During the game, your moves will help build an "ankle breaker" meter which can, literally, bring a defender to his knees. Once that occurs, you roar in for the big slam and ballers from East to West give you mad respect. Gain enough respect (which has its own meter) and you get to perform a Breakdown Dunk. This is basically a cutscene of an over-the-top jam. The defense has little recourse in stopping these, but every now and then you'll get lucky and serve up a Spalding-burger.


Visually, Black Ops has done its homework. The game's players have a nice sheen to them, and in-engine cutscenes always lend a certain amount of immersiveness to the action. Courtside fans and hangers-on whoop and holler accordingly, which helps bring the raucous gym feel home. Of course you can always venture outside the gym to some of the game's stellar environments, including Merril and Rucker Park. Duke Tango sports the courtside commentary, bellowing out the "sick moves" on the mic. If your players aren't doing particularly well, Duke will let you and the crowd know it. Similarly, pull some funky moves and he'll roar his approval.

If Ubisoft and Black Ops continue to fine-tune some of AND1's gameplay elements, ballers everywhere will want to pick this up. Xbox Live support means you can take your moves to the national scene, and we're sure there will be some promotional tie-ins with the real AND1 Mixtape Tour. Look for more as the street date approaches.