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. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    36
    This latest NBA Ballers seems to have been built in a vacuum. [June 2008, p.79]
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  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Gamervision
    30
    Ballers is just too glitchy, ugly and frustrating to be worth even a rental.
  11. 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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