Format: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
Developer: Hot Head Games Inc
Despite being from the UK I have been a basketball fan for years. My adopted team when I was a kid was the Utah Jazz with John Stockton and Karl Malone running the show. Anyway as well as loving the sport I have also always been into the various video game adaptations. NBA 2K series is clearly the number one game on the consoles. But this one here really took me by surprise. It is such a great idea of using trading cards in the game that it really did make me take notice.
Big Win Basketball is a game that is not going for the most realistic player models in the world. Instead we have a fun and exaggerated style of graphics. Do not get me wrong they still look great as does the arena you will be playing in. And I also love the way that the various cards you will be using to create your team look as well. Customisation is a big part of this game. When you get your team you can change there skin colour, hair style and really what ever else you want to make them all feel like real individuals.
Now in terms of game play this is a very interesting game and I think that may put some people off. You see this is not a game where you control the action with a on screen joystick and some action buttons. The idea is at the start of the game you are given a deck of basketball cards which you will need to use to create your team. As well as getting cards with players on them you will also get action cards which you will use during the games to try and make the game turn in your favour.
Before a game you will select what kind of action cards you want to use. This is very important as each card will offer different advantages like better shooting or passing for example. You get to watch the whole game play out and this may sound boring, but it is really fun and it lets you see where your team needs improving. After the game you get a very in depth stats screen that lets you see how your team has done.
Depending on how well you do in the game will alter how many coins that you get to spend. You can use your coins to buy new packs of cards and hopefully get better players. One really cool thing is that you can enter tournaments against other people who have also created there own teams. I loved the idea of this, but the way that it pairs you up with other players is a bit on the random side. Instead of having all the lower rated players playing against each other and having a tier based system. Everyone is just all lumped together. One time I even played a guy who was over 15 skill levels above me.
Win Big Basketball is a free game, but to really get anywhere in the game then you better be prepared to spend some money. After just a few games you will run out of energy and you will need to buy some more. You can earn in game currency, but it is so slow that you may lose interest before you earn enough. You can also but much better card from the in game store which is something if you want to do well in the tournaments you will have to do. Being honest though I never felt ripped off and I will openly admit that I spent a few bucks on this game and consider it money well spent.
Win Big Basketball is a great game. It is not for people who just want a arcade style basketball game, but if you like card building style games and are into basketball then this is a must download. You can play more than a few games before you need to spend money. So it is well worth at the very least a try.