AND 1 Streetball

The so-called "street" versions of professional sports have always had a certain unmistakable appeal that elevates them above their "professional" counterparts. Case in point, AND 1 Streetball is an incredibly enjoyable basketball title that diverges from the usual NBA fare with a fresh take on gameplay.

Sadly, some minor issues prevent this game from achieving its full potential. The needlessly complicated controls might be the most glaring issue with the title, and so are the excessive number of visual oddities you'll find during gameplay.

Street Style Basketball

Imagine that the original NBA Street didn't have those cartoonish visuals, and you'll get the basic idea of what AND 1 Streetball is going for. The AND 1 series has always been known for its skillful b-ball exhibitions, and this game capitalizes on that very subject with its Mixtape Tour.

Players create custom characters and then take them all over the country, as they participate in different exhibition matches that let them show off their basketball skills. It's all pretty run-of-the-mill for a campaign mode in a sports title, but that's okay: AND 1 Streetball's aim isn't to reinvent the wheel.

The only problem is that each city you visit is more or less the same as the one before it. It eventually becomes an endless cycle that can test the limits of your patience to no end.

Show Off Some Skills

Since everything in AND 1 Streetball ties to the tricks system, be prepared to face some complicated controls that allow you to perform overly intricate maneuvers and passes.

Similar to FIFA Street's trick system, players can use the analog sticks to perform special abilities. However, this is easier said than done. Half of the time, the game won't even recognize your inputs, leading to awful moments of frustration as the CPU players beat you over and over.

That said, when the controls do work, the flow of the game becomes a true work of art. Animations are very fluid and detailed, giving a unique feel to AND 1 Streetball. It might not be pretty all the time, but when it does, it's a rather solid basketball game that deserves a chance, especially for die-hard fans of the real-life sport.

Uneven Presentation

When it comes to the game's visuals, I'm kind of on the fence. Sometimes, the game looks rather good, with detailed character models and interesting lighting. However, once you start to focus on some of the more minute details, the cracks begin to show.

That's not even getting into the plethora of visual and gameplay glitches you'll encounter as you play the game. AND 1 Streetball aims high – and even if it sometimes misses, when it does score it does so with a unique charm and flair that's hard to come by in any basketball game.

As long as you can look past the obnoxious control scheme and the glitches, you'll find yourself having more fun than frustration with AND 1 Streetball's unique gameplay mechanics.

Pros

• Interesting story mode
• Animations look pretty good
• Detailed character models

Cons

• Repetitive single-player missions
• Buggy visuals and physics
• Overcomplicated controls that often don't work at all