NBA Playgrounds comes to the Xbox One, PS4 and the Nintendo Switch hoping to revive the long lost nostalgia from similar arcade sports games like NFL Street and NBA Jam. Seeing this got me really excited to jump back into a game like them because I'm awful at the actual simulation games like Madden and NBA 2K. For a small purchase of $20, I was already downloading the game onto my Switch and starting it up.
The game opens with you opening packs similar to MyTeam in the 2K games. You'll get notable NBA players of various rarities and skills. There are 150 players to collect to fill each team. There are no microtransactions to pay for new players but this process is done by leveling up and receiving packs to open which may include duplicates. So prepare yourselves to be robbed like Overwatch loot boxes. Then you get to the actual main menu, where you see that you have access to 3 main modes: Exhibition, the quick jump into a game, and start playing with friends. Tournament, where you play through 4 increasingly tough matches located in different states and countries. And Online where you face off against the world. Fun fact, you'll have to win a Tournament before you can even try to go online, so good work on keeping servers populated developers!
Gameplay works with 2v2 matches like NBA Jam and having comically exaggerated dunks and layups and various powerups. On offense, you can set up alley-oops, push/elbow the defense and pass the ball.Shooting the ball is a pain since the accuracy of the shot depends on timing. There's no meter or gauge to tell you how you're doing so it is largely left up to guesswork and I found myself just going for dunks every time since the timing is more lenient on them. On defense, you'll be shoving players to knock the ball away, stealing and blocking. Blocking is awkward to where sometimes it works and other times, your player will block in the wrong direction giving easy buckets. The 'On Fire' is replaced with the Lottery Pick system where when your gauge maxes out, your players are bestowed with a random powerup such as doubling points or increased movement speed.
On the surface, NBA Playgrounds looks like a fun romp and calls back to times of old but lacks the fine tuning of its predecessors. This game is really only for those who like clunky controls or if you have friends to bring over and enjoy the game with.
