From an actual gameplay standpoint NBA ’07 brings a different approach to hoops compared to the competition out there. The game is realistic but not at the expense of draining the fun out of NBA basketball. This does not mean that NBA ’07 plays great, because a lot of work needs to be done before it can be ready for the big time. First and foremost the game lacks identity. When you are playing it you may feel like you are playing an arcade basketball title while at other times you may feel like you are playing a simulation game. The hoops title really has no identity in the matter because it cannot decipher which way it wants to go. The game though does lean more towards an arcade approach.

The A.I. in NBA ’07 is respectable but nothing spectacular. The players will fill their roles for the most part and try to run out their assignments accordingly. On the defensive end though, the game seems pretty lackluster in terms of A.I. as they tend to be not as aggressive. Minor glitches in the A.I. also lead to erratic passes and backcourt violations which can be extremely hindersome especially in a close game. They do not appear enough though to ruin the experience in any way.

NBA ’07 brings back the patented shot meter once again but brings it into the next-generation with a smoother approach. The shot is smoother in the sense that there is no delay from the second you begin that shot to when the meter actually begins. The way in which the meter works for those of you who have never played any SCEA basketball title is like this. Basically you will hold down the shoot button to begin the shot process. The meter will begin to fill up above your players head starting at red, then yellow, then green. iIf you time it correctly you will let go of the shot when it is green giving you about a 99% chance that the shot is going in. If you get it in the middle in the yellow/orange range your shot has about a 50% chance of going in. If you throw up a shot in the red get ready to hit the boards!

Speaking of the boards the gameplay does feature something innovative and that is the hints for rebounds. When a rebound is going to take place you will see a little white marker on the floor so that you know where the ball is going to go when it bounces off of the rim. Usually in basketball games it is more of a guessing affair to try and tell exactly where the ball is going to bounce since the views do not allow you to get a good sense. This allows you to immediately begin to jockey for position as soon as you know a shot is not going to go in.

One innovative thing the team over at SCEA San Diego did attempt was the inclusion of motion-sensitive controls for the SIXAXIS controller. The SIXAXIS controller is used to perform movements with the players such as jukes, spins, and crossovers. This works fairly well as to do a juke all you have to do is push the controller forward or backward wherever you would like to juke. To do a crossover it is a bit more complicated as you have to move right then left to do a left crossover and the other way around for a right crossover. Spins are also possible by simply twisting the controller to the left or right where you want to spin to. This is a nice attempt at putting this into the game but the motion-sensing controls are very touchy, meaning sometimes they will be too-sensitive when other times it will not pick up on your movements at all. Thankfully the same moves are mapped to the right analog stick. If you spend the time to learn the SIXAXIS controls though it does make the game more enjoyable. More tweaking for next-years version will make this a great addition to the franchise.