Though short and light on content, NBA Homecourt is a fun basketball
game with plenty of over-the-top, eye-popping dunks and maneuvers. The
game takes its inspiration from street ball, as opposed to the usual
NBA Live or 2K titles. Homecourt does an admirable job of capturing the
"essence" of street ball, through personal stories narrated by players
such as Carmello Anthony and Rip Hamilton about their rise from child
prodigy to NBA star. In this way, the game effectively depicts
basketball as a metaphor for hard work, optimism, and
self-discipline--a positive message that's rarely conveyed in urban,
hip-hop themed games.
Beyond its aesthetics, Homecourt features some entertaining gameplay
that's easy to pick up and play. Instead of going for realism,
Homecourt allows players to execute the most impossible dunks and
ball-handling tricks one can imagine, which makes for plenty of "oh
snap" moments. Players can also take the game online and test their
skills against other aspiring street ballers. But the relatively short
career mode and limited online match options makes this one more of a
rental than a buy.
