Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that that this is a very stripped down version of basketball featuring one-on-one or at most two-on-two games that only subtly resemble basketball. Fouls are only called for major offenses and the focus is more on doing tricks to fool your opponent rather than on team play. The sometimes over-glamorized world of professional sports is present here, but at a much lesser degree than one would expect from a game titled as this. The game can be played online so kids may hear language that might not be appropriate. Common Sense Media does not recommend letting anyone under the age of 12 play online unsupervised.
Families can talk about the way that NBA stars and other sports stars are portrayed in this game and in real life. Is it accurate? Do all sports players travel exclusively in luxury, and why do the media depict them that way. Families can also discuss how a style of playing a sport varies based on whether it's team-based or individual.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jeff Paramchuk
Year-in and year-out, sports titles are released to entice players to buy a new version of a game, and in recent years, altering the sport for a more arcade feel has been common. NBA BALLERS: CHOSEN ONE is one such title, meaning that while at its core it's rooted in basketball, the actual game itself has very little to do with the very sport it's supposed to represent. Chosen One is at heart a Cinderella story of a no-named ball player who, through a sponsored tournament, travels to various locations and engages NBA players in 1 on 1, 2 on 2 or 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 matches, usually held to a point total of eleven and always involving over-the-top dunks, passes, and jukes around the opposing player.
To go with the over-the-top action, the game uses each and every button on the controller in one way or another, which makes the game tougher to grasp initially, even for gaming veterans. The main attraction to this type of game is the emphasis on tricks or combos. When your character has control of the ball, pressing a button combination will engage the "Act a Fool" mode allowing you to bounce the ball off your opponents head, kick the ball, and other moves that look fairly well animated. Progressing through the main story mode puts your created character in a series of six episodes, each containing multiple chapters of matches which you must win to complete each episode. As you do this, new and exciting moves as well as clothing options are unlocked, allowing you near total control over how your game avatar looks and moves.
In addition the standard story mode, online options as well as local multiplayer modes are available. While a good diversion for players who exhaust the relatively short single player option, playing online does have its quirks with finding people to play with, as well as dealing with less than ideal playing partners.
Chosen One is not a terrible game by any means, but it definitely is a niche title. The presentation of the title is somewhat disappointing, as the graphics seem gears towards the PS2 level of sharpness, and the emphasis on tricks really detracts from what possibly could be an entertaining playground basketball-type experience.
Seeing as this game has relatively little to do with basketball other than the short matches, players looking for more serious basketball should check the collegiate NCAA March Madness '08 for a more realistic approach to the sport. If this arcade style game hits the target, then other suggestions would be the NBA Street series, or NFL Tour for football fans.
Rate It!
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Sexual Content |
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ViolencePlayers can get quite physical on the court, with pushing and shoving. |
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LanguageVery light playful trash talking. No swearing or negative talk. |
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Social BehaviorNBA stars' larger than life personas are exaggerated even more here and while extravagant lifestyles are shown, they are not accompanied by negative stereotypes (ie. drugs, weapons, etc.) |
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CommercialismExaggerated lifestyles are prominent here, with players arriving to their games in limousines, airplanes, Hummers, etc. Sprite is a sponsor of the game and the logo is featured on clothing and throughout the game. |
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Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco |
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Educational ValueSome challenges take specific combinations of moves to complete which takes some problem solving skills to determine. |
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