NBA Playgrounds Reviews
Although there are pieces of a good arcade basketball game here, it lacks polish, and seems to have been rushed out the door. Playgrounds is inherently fun because it lets you play out outrageous dunks, but it just doesn't do enough to stand up to the greats of its genre, let alone push the bar in any way.
Playgrounds sure isn't an NBA Jam, but it feels okay for a return to arcade style basketball. I'd like to see EA try again in the future, hopefully taking some of the bare minima they've learned from Playgrounds to make a more enticing experience.
NBA Playgrounds scratches that arcade basketball itch we've had since NBA Jam. The gameplay and progression are simple and fun to mess around with but unbalanced power-ups and a shallow online multiplayer offering keep it from being as consistently fun as the classics.
Saber Interactive's NBA Jam-a-like delivers monster dunks and a novel leveling system that enables this high-flying sports game to leap over at least some of its flaws.
An excellent idea, a not so excellent execution. A great filler for a play night with friends, but its charm rapidly fades, mostly because of some prominent balancing issues.
Review in Italian | Read full review
NBA Playgrounds comes close to being a good arcade basketball game ... but it doesn't quite score the bucket.
If there's never another arcade-style hoops title for Switch, then Playgrounds certainly meets my bare-minimum needs. It could have been so much more though, and as such I'm hoping Saber Interactive comes back with a fleshed-out second attempt (maybe another sport?) sometime down the road. In the meantime, Playgrounds delivers the outrageous exhibitions you're looking for - just don't expect it to provide much else.
Even if Playgrounds' single-player mode lacks the unbridled merriment that makes multiplayer so enjoyable, finally getting the upper hand in a tournament is rewarding and exciting in its own way. But even at its best, Playgrounds doesn't offer enough variety to keep you engaged for long.
NBA Playgrounds is a game that you will undoubtedly enjoy playing better against your friends than against AI, if you are a BasketBall fan and want to test your skills against your friends give it a try, you may be interested.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The smattering of flaws aside, NBA Playgrounds manages to be a fun multiplayer street hoops experience that is at least partially successful in recapturing the charm of NBA Jam. Player decks and lottery pick meter are subtle but effective elements to help give the game a bit of its own character.
NBA Playgrounds is the definition of a game that's a mixed bag.
... the apparent lack of content paired with the difficulty spike in the solo Tournament mode means NBA Playgrounds is just two big steps away from being a great game. Right now, it’s merely pretty good.
If I had to compare this game to current NBA teams, it would be Minnesota Timberwolves. They've got bright future and promising players, they showed what they can do in last season, but... it wasn't good enough.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Bland and generic against the computer, Playgrounds is infinitely better with friends. Priced competitively at around the $30 AUD mark, depending on console, it's worth a bounce if you go in with your expectations set at the right point.
There is no career or story mode, and really no options for customizing a game beyond how long it goes on for or how many points you need to win.
NBA Playgrounds is a game that is instantly playable - but the more you chip away at it, the more you're disappointed by the lack of content at release. It can be fantastic to pick up and play when you’re with a group of friends, but the lack of online multiplayer at launch means you’ll find yourself enjoying Playgrounds less and less very quickly.
If you like NBA Street and NBA Jam, you will enjoy NBA Playgrounds. Just be warned though, that unless you happen to be lucky with your location and can join random opponents in the online matchmaking, you are going to be playing this by yourself until future updates expand the game.
NBA Playgrounds aims to bring the best elements of NBA Jam into the modern era of basketball, but falls short in some areas. The core of the high-octane gameplay is there, but it's not enough to push past all of the game's shortcomings.
Fun on short bursts but plagued with little flaws that makes the game less funny than it should have been.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you want a good couch co op game that you can have a couple of quick games with it’s perfect.