REVIEW | NBA The Run

There was a time when the biggest sports title on the market wasn’t NBA 2K or Madden. There existed a title with such a fun, arcade-style approach to gameplay that anyone who picked up a controller was impressed. I am, of course, speaking of NBA Street (and its sequel, Vol. 2). With NBA The Run, they hope to capture that magic while incorporating some of the biggest stars into the style and making it competitive online.

Things I liked!

• Arcade-style gameplay | This is a no-brainer. It doesn’t play anything like NBA 2K, and that’s a great thing. You feel like this could easily be on a machine in any arcade across the country and people would pile around to see the fancy dunks. The control scheme is easy to pick up and get games in, but, if you want to really rise in the wins, you need to master the cross-ups and variety dunks.
  
  
• Voice and Sound | These could make or break a game like this, and, luckily, it holds its own while you play. Yes, the announcer is cheesy, dropping one-liners that I hope update over time. But his legendary announcing really makes the game flow, jumping into plays when the ball gets swatted or a monster dunk goes down. It makes the experience feel alive. The classic basketball sounds are there, and crowds have a presence in the game. I would expect all of this in an arcade basketball game like NBA The Run, so it was no surprise. I do wish the players had louder voices, possibly expanding the back-and-forth between players sometimes. Durant is a legendary trash talker, so hearing his one-liners after a massive dunk would be comedic GOLD.
  
  
• The Company Listens | Something that really impresses me with releases is when the community comes together and expresses concerns – And the devs listen! I’ve seen multiple patch notes come out since playing that notice what was being said in the community (unblockable dunks – I SEE YOU) and fix it. It feels like Play By Play really wants this to be a long-term success, and, with a shaky start, they are providing the right steps to make it a staple.
  
  
• Shop Variety | Yes, this is a high point. Mostly because almost everything in the shop can be earned through simple playing. This is a bonus after spending a pretty penny on the game and a nice surprise. Shop offers older versions of some of the stars, jerseys, taunts, dunks, and customisations to your profile.

Mixed & disliked!

• Characters and Courts | When you do a game such as this, variety of play is key. NBA The Run delivers on this, providing some of the biggest names and street courts in the biz. Players like Wemby, Bron, and Curry all make their names known and play as you would expect. The courts are gorgeous and well-variety.
  
  I had a chance to play pretty much all the characters in the game (besides Gigante), and they all feel solid in how their game would relate. Whether I’m chucking threes from midcourt with Curry or blocking every shot with Wemby, their playstyle feels exactly like the arcade versions of them would be.
  
  That being said, I would’ve loved to see more of street ball legends making their dues into the game. Legends like The Professor, Skip To My Lou, and more of the crew could easily be in this game, rubbing elbows with the superstars as they show them what a real streetball game is. I hope to see a lot more names added in the future updates to keep this fresh.
  
  While I love the variety of courts in the game, I find myself wanting a ton more locations and some variety in the background. Give me those beachside Miami courts, with people enjoying the waves in the background. Give me some crazy. What the heck is this? The location possibilities are endless, and this needs to be an area of concern moving into updates.
  
  
• Stealing and Shoving | While this is a vital part of the game, I hope the devs recognize how powerful this portion of the game is. As of the time of this writing, even after a fix, two players can team up and almost always steal or shove a player down. This might be defined as defense, and yes, I have used it myself. But, in all truth, this is just a frustrating part of the game and needs a heavy fix to draw more players.

• The FEELING of Street Ball | When The Run was first announced, it hit my Wishlist immediately. I could not wait to dive back into the streetball world, manipulating the ball in weird dribbles and dunks, laughing as I trip my opponent as I drive by.
  
  When the NBA took over, I feel like it might’ve lost some of that appeal. Gone are some of the ridiculous things I saw in trailers and previews, and instead going for a more structured game. The triple pass alley-oop was gone to a a classic alley-oop and cross overs involved simple movements seen in standard games.
  
  I would love for them to reverse the decision somewhat. Keep the NBA goodness that they’ve cultivated, but bring that streetball style and grace in as well. Get ridiculous. Do weird things. Let players roll across the court or skip on the ball as a move. Make the game a show and watch the tickets fly out the door for it. As before, bring the streetball culture to the game and I am certain it will flourish.
  
  
• Bugs galore | Yes, I am nitpicking here. Yes, some launches just have some bugs that need to be ironed out. But, if the NBA attached their name to my title, I would do everything in my power to get those bugs squashed before release.
  
  Simple ones like graphic glitches or sound problems are things that happen. I’m speaking about major glitches that can ruin the game. On release, there was a steal bug that let you 100% steal the ball whenever you got near a player (being vague to not spread any info here). There’s a bug where the players can run up during countdown for the “jump ball.” You can sometimes dunk behind the backboard.
  
  These are major bugs that can ruin experiences and provide an out to players on the fence of the game. Proper testing of the game would’ve caught a lot of these, and while they had playtesting, these were reported to them.
  
  
• Lack of Offline / Modes | This is a HUGE problem, not just with me but with a lot of the current players I spoke to while playing. Yes, I actually interviewed players during gameplay to ask what they would love to see from NBA The Run. And the number one thing almost all of them said? Offline gameplay.
  
  Offline gameplay NEEDS to be a part of this game. Playing a simple 3v3 against bots not only lets you just chill with no expectations but it gives new players a chance to familiarize themselves with controls and moves before stepping into the Online arena. Even more, not every player wants to rely on others to provide their enjoyment. Sometimes, you just want to play a game after work to unwind and not have to put your A game on.
  
  A lack of modes really hurts as well. Simple matchups would do wonders, where you can get on for a quick 15-minute game and get off. The constant forcing a player to play a tournament anytime they want to play is, for lack of a better word here, dumb. It is single-layered and needs to be fixed for the longevity of the game.
  
  
• Distribution of Gold / Rep | This is an easy fix. Just up the numbers on both so players feel rewarded for every time they play. Providing a return on time investment to players is a solid play to keep a healthy fanbase. (Note: a recent patch has increased these, but it still needs to be pushed a little more)

• How long did I play the review before publishing? 18 hours
• How long to win a tournament: Probably 1 hour, with the right teammates
• How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 5/25
• How long to get 100%? A lot longer than needed
• You’ll love this game if you like these | NBA Street, NBA Jam

Score: 60/100

All in all, NBA The Run is a solid entry to a genre that needed a revival. The Streetball league needs love from its glory days and it could very well be this title if the right moves and love is shown to it. Right now, it doesn’t provide enough or have enough to really justify the purchase beyond huge fans of the game. I would say give this a little time to cook or get it on sale.

Here is the game in action: