NBA 07

NBA 07 doesn’t try to be something that it is not. It’s an arcade basketball title and it does that very well. The addition of the seriously fun minigames and improved presentation make it easy to recommend this iteration of the franchise.

Graphics have been tweaked, sound improved, color and play-by-play commentary added, and AI beefed up to offer a far greater challenge despite some lingering flaws.

An enjoyable basketball title, and one of the best available to date on the PSP handheld.

Basketball, schmasketball. NBA '07 is all about the extra game modes. Dodgeball, Skee-ball, Pop-a-Shot, Pinball! Who needs to play any basketball. Seriously, NBA 07 will be appealing to anyone that enjoys playing games and keeping themselves entertained.

The new mini-games offer a lot of fun and replayable depth to the title, the inclusion of color commentary and instant replay amps up the presentation value.

So long as you go into things understanding that this isn't really a console-level basketball experience and that it's uniquely designed for shorter, more portable games, you end up with a shockingly good basketball entry. If they end up adding in some of the fluff from the console versions next year, it's going to make things near irresistible.

The real winner in this whole package is easily the Conquest Mode, which comes out of nowhere to seamless blend strategy into a sports title with undeniable results. There is plenty more here to love than to hate, and for many of us, that’s enough.

The addition of the Carnival and Conquest mode is a nice side track from the trappings of the season mode, which is wrapped up in a nice level of polish from the graphic and audio side.