At last week's Digital Life expo in NYC, Sony didn't have an elaborate booth. Actually, it was smaller than most of the set ups at the show, but then again, it's not the size of the booth that matters. Its what you shove into it. In this case, Sony brought along the red-hot PlayStation 3, and the masses swooned. Resistance: Fall of Man wowed audiences, but its counterpart, NBA 07, also managed to snag scores of curious onlookers and for good reason. It's still not on par with the exquisite NBA 2K7, but it does offer up an enjoyable game of hoops, even if the players look like glossy action figures.

When Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 last fall, some of the games were heavily criticized for containing plastic men, characters that look as if they were yanked from a He-Man package. It was something that I hoped would be corrected as the months wore on, and for the most part it has been, but apparently SCEA never got the proverbial memo. The character models in this game are far superior to the ones found in the PS2 version in that the textures have been vastly improved and the overall clarity is superb, but they look exactly like the WWE action figures in my brother's room. They've been coated with some funky gloss (either that or corn syrup), and they have strange looks on their faces. Most times, I didn't know if they were going to play basketball or whip out hunting knives and slit each other's throats. Some of these guys look psycho, and with less than a month to go before its release (the game is rumored to be a PS3 launch title), I doubt Sony will be able to give their faces an overhaul.

Mental patients aside, I found the game to be rather enjoyable. It's still not on the same level as 2K Games' excellent hoops sim, but I had fun crossing over opponents, spinning around defenders and dunking the ball, or even drawing the double and kicking it out to a wide open three point shooter. NBA 07, much like its PS2 counterpart, has an exciting arcade feel to it. If you're willing to scratch beneath the surface you'll run into limited depth, but you don't need a degree in basketball to understand the fundamentals, especially with shooting. The shot meter (the system by which you gauge your chances of making a shot by the color of a halo above your head) makes its return, and it's a solid feature, all things considered. It's not always reliable (I was able to swish three point shots when the halo was red, its lowest point), but for the most part, all green shots go in.

The gameplay impressed me for the most part, though I did encounter some awkward moments. Whenever I would chuck the ball down court from a considerable distance away, an opposing player would intercept it out of position. In other words, they were able to get their hands on the ball even though by all accounts they should've missed it by a good foot. I was also a little perplexed by the ballet dancing that occurred underneath the hoop. As I was bringing the ball up court, guys would get in position for an alley oop and then leap across the basket. This wouldn't have made me laugh if it happened every so often, but at times, I would have two, sometimes three dudes jumping, one after the other.

Much to my surprise, the game was running at 1080p and the clarity was outstanding. The court and rim detail really look fantastic spread across the wide screens at the show. But I didn't have anything to compare it to. I couldn't switch things to 720p to get a better perspective, so for now, the value of 1080p resolution is still lost on me.

Overall, NBA 07 is a solid sports title that should garner a solid 3 or 3.5 star rating. I'm still unsure as to whether or not it'll contain the same exact features as its PS2 cousin (the mini games and the story mode, dubbed the Life: Vol 2), but I should have some answers after this week's PS3 blowout in San Francisco. Expect more coverage in the near future.