Sony's basketball NBA franchise is easily mistaken for NBA Live 07 from EA Sports. Both games have the same letters and digits in their name, but each one distinctively holds their own. NBA '07 is exapanded, re-tooled and touched up. Better than ever, here is our review of NBA '07.

NBA '07 is coming off a solid offering last year in its NBA game. Remixed and better optimized we have this years edition, NBA '07. Sony is out to dominate your time with NBA '07 and your PSP and you never know, it might just happen. There is a console version of NBA '07 as well, called NBA '07 The Life Vol 2. The real difference in these two versions is that you get a well rounded story mode following the life of a basketball star in the PS2 version, and for the PSP you get more basketball, less story, and an interesting strategy mode called Conquest. Normally you would demote the PSP version under the PS2 version, but this time around it's a little different. Both versions win by offering solid gameplay with only a few game modes separating them.

Immediately when you arrive at the menu system in NBA '07 you'll be barraged with a host of gaming options. Each category is branched out for each specific game. First we have the "All-Star Weekend" with four games underneath, "Game Modes" with five selections, "Mini-Games" which consists of five mini-games, "Carnival" with four carnival games to choose from, "Quick Play" with four choices, "Conquest Mode" and "My Profile" which hosts everything from your online stats to your normal options. Now you can see why I said barraged, it's pretty confusing at first glance, but Sony has done an excellent job with the navigation making it smooth and easy to use.

Out of all those game modes the main mode that will have you hooked is the new "Conquest" mode. The conquest mode adds a strategy eliminated tied around normal basketball. You start off by picking your team of choice and then you have a number of branched out teams you can face. All the teams around the globe start knocking each other off and you have the option to pass on your turn or challenge another team. The goal of Conquest is to take over all six regions. Winning conquest mode takes some strategy, when to attack, who to attack and when to wait. This new mode is a fresh take and a good bonus that PS2 owners won't see in their version. I guess it's a substitute for The Life story mode.

For quick games in NBA '07 you have the mini-game approach which includes being at the local Carnival shooting baskets in the hopes of unlocking classic jerseys from vintage years. This of course is the new "Carnival" mode which is the only mode that is supported with game sharing. There is also a "Mini-Game" section which has a Skills Challenge, 3 Point Contest, game of Horse and Dogeball, and lastly Own the Court mode where you have to make as many shots as you can in two minutes in a grid based challenge.

Lastly we have the "Quick Play" section and "All-Star Weekend". Both these modes offer up some quick games with Exhibition, All-Star, and Pick Up games in the Quick Play section and another All-Star mode, Dunk Content, Skills Challenge and 3 Point Contest. The differences between these modes which are in the Mini-Game section is that get to choose from the all star players from each team, like the notorious Kobe Bryant for the Lakers. All these game modes really increase the value of this disc. It's really hard to get bored with all the options in NBA '07 and these simple mini-games can easily eat up hours of your time.

The season mode is another area where I found myself lingering for a long time. Depending on the amount of gaming time you have the option is open for you to have a short or long season, from "29" to "82" and switch up the amount of games in the playoff. The season mode isn't that elaborate and it's dumbed down from most console systems, but at least it's included and with all the other modes you really can't complain. Slap a season down for the 29 games and single elimination. Check out the season mode without the worry of investing a few months of your life.

One problem in NBA '07 is that the game lacks feel, better said as realism. The A.I. is overly aggressive and is mainly focused on playing offensive. Each team slightly varies in their approach, aside from their star players it feels like you're playing the same team over and over. This quick paced aggressive style proves to be challenging at times, so you need to stay focused or the lead will continue to grow.

Shooting is also a slight problem with the return of the coloured circles. The problem with the circle system is that you have to be watching the circle for it to change colour more then grasping a feel for the ball. I've heard a lot of distaste for NBA '07 because it's not on auto pilot and it takes a little skill to start nailing baskets. Getting good at nailing the baskets will take some time, so devote a few minutes and try and get it down before you start on a major mode like conquest. It will only take a few and the more you play the more you will probably start to dig the shooting system. I was the same way, iffy at the start and then I become more dialed in as I continued to play.

NBA '07 looks damn good from its presentation, navigation menus to the in game action. On the PSP screen everything looks really sharp and crisp. Sony did a good job streamlining the hardware and not once did I encounter any problems, glitches, or stutter in the frame rate. If my memory serves me correct, last years NBA game looked good, but NBA '07 has bumped up the detail and polish level one more step. The PSP always surprises and NBA '07 is a great game to showcase the unit.

For audio as long as dig Hip Hop music you be in the groove. Really, any other music just wouldn't seem appropriate. Besides the urban soundtrack the audio is solid right down to the sneakers on the court. You couldn't really want any more in the production and like the graphics it's polished and crisp.

NBA '07 improves every year and even though the finial product can use some tweaking this years version is impressive. It's not the most realistic basketball game around, but it is fun. The addition of the Carnival and Conquest mode is a nice side track from the trappings of the season mode, which is wrapped up in a nice level of polish from the graphic and audio side. If you're looking for fun sports game for your PSP, NBA '07 will do the trick. For all those B-Ballers that are still hooked on NBA Live, give the Sony product a try, you might just like what it has to offer.