NBA 10: The Inside - a PSP Game Review

NBA 10: The Inside is a great game for the PSP. It has stunning graphics (the best I have yet seen on the PSP), fluid gameplay (the best of any NBA basketball game I have played on my PSP), and great multiplayer. The online features of NBA 10: The Inside are also really sweet.

So let us start with the gameplay. The user interface of NBA 10 is the best I have seen yet on the PSP. You have complete control of your character (if you push the control stick, he is going to sprint, but if you just barely move it, he will walk at a snail's pace). The speed of the game is very fast, and the offense to defense switch is great. It is just as fluid as you see on television. Each player has his own strengths and weaknesses, but this is the first game I have seen where each player has their own style. Kobe is a sweet ballhandler, just as he is in real life. His down low to up high style is flawlessly immitated in NBA 10: The Inside. Lebron James also has a style. If you are playing against or with the Cavs, you will see him throw the chalk up in the air at the beginning of a game. You will also see his awesome speed and fluid motions. He is the best player in this game, and has the best stats.

The graphics are the best I have yet seen on the PSP. They never stop astounding me. If you jump up for a dunk at a key point in the game, the camera angle will change and you will be able to literally see the sweat on your player's body. This is also the first basketball game I have played with facial expressions. In most games, the faces of the players do not change very much or not at all. In this game, the faces move just as a human face would, right down to the eyes. When you go up for a long range three, your eyes will sometimes open wide. When you are going up for a dunk, your eyes are actually pointed at the hoop (which I have never seen before in a video game.)

Last is the multiplayer and online features. You can play in both Ad-Hoc and Infastructure mode. In Ad-Hoc, the PSP will let you see the names of who you are challenging, as well as what team they are going to be. In Infastructure, you can do the same, as well as seeing how the player you are facing off against ranks. Online you can update the game's rosters, to keep them consistent with the current NBA. The rosters are updated every few weeks.

NBA 10: The Inside is a pretty great game. It costs a lot for a PSP game (around 40 dollars) but it is worth every cent. This is a great game to get someone who likes basketball for the Holiday Season coming up.