Once you get your juice meter filled up, you can then use that to perform a variety of "Super" crossovers, steals, blocks, shots, or dunks.  These moves can be performed by pulling both the left and right triggers, and then pressing the normal corresponding button.  Performing this correctly will send you into a cutscene of you doing that action to your opponent, and then gives you control so you can finish at the rim however you choose.

The major problem that seems to present itself with that feature is the fact that gamers love to be involved in the "cool" features of the game, not being forced to watch them in their entirety.  NBA Street Homecourt did this extremely well when they allowed gamers the ability to participate in the Gamebreakers, and this is something that Midway could have really taken advantage of as well.  As a sort of counteract to that, they do allow you the ability to choose various dunks, shots, steals, crossovers, or blocks to do each time you have that animation called upon.  The most sought after dunk would have to be the 720, and it’s well worth the time and effort spent to unlock it.

By the time you’ve had the chance to master the controls, Chosen One steps its game up and throws you into the gauntlet to face some of the more tougher challenges.  You’ll even find yourself shooting a television commercial against a very dominant NBA player.  The commercial is fully interactive, as the director tells you what moves they want to see.  Upon finishing the multiple requests of the director, you’ll get the opportunity to sit down and "quench your thirst" and watch the full version of the commercial.

Not today Mr. Bigshot, Dwight is on duty.

Regardless of the difficulty of your opponent, there seem to be a few AI tweaks that need to be made to the next NBA Ballers title.  Players soon learn that they can crossover, dunk, check the ball, perform a super steal, crossover, dunk, rinse, and repeat.  It’s a proven formula that can be used over and over again, and it takes away any strategic element of the game after a certain point.

The environments in the game are entertaining and extremely unique.  You’ll find yourself surrounded by a ton of people, jets, and a DJ in some of the most random, but well constructed places possible.  Speaking of the people surrounding the court, one of the cooler features to master would be the crowd-to-oop feature.  You can pass to a member of the crowd using the A button, and then cut to the hole and by pressing X you’ll receive an alley oop as long as you are in the path of the ball.

Chosen One, visually, has a few areas where it shines and a few where a few textures could have benefited it incredibly.  The players faces are top notch, and some of the most well-done that I’ve come across in a sporting game other than the Tiger Woods series.  The jerseys that they wear, on the other hand, look way too shiny and plastic.  There are also a few instances where the player’s heads, especially the created ones, may slightly shrink and then re-expand during certain cutscenes.

The presentation and soundtrack in the game are two of the best elements in it, and more games should take a similar approach in certain situations.  Rather than giving us a digital version of Chuck D. in a studio, they give us the real thing, and I must say, he’s a MUCH better actor than Al Horford could ever think of being.  Horford’s interviews are pretty commical, and sadly are not meant to be.  Chuck D. gives updates in the chapters with an NBA TV style presentation, and the sports ticker that scrolls constantly on the bottom gives you a heads up on who you just might be playing with or against.

The beats that Just Blaze provides are perfect for the game, and flow extremely well with it without causing any form of distraction.  The commentary on the court from Chuck D. is much better than anything that will ever come out of Bobbito’s mouth, but is nothing to write home about.

NBA Ballers: Chosen One takes the quite a few unique and innovative steps in this year’s version, and if they take the time to go through the design phase a little more, they could have a gem on their hands.  Features that aren’t fully capatilized on, questionable AI, and shallow online modes keep this game from truly standing out as amazing.  Regardless, NBA Ballers: Chosen One is a game that both casual fans and veterans of the series are going to enjoy, and it’s perfect if you have a few friends around that want to play.