NBA Ballers: Chosen One

 Xbox 360
Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 42
  3. Negative: 10 out of 42
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  1. Games Master UK
    71
    Some of the fun of old wacky b-ball games has been replaced by what's perceived as cool. [June 2008, p.72]
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  2. GameTap
    70
    NBA Ballers: Chosen One is a battle game. Think Street Fighter meets the NBA, and that's where the game is in its element.
  3. Official Xbox Magazine
    70
    So yeah, Chosen One has its woes, but gameplay is what’s always made this series fun. If you’ve got some tolerance and some RTFM time, Chosen One will deliver.
  5. X-ONE Magazine UK
    70
    Despite some flaws, Chosen One is immensely fun and brings a wider audience to the delights of shooting hoops. [Issue#32, p.84]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    70
    A treat for fans and better than "NBA Street." [June 2008, p.66]
  7. Game Informer
    68
    Chosen One offers a decent arcade basketball experience, but its short single player and weak online options ultimately keep it from unseating the current street champ, "NBA Street Homecourt."
  8. Console Monster
    68
    A half-decent title.Midway have brought in a few interesting ideas to spice up street basketballand whilst a few of the ideas work, a lot of them let the game down.
  9. GameShark
    67
    Street basketball is all about over the top game play. However, it’s more fun when you feel like you’re making those moves, instead of watching it unfold on the screen with minimal interaction.
  10. MS Xbox World
    65
    NBA Ballers: Chosen One has some enjoyment if you play in short sessions.
  11. PTGamers
    65
    NBA Ballers: Chosen One lacks better production values. Career mode is short, combos should be more varied, and some objectives don't make sense.
  12. Game Chronicles
    65
    Compared to the likes of NBA Street or the highly underrated Street Hoops, NBA Ballers: Chosen One seems sluggish and contrived.
  13. MEGamers
    65
    We do applaud Midway for trying to do something new here, but the repetitive nature of the gameplay, complicated controls and most importantly the clip played over and over again during game time really kills off any chance of this game competing with Home court.
  14. Cheat Code Central
    64
    A game that focuses on its themes rather than gameplay or functionality. The theme is definitely the building of your "baller" status, though the process of doing so is sometimes nonsensical given the rule system and gameplay mechanics.
  15. Xbox Achievements
    64
    As far as street or arcade-style basketball games go, this is a far cry from what you'd expect. Taking too many strides towards "legitimate" basketball loses all of the charm, and frankly the fun-factor, that we've come to expect from this genre.
  16. GamePro
    60
    The core gameplay is great--the counters are brilliant and the energy stays high--yet it isn't enough to be chosen as more than a casual distraction.
  17. IGN
    60
    Delivers more of the same gameplay from the Xbox version, but with new additions that do nothing but hurt the overall formula.
  18. GameZone
    60
    NBA: Ballers: Chosen One has all the right stars but when it comes to the game, it lacks the stylish action that made this series such a blast to play.
  19. GameDaily
    60
    Midway didn't update its roster (Jason Kidd plays for Dallas, not New Jersey), the story mode (what there is of it) makes no sense and the artificial intelligence is quite boneheaded.
  20. GameSpy
    60
    While Ballers hits from long-range with pretty graphics and plenty of Cribz-esque intros and unique elements, it clangs off the rim a bit with its Chosen One storyline execution.
  21. DailyGame
    60
    NBA Ballers: Chosen One tries to do too many things at once, never really succeeded at any of them.
  22. ZTGD
    60
    The multi-player is still addictive and beefing up your baller is simple enough for anyone to enjoy, but the problems float a bit too close to the surface for fans of the genre to ignore.
  23. Gameplanet
    60
    In one word: mediocre.
  24. DarkStation
    60
    A trip back to the drawing board would probably be the best bet for the developers as this is a game that has some good intentions but not great execution.
  25. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    58
    Play basketball on half a court while Chuck D disses your sister. Nope. [June 2008, p.79]
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  26. Worth Playing
    58
    NBA Ballers: Chosen One is a title that has solid basics in place, but it really needed a lot more time and budget to get everything just right. As it stands, the title is a buggy, unpolished mess with easy-to-use, overpowered moves and gameplay that is often more frustrating than it is fun.
  27. GameSpot
    55
    There's no reason to pick this one up, regardless of how bad you need a basketball fix--there are plenty of cheaper, better options available.
  28. PALGN
    55
    An abundance of cheap tactics and bland gameplay make this one title that will forever be warming the bench.
  29. Planet Xbox 360
    51
    NBA Ballers is a scatterbrained game that never decides quite what it is, and at no point resembles anything good. The game is only impressive in just how badly they miss the mark.
  30. TeamXbox
    50
    The graphics look cleaner, but more artificial. The create-a-player is functional, but nothing spectacular. Character development looks good on paper, but not in practice. The addition of combo minigames is interesting, but takes away more than it adds.
  31. Thunderbolt
    50
    This is one for the hardcore basketball fans only, as they are likely to enjoy the short-burst addictive action it has to offer. With that said, don’t expect to find any challenge here.
  32. Eurogamer
    50
    It's not NBA Live, it's not NBA Street and it's not NBA 2K. And playing Chosen One you'll be reminded of this every couple of minutes.
  33. Xbox World Australia
    50
    Chosen One is a decent enough romp for a couple of nights play, however it's hard imagine you'd invest any more time than that. It fails to exceed the fun factor, and overall quality, of similar games to come before it.
  34. Gamer's Hell
    45
    Nearly an identical, less-than-stellar experience on the PS3 or 360 (save for knowing what you unlock after each episode on the PS3), NBA Ballers: Chosen One feels like a step back for the arcade genre.
  35. G4 TV
    40
    If you don’t care too much about precise game play, Chosen One is a good, brainless time. Otherwise, the game just becomes infuriating.
  36. Giant Bomb
    40
    NBA Ballers: Chosen One feels like a relic, like an old arcade game that’s been given a fresh coat of paint, but no additional gameplay depth. Like an old arcade game, it’s fun for awhile, but unless you have nostalgic feelings for, well, the other two Ballers games, you’ll probably get fed up fast.
  37. Totally360
    40
    We're not saying it's disastrous, but it is so lacklustre, so tepid, so unrefined and unbalanced that it can not be recommended as anything other than a sub £10 purchase.
  38. Level7.nu
    40
    NBA Ballers: Chosen one is a game all about super dunks, slick moves and fancy dribbles. Unfortunately Midway has missed out on one essential ingredient necessary in all great sports games: getting the player interested. With bleak graphics and shoddy controls, not even playing with a friend can help this game from being utterly mediocre.
  39. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    36
    This latest NBA Ballers seems to have been built in a vacuum. [June 2008, p.79]
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  40. 1UP
    33
    The real shock is that, nearly 14 months later, Chosen One doesn't live up to the tech, the style, or the ambition of EA's "Homecourt." The game has far too many flaws -- and far too little polish and juice to make it worth playing.
  41. Gaming Age
    33
    In the case of NBA Ballers: The Chosen One, not only is concept stale, but some of the new features hurt the game more than help push it to the next level.
  42. Gamervision
    30
    Ballers is just too glitchy, ugly and frustrating to be worth even a rental.
  43. Game Revolution
    16
    I could go on for much longer, pointing out the weightless feel of your player, the cheap and featureless last-gen graphics, the repetitive and unimaginative play-by-play banter, the purposeless customization options or the usually desolate and ultimately just as crappy online multiplayer. But that would be treating the game as if it had tried, when it’s apparent that this baller was looking to ball the pooch all along.

Awards & Rankings

94
#94 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2008

User Reviews

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User Score
4.1

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 16
  3. Negative: 9 out of 16
  1. VitiatedGaming
    Jul 20, 2020
    2
    Let's start with the basic gameplay. Unlike most NBA games, you don't have a team to back you up, the player you create before story mode isLet's start with the basic gameplay. Unlike most NBA games, you don't have a team to back you up, the player you create before story mode is the one you're stuck with for the rest of the game so make sure you assign skill points wisely. The controls for this game are very clunky and often frustrating, mostly because the same buttons perform multiple functions. A prime example is stealing and fouling, in order to perform a "Super Steal" move you must press LT+RT+X, but the combo to foul an opponent is LT or RT+X, so you're going to be doing a lot of fouling when you want to be stealing. Other than that the controls are very basic, with A to pass, B to shoot, and Y to block with other combos to do "super moves".

    Speaking of the super moves, let's get into that. In order to perform a super dunk, shot, juke, or steal you must fill up your super meter, which is done by successfully completing Act-A-Fool combos. To perform those combos you must press LB+X near your opponent, then press the buttons as they come up on the screen. Easy, right? Well, it would be if the game was consistent with timing. You can press a button as soon as it comes up and have it not register, causing you to fail the combo and lose the ball. On top of that, your combo can be countered by your opponent. This seems like a function that fits well into multiplayer gameplay, seeing as your HUMAN opponent will have to battle you for button mashing but in the story mode with competing AI, it makes no sense. This digital opponent will be able to counter you at a moments notice, which can be incredibly frustrating when you're one successful move away from a full super meter and your opponent decides to counter, steal, score, and bring your super meter back down to nothing.

    Now, all of these flaws and clunks aren't a horribly big deal, plenty of games have their issues, particularly sports games. What REALLY makes this game a steaming pile of donkey feces is the "story mode". Air quotes included, because any story there is seems like the fantasy of every 9th grader who just made the cut for his high school JV ball team. You start as a guy on the street courts, playing up until the big leagues. Simple, right? Well, it would be if you were actually playing basketball. The first few episodes of the game do play like half-court basketball, where you simply have to score more times than your opponent. However, as the episodes progress, you are given side challenges that must be completed before the game ends in order for you to actually win. At first, they're simple things like completing an Act-A-Fool combo or scoring a dunk, but as the game progresses the challenges get pretty ridiculous. Some of the later episodes require you to beat 5 games using only 3 continues, and in each match you're given challenges along the lines of "Win without being blocked", "Win without letting your opponent score", and "Win with a Level 3 Super Dunk" (the longest and most difficult super meter move in the game). Apart from the challenges, the game also likes to change the rules during certain games, including no ball checking. That basically means that when your opponent scores, the fast and smart AI will be able to just stand under the basket and put up shot after shot before you can even grab the ball. Some levels are extremely frustrating, due to the skewed rules and almost infallible AI.

    2/10    … Full Review »
  2. 7Tenths
    Sep 10, 2012
    1
    With basketball finals upcoming a basketball game was in need. So i placed Ballers on the queue inspite of all the negative about it.With basketball finals upcoming a basketball game was in need. So i placed Ballers on the queue inspite of all the negative about it. Thinking at least the flash would make up for it.

    How little did I overestimate the amount and ease to use those flashy moves would be. You get thrown into the game with no tutorial what so ever. So you start of guessing what each of the buttons do.

    What a fun first couple of games that made! once you do get the controls down you    … Full Review »
  3. joshua.
    Nov 27, 2008
    0
    any game that rates larry bird as one of the lowest ranking passers on the game knows NOTHING about the game of roundball. period. now applyany game that rates larry bird as one of the lowest ranking passers on the game knows NOTHING about the game of roundball. period. now apply the same brillant minds here that rank bird as one of the lowest ranking passers AND one of the lowest ranking in power, which was his strongest natural physical asset, and you have one of the lowest ranking basketball video games of all time, an absolute joke, and within winking distance of RACIST to boot. just to give an idea of how ridiculous birds rankings are in the game, as a comparison george gervin was one of the worst passing guards in the history of the game, and he was a GUARD, so the game was set up for him to have more options to pass however bird in the FORWARD position, who is heralded as the best passing forward of all time, averaged OVER 2 TIMES as many assists as gervin, yet his ranking on the game is far lower than gervin and other players who averaged far less than bird such as dominique, worthy, dr. j, etc.. etc.., bird's power is also ranked at half of what gervin is for comparasin, which is just as ridiculous given gervin was an absolute bean pole of a man at just barely 185 soaking wet and roughly the same height as bird yet bird outwieghed him BY 60 POUNDS of muscle and is renowned as one the most well conditioned players to ever play the game due to his extremely hard work ethic, he was always the first one in the gym to practice and the last to leave waking up before dawn just to start training, he seemingly never tired out, and was a very strong 220-230 lbs. all of this illustrates just how the same apathetic effort to even do basic fact checks translates into an extremely apathetic and ignorant game in general, a contender for the worst basketball video game ever, move over "jammit" and make room at the bottom, its gonna stink down there for a while when this one drops.… Full Review »
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