NBA Street

"B-balling, Shot Callin' action"

Let's just say, this is a breakthrough for the basketball games on the PS2. Finally, a good one.

Graphics 9/10
The detail on this game is stunning. Each player's face and body was designed perfectly to the tee. At least on this game it looks like they're actually holding the ball. And the dunks are perfect. The only downside is the weak dishes. But no biggy.

Sound 10/10
The music was pretty cool. All the tracks range from a R&B feel to a hip-hop atmoshere. One of the songs sounds like a remix of a Whitney Houston gospel track. The commentary is clutch. If you haven't played NBA Street yet, get ready for Joe ''the show''. This guy is classic.

Control 10/10
I didn't think it would get any better then NBA Live 2000. But I was wrong. You control your own dribbles and dunks. That's right, dunks. No more going to the hoop and just pressing circle. A combination of any of the four turbo buttons and circle gets you a whole load of dunks. Same thing with dribbling moves. Combine any of the turbo buttons and square to perform a dribbling move. The only thing is trying to perform alley-oops. It takes forever for your teammate to jump up in the air and then to pass it to him.

Gameplay 10/10
You get to choose either the City Circuit Mode or Hold The Court. City Circuit places you in a tournament to beat the best ballers in the nation. You play against NBA teams and street legends. Each time you beat a NBA Team you get a NBA player. And every time you beat a street team you get their star player and a new court. So along the way you build your team of 10 players. Not only that, you get to use Michael Jordan to tag along. In Hold The Court you can use either your City Circuit team or a NBA team. This mode earns you Create Player points or just gives you a good time with your buddy.

Replay 10/10
This is what I liked a lot. You can activate 29 codes and unlock A LOT of secret players.

NBA Street is classic and original. It will definitely set the standard for upcoming basketball games on any console. I wouldn't be surprised if they came out with a NBA Street 2002 or something. Definitely buy.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/01/02, Updated 01/01/02