The RPG trappings are all well and good, but if the in-game basketball action isn't fun, the new gear and skills are all for naught. Fortunately, even low-level characters will have a good time dropping into the lobby and playing a quick game. Pick-up games are limited to one-on-one or two-on-two, but after a few levels players will start joining teams of three and keep a win streak going. The three-on-three action is the real meat of the game, but there's a good time to be had in smaller games.

The game controls with the arrow keys and WASD. The arrows move, while the other four control defensive slides, shooting, blocking, jumping, passing, and stealing, changing contextually for offense or defense. Skills and FreeStyles are usually activiated by a combination of an arrow key with one of the four letter keys. In the build we played, there would be occasional problems with some of the moves, namely the ability to wave a character's hands in a shooter's face and the defensive face-up. The only other control hang up comes when trying to change directions, which can be problematic with the four arrow keys. Control problems aside, the game plays smoothly, and it won't take gamers much time to get the hang of the controls and start being valuable players.

FreeStyle Street Basketball's unique subject matter is one of its strongest points. Hopping online and forming a team with two other players and taking on other teams is great fun, and in a lot of ways mimics playing a real pick-up game. Teams with the longest winning streak become the team to beat, and players will call to "run it back" in close games to try for vengeance. Different personalities can shine through during the game: players who don't pass enough, the quiet guard who never misses a shot, the big center who dominates the paint and kicks the ball out beyond the arc for threes on command. When a player gets teammates he or she is in rhythm with, the game can be a blast.