Well, you can say this for NBA Baller Beats<\/em><\/a>: It\u2019s the early leader in the clubhouse for most bizarre gaming concept of the year. It\u2019s also the only game in history to come packaged with its very own Spalding basketball. <\/p>\n

Or, as it\u2019s known here, the controller. NBA Baller Beats<\/em> takes a crazy bounce at the intersection of rhythm games like Dance Central<\/em> and Guitar Hero<\/em>, and the pantomime moves of the Kinect Sports<\/em> series. The difference here is that you\u2019re charged with dribbling an actual basketball \u2014and busting strings of increasingly complicated dribble moves–to the beat of everything from Run DMC\u2019s \u201cIt\u2019s Tricky\u201d to Wiz Khalifa\u2019s \u201cRoll Up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The interface, by now, is familiar, given that it mirrors every rhythm game you\u2019ve ever played. Cues on what to do come hurtling down the runway at you and it\u2019s up to you to react with the appropriate timing and move. Each song requires multiple crossovers, so you\u2019d better hope your left-hand dribble\u2019s not too rusty. <\/p>\n

It sounds completely insane and unworkable. But here\u2019s the thing: In the moments when everything clicks, and you\u2019re rocking between-the-legs crossovers and pump fakes to the beat of Skrillex\u2019s \u201cBangarang,\u201d you actually feel a hell of a lot cooler than you do nailing the correct move in Dance Central 2<\/em> or acing the drum solo in Rock Band 3<\/em>. Given that my own dribbling skills generally hover somewhere between a three-legged alpaca and a drunken Steve Blake, that\u2019s probably saying something. <\/p>\n

NBA Baller Beats<\/em> is also a serious workout, much more so than flapping your limbs wildly in the latest edition of Just Dance<\/em>–even the briefest tunes will leave you drenched in a monster sweat. Somewhat unexpectedly, the Kinect camera is both adept and forgiving when it comes to recognizing your moves. This is important, because collecting stars for swank performances will net you specialized balls and NBA player cards. <\/p>\n

The trouble, of course, is that there\u2019s no way to get around the physical restrictions NBA Baller Beats<\/em> has to manage. You will end up losing the handle or dribbling the ball off your foot at some point (probably several points) in each song, and notwithstanding the hit your score rating will take as you scramble for the loose ball, that muff is probably going to result in the ball bouncing, hitting and breaking something. Maybe even something valuable. If you live in a seventh-floor apartment, your neighbors can and will hate you for playing this game, even in short bursts. If your gaming rig is located in a room with soft carpeting, you\u2019re basically screwed. If you\u2019re just barely meeting your Kinect-camera gameplay space requirements, you\u2019re also screwed, because you can\u2019t bust a flow dribble\/around-the-world combo with a coffee table guarding you.<\/p>\n

The NBA has gamely thrown its support behind this game\u2014the launch was accompanied by NBA stars touring the country and showing gamers how it\u2019s supposed to be done. That\u2019s great, but Kevin Love and Deron Williams are also probably among the few people who have a legit prayer of nailing a five-star score on the game\u2019s upper difficulty levels. It\u2019s easy to see how NBA Baller Beats<\/em> could give an extra edge to your playground moves or punch up an elementary school gym class that\u2019s tired of yet another round of DDR<\/em>. It\u2019s less easy to see how those of us whose living rooms aren\u2019t made of hardwood and cement will be able to rock it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n+ Kickin\u2019 soundtrack equals or tops most rhythm-game offerings
\n+ When the action clicks, it really clicks
\n+ Forgiving Kinect camera
\n+ You get a nice basketball<\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n– Space and gameplay area limitations are steep to insurmountable<\/p>\n

Game Info:<\/strong>
\nPlatform: Xbox 360 Kinect
\nPublisher: Majesco
\nDeveloper: HB Studios
\nRelease Date: 9\/11\/2012
\nGenre: Rhythm\/Sports
\nESRB Rating: E10+
\nPlayers: 1-8 (local multiplayer)
\nSource: Review copy provided by publisher<\/p>\n