D keys--no mouse involved, no fancy button combos, and no joystick required.

In fact, while the move set may be basic in Freestyle, that doesn't mean the game doesn't have depth all its own. For one thing, some basketball fundamentals can take you a long way in the game's two-on-two and three-on-three matches (which is the maximum allowed in the game). Setting picks, getting correct spacing around the court, and moving a lot even when your player doesn't have the ball is a surefire way to get some points on the board. The other half of the success equation in Freestyle lies in how you build out your created basketball star.

The role-playing aspects of Freestyle are surely to be one of the biggest selling points in the game. Not only can you create a customized, stylish character right from the get-go--picking from a wide assortment of skin tones, hairstyles, and basic getups--but that really is just the beginning. The game features a huge amount of upgrades for everything from tops and bottoms to new accessories, hats, tattoos, sunglasses, and so on. Better yet, many of these items will give you attribute bonuses for things like speed, agility, and shot making. In a sense, you can think of that new pair of high-tops or baggy jeans as buff-tastic armor that you might find in a more traditional massively multiplayer game such as World of Warcraft. By default, your character will have five slots for his or her special moves, which can be used to break the ankles of your opponents. If you've got the cash, however, you can purchase new upgrades that will earn you five additional slots for special moves.

As you can see, building your character is going to be more than simply tossing together an outfit you like and then hitting the court. The game will place certain restrictions on the items you buy--some items are level restricted, and as a result, you won't be able to buy them until you've reached the required level. And, of course, items will have a cost associated with them--the better the item, the higher the price.

Just like a traditional RPG, you can expect to earn experience and level your character quickly at first. The game is designed to ensure that you're always in a competitive match by offering accurate match-making services so that you can request to play someone who is close to your level. If you're feeling brave, you can take on someone who's much higher than you--and you'll earn a significant experience bonus if you manage to eke out a win.

The game has some localization yet to do. The angled key in many of the courts featured in the game is designed to FIBA regulations (which are used in Korean basketball), so those should change once the game is released here. Still, we're hoping that some of the Korean flavor of the game--particularly the up-tempo hip-hop soundtrack featuring Korean artists--stays intact during the translation, as it really adds to the overall charm of the presentation.

With its cel-shaded look and easy controls, Freestyle Street Basketball looks firmly entrenched in the casual-gaming category. Where the game will likely set itself apart is with its light role-playing aspects and the ability to make your hoops alter ego as unique as possible. We'll be keeping our eyes on the progress of the game in the coming months ahead of its release early next year, so stay tuned.