Now to its credit, Sony's still managed to pump out a pretty decent product. Not only does NBA 07 contain Exhibition, Season, Playoff, and various All Star Modes (complete with a rhythm-based dunk contest that isn't much fun), but it's also plunged its hand into its bag of tricks and yanked out several entertaining modes and mini games, the most significant being Conquest. Basically, Conquest is a turn-based game in which you attempt to gain territory by defeating various teams around the country. After selecting which team you want to face, you're plunged into a five-on-five street ball game where the object is to deplete the opponent's power bar (there are no points, just a fighting game style energy meter). Doing this results in a piece of the pie and access to opposing players. Conversely, losing results in the AI yanking players away, so you might begin Conquest with Shaq as your center, but by the next game, he may be suiting up for Orlando depending on the outcome of the contest.

Conquest rocks because it's so involving. It'll take you hours upon hours to beat, and the AI isn't nearly as punishing as it is during exhibition games, so you might actually have a fighting chance. But there's a lot more to love about NBA 07. In addition to Conquest, Sony's tossed in Pinball, Hot Shot (similar to the pop-a-shot arcade game), Big Shooter (skee-ball), HORSE, the extremely enjoyable Own the Court, a very awkward game of Dodgeball (the mechanics just don't feel right), and the PlayStation Skills Challenge, among other modes. Most of them are pretty cool and worth playing for a few hours. There are also ad-hoc and online multiplayer modes, so if anything NBA 07 has plenty of replay value.

Despite its flashy graphics, decent audio, and sweet selection of bonus games, I just can't get past NBA 07's shady AI, and it's for that reason why I've bumped the game's score to a 3. I think Sony's done a good job overall, but the last thing I need is a portable b-ball game that doesn't play fair. I think you should consider buying it because it really has a lot to offer, but rent it first, just to make sure you're comfortable with the difficulty levels. Perhaps I just suck.