The Gamer Blog

Meet Josh Smith, the Human Video Game.

2K Sports

With Smith, it's hard to tell reality from virtual reality.

If Dominique Wilkins is the Human Highlight Film, then the Hawks Josh Smith should be the Human Video Game. The way he seemingly walks on air, swoops in for dunks with thunderous results and swats balls into the crowd with his trademark snarl doesn't make me think of the NBA's all-time greats. It makes me think of the league's greatest game, NBA Jam.

"I like that. I like that a lot," Smith says about the nickname. "They call me J-Smoove right now, but I'm such a fan of video games, I'll take it."

After his morning shootaround, I sat down with Smith inside the Oracle arena in Oakland last week, where he broke down his character in NBA Live and NBA 2K9.

"To see myself in the video game, and to see kids using me and dunking on people as me, it actually makes me proud of how far I've come," Smith says. "I used to play games like NBA Live all the time growing up, so now, to know people are playing the game and they're playing as me, it's unbelievable."

And while the folks behind Live and 2K9 got most of J-Smoove's game in the games, they're still struggling with one key component.

"It's hard to get my snarl in the game," Smith says. "It's going to be hard to add emotions in the video game, but that's the next step. I think I play with a lot of emotion. I play with my emotions on my sleeve. I'm the kind of guy who tries to play hard every night, and I use that emotion to try and bring energy to my team."

As for which game he prefers?

"I play more of 2K9 right now, but I can't forget about Live," Smith says. "All they need to improve is my ball handling skills and I'm cool."

But, as a gamer, Josh doesn't stop at virtual hoops.

"I'm into Halo and Call of Duty. I love those war games," he says. "But when I go online, I'm playing Madden. That's the game I can play all day. I play as the Steelers. Their defense will smack you around pretty good."

And if ever you find yourself virtually suiting up as Smith's Hawks, he's got some advice for you:

"Get out and run. You want to play as the Hawks, that's what we do best. We're a team full of Human Video Games, that's what makes us so tough to stop on the break.

"If I'm not dunking on you in the game, someone else will."

BUY THIS: Skate 2

EA

Behold, the greatest skateboard game Jon's ever played.

When street skating legend Rob Dyrdek finally got his hands on Skate 2 (January 20; Xbox 360, PS3), the star of MTV's Rob & Big couldn't believe the jump the series had made since debuting back in 2007.

"Play this game from beginning to end, you just got a complete education on what skateboarding is," he says.

And Dyrdek is right. The game now features double the amount of tricks (think hand grabs and hippie jumps), skitchin' Marty McFly-style on car bumpers, and even pedestrians who react to getting smacked on sidewalks by busting out tasers and shocking skaters off their boards.

The best new addition, however, takes place online. Gamers can build their own skate spots by dragging objects around the environment (push a ramp inside an empty swimming pool or stack picnic tables on top of stairs), then upload these trick hot spots for skaters around the world to grind.

Adds Dyrdek: "The Tony Hawk games were important in getting gamers interested in skating again, but they just never provided that pure skateboarding experience.

"Skate 2 is about more than just pressing buttons. This game stays true to both our sport and our culture."

And in doing so, EA Sports created the best skateboarding game I've ever played.

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