NBA Playgrounds Reviews
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.
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.
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
... 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.
NBA Playgrounds is the definition of a game that's a mixed bag.
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 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
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.
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.
NBA Playgrounds comes close to being a good arcade basketball game ... but it doesn't quite score the bucket.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
As a spiritual successor to NBA Jam, NBA Playgrounds really does a great job of recreating that zany arcade feeling of streetball two versus two action. As a huge fan of the genre who recalls dropping a lot of quarters into the NBA Jam arcade cabinet when I was younger, I am the target audience for this title. The slick visuals and over-the-top action are a lot of fun, but some inconsistencies in the gameplay and a lack of depth limit this to title to a status of fun filler of must-play hoops action.
With proper support 'NBA Playgrounds' could become a great series in the future. It's just not quite there in this, its rookie season.
The best analogy for NBA Playgrounds is that it's like a leaky ship. The exterior, with its charm and aesthetically pleasing look, hides an interior rife with small missteps and annoyances.
NBA Playgrounds plays well to the strengths of the Nintendo Switch, providing a fun multiplayer basketball game, with authentic players and commentary. Difficulty spikes in solo play are too steep to ignore, though, and the current absence of online play greatly diminishes long-term viability. A great game is here, but not yet at the surface.
NBA Playgrounds has potential, but it just leaves too much in the locker room to be considered anything more than unpolished. At least there's no micro-transactions in this one.