gamespot.com zitat zum neuen modus "24/7":
As if the street modes and franchise modes weren't enough, ESPN NBA piles on the value with its unique 24/7 mode. In this gameplay mode, you'll create a player, customizing his height and appearance from a variety of options, including faces, skin tone, hair styles, and accessories, like tattoos, knee braces, and Allen Iverson-style arm sleeves. Once that's done, you start out in the world as an aspiring baller with very few skills. You can go to the training gym where you'll compete against low-level NBA players in a game of one-on-one. Depending on which skill you feel like trying to improve, you'll be asked to meet some challenge criteria during the match to improve your player's attributes. For example, if you want to enhance your dunking ability, you'll need to carry out a certain number of dunks or layups in a row without getting your shot blocked.
Once you've achieved a basic skill level, you can then travel to different parts of the country to participate in various challenges. Strangely similar to Animal Crossing, 24/7 mode is tied to your console's system clock. If you ignore your character for a couple of days, some of your earned attributes will actually decay. The games and opponents available to you also differ, depending on the time of day. If you play at 3pm in Maine, you may be able to participate in a three-pointers-only match against Mike Dunleavy, Jr., while at 11am in Seattle you might be able to participate in a dunks-only game against a different player. Once you defeat a player in these challenges, you earn ranking points, a special bit of clothing or accessory from the player, and that player's cell phone number. In certain gameplay modes, you'll need a teammate or two, so these cell phone numbers come in handy for calling up a new friend. As you go through 24/7 you can take on boss characters, unlock new areas, and customize your character with all the new loot you earn. All of this makes 24/7 mode extremely fun and addictive. The fact that you can take your character online and play makes it even better.
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While there are a small handful of faults with the game, ESPN NBA Basketball has just about everything a hardcore NBA fan could ask for. It includes a tough, but rewarding, simulation-style of gameplay, a feature-packed franchise mode, street-style game modes, and the truly unique 24/7 gameplay mode that might be good enough to be its own game. If you're a hardcore NBA fan with an Xbox or PlayStation 2, your game library just isn't complete without a copy of ESPN NBA Basketball.