Believe it or not, customization could very well have a place in sports. Yeah, yeah, I know, the general gameplay of a sport, aspects and all, is supposed to remain in place, but there's something about having control of little things at your fingertips, like modifying a player to look like you, tweaking a roster to absolute perfection (some Europeans absolutely love the Let's Make a Football Team series), or spending some hard-earned cash on a luxury digital apartment and other goodies. Surprisingly, Midway have made themselves a contender in both the customization and simulation efforts with their latest release, NBA Ballers.

NBA Ballers comes to us from the same company that brought us such arcade classics as NBA Jam and NBA Hangtime, and also shares elements of its gameplay. You take control of a hard-drivin' NBA player and basically work your offensive and defensive skills in one-on-one match-ups against some of the NBA's best. You've got the ability to Juice your player, which is basically a Turbo button, allowing them to speed up. You can jam your shots home with a powerful dunk or go for three from the outside, then try to steal the ball away defensively or get in your opponent's face for a key block to turn the tide.

What's different is the ability to use the right analog stick for some neat little "balling" moves, allowing you to taunt your opponent or pull off tricks to play with their heads before driving the ball home. Attitude plays a major factor here, as you try to build up your player's skill and ego to become a big-time NBA Baller.

The gameplay works pretty well, although there are times that the collision detection seems a bit sloppy and some plays manage to sneak through even after you think you've stopped them or guaranteed that a ball is going through the hoop. The computer opponent also can be incredibly cheap at times, especially if they're down by several points and somehow miraculously learn how to steal the ball, almost with psychic abilities, and go for some points near the end of the 11-point match-up. Overall, it's not bad, but some fixes would have been good.

NBA Ballers' presentation, however, makes up for some of this lost ground. The game boasts an absolutely beautiful graphic engine, detailing the players almost down to their real-life counterparts. You can even see the detailed cornrows in Carmelo Anthony's hair if you want to look close enough. Animation runs smoothly, and the great amount of courts show off some excellent detail. You'll definitely like how the game looks, even if the loading time is a bit more strenuous than it should have been.

Another kudos goes out to the sound department. MC Supernatural steps up for some lively commentary, and the game contains enough music tracks to keep your attitude in check and the game moving lively. There's also some sound effects that come into play very well, and match the on-screen action. Big thumbs up to keeping it real here as well.

But the real depth of NBA Ballers, the thing that differs it so much from Midway's previous NBA efforts, is its unlockable goodies, which can mostly be accessed through the robust Rags to Riches story mode. This is where you take some no-name chump and take him schooling through a number of NBA players, and with each win, he can earn attribute points and serious cash to buy him up some seriously cool stuff. Customization is here in mostly full effect, although not as deep as, say, Microsoft's Top Spin. Still, you can pretty much build a pretty good Baller and take him places. The game has a ton to dig into, including courts, classic players, and plenty of goodies to bolster your millionaire status. You'll like what's here, especially if you've always dreamed of building more than just a "crib".

NBA Ballers is quite simply the most personal when it comes to its multiplayer support. When it comes down to you and a friend on-court in a battle for the ball, all bets are off. You can even involve a third player, or take on Last Standing Mode to see how you fare with your current skills. I loved the multiplayer mode, as you can taunt aplenty and bring your game without the annoying AI problems that exist in the single player game. Sadly, the game lacks any kind of online support for Xbox Live, and that's too bad. NBA Ballers would've greatly benefited from its inclusion.

NBA Ballers is not perfect, and it lacks balance in a couple of key areas to keep it from toppling the almighty NBA Street Vol. 2. Yet, I can't help but consider it a momentum-filled achievement for Midway, due to the customizable bling-bling goodies and the revamped look and sound that have changed so far from the recycled NBA Hoopz. It's definitely worth checking out, especially for the Rags To Riches mode and the ability to create your own hoop-led utopia. It wouldn't hurt to invite over these Ballers for a few games, for shizzle.