NBA Street

"A game to end at least one stereotype for video games."

The sports genre has been constantly stereotyped by hardcore gamers of having the same gameplay of the previous year with the updated roster only being the major change...that was until now. NBA Street brings NBA and known street ball players to play it out not in the courts, but in the streets where coaches won't bench Allen Iverson for breaking Gary Payton's ankles. Those that follow basketball should know that streetball and organized (NBA) basketball are completely different, and NBA Street shows you how.

In the NBA, you win through teamwork, complexed plays, and talent. In streetball, you win the crowd by using talents to your limits in either dunking, passing or moves while trying to win. You'll be doing things like stringing different moves together to look stylish, dunking in innovative ways by combining different dunks, and performing the heartbreaking gamebreakers. I should also note that in the NBA, you play with five players, but in NBA street, you play with only three players.

There are three modes in NBA Street: circuit city, hold the court, and street school. Circuit city is where all the attention is held in the game; basically, you get to choose between your favourite 28 different NBA teams and travel around the country competing against other NBA teams. The teams have been separated into regions, with each region containing different NBA teams of that specific region. After defeating all the NBA teams, you'll be treated to play against the star streetball players of that region, who are not in the NBA. Upon defeating the opposite team, you have the choice of either gaining more development points towards your customized baller, or recruit a baller in the defeated team. For the streetball teams, you automatically get their star player as well as development points. Your team is only limited to 15 players, so it would be quite a waste of possible development points when you have to cut players off of the team.

The hold the court mode plays much like circuit city, though it's much like an endurance mode. The purpose of this mode is to perform a winning streak for a selected court that you've acquired through winning in the circuit city mode for as long as you can. Your rewarded more content on the customize baller menu, which would be the only reason why you would want to play it.

The street school teaches you how to do some of the basics like diving for the ball, performing a variety of different dunks as well as the most extreme basics like shooting, passing, and doing moves. The only reason anyone would ever want to go through this mode is to complete NBA Street 100%, but either than that, it serves no other major purpose. The controls are really easy to get use to, so there's no real reason why you should have trouble learning how the game plays.

One major gameplay mechanic that EA has added not realistic to real street basketball is the gamebreaker. When the bar is filled; by either shooting or dunking, you'll get the standard points awarded as well as subtracting points from your opponents. The way to get it filled is via through the game's complexed tricks system. The more stylish the move looks, the faster the gamebreaker bar will be filled, though the more complicated the moves are, the more chance of the baller of loosing the ball. So those that are good with handling the ball should only be responsible of filling up the bar.

Though doing complicated trick moves aren't the only way of filling up the gamebreaker bar; doing dunks and taking advantage of picks will also get you more points. When executing the gamebreaker, it's almost guaranteed for the ball to go in. Those ballers with a poor shooting percentage isn't guaranteed a successful gamebreaker if the player shoots behind the three point line, and even then, the opposing team is still able to block it, attempting to prevent them from having two points getting knocked off their score.

Whats pretty interesting during the game is unlike the formal commentators gamers has heard in the past Live games, your treated with a slangish commentator who can often be quite humorous at times. Those that aren't comfortable with his voice in the presence during game time have the choice of turning it off, though his humour shouldn't be ignored.

Graphically, the game looks great, running at a very smooth rate. All of the trick moves are initiated smoothly, adding entertainment to those who are hardcore fans of basketball. The courts have been very well detailed, giving the very feeling as if you were in the actual court. There are courts that flow in graffiti while others feel as if you were playing in a lone Saturday morning with your friends at Rucker park in the scorching sun.

Those that are hardcore fans of basketball should definitely ensure their copy of NBA Street, because it innovates the sport for those that are tired of EA's other famous basketball series, NBA Live. The circuit city mode will surely hold gamer's attentions for a long time to come, even after playing it thoroughly multiple times. It's just that addictive, and the only excuse of hating the game is if you are a hardcore gamer.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/16/04