Top Trumps NBA All Stars

There's no paucity of Top Trumps games available for the myriad mobile and portable devices out there. Fans of the card games have been well-served over the years, and this latest NBA-themed incarnation for the PSP and Vita will dazzle those with a particular interest in basketball.

The rules of Top Trumps NBA All Stars are simple. You and your opponent are given a deck (or team) of cards. Each card features an NBA player and statistics pertaining to his ability on the court, comprising Height, Points, Rebounds, Assists, Free, throws and Playoffs.

Your goal is to have a higher number than your opposition in one of these categories on each turn, with victory moving an icon at the bottom of the screen further towards your rival's side of the screen. Get all the way across and you score points; fail and the direction of play switches towards your end of the court.

Matches are timed in the same way as basketball, and a shot clock means you need to make decisions quickly. Victory comes through understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your deck, as well as second-guessing which card your opponent will draw next.

You'll need to know that the opposing team doesn't have a player that can rival Shaquille O'Neal's 214 Playoffs, or that at 7'2" Roy Hibbert's greatest asset is his height. You'll also obtain power-ups that you can use to boost stats further, or reduce those of your opponent.

The difficulty curve is brutal, and Top Trumps NBA All Stars makes no concessions for anyone not willing to put serious time into memorising figures and team line-ups. If you're new to the series or the sport itself you'll initially be decimated in the NBA Season mode, playing team after team in a full schedule of events.

However, get some regular time in with Quick Play or the two-player Pass And Play modes to familiarise yourself with these statistics and your chances of winning increase dramatically. You'll also get more practice with the basic mini-games that accompany tip-offs and penalties.

Presented in a full 3D arena, the title employs animated comic book cut-scenes for dramatic moments such as stealing the ball. Laidback Hip Hop beats score a title with high production values throughout.

Though there are no concessions for those unfamiliar with the franchise, and while starting out will massively weigh the game in your opponent's favour, Top Trumps NBA All Stars is otherwise a polished and pretty take on a classic and very familiar card game.