NBA Street Vol. 2

"Mo Betta than the first NBA Street."

I think its been a good 2 years since the release of the first NBA Street.Things have changed but yet remain very much the same.The fast pace gameplay is even faster and the tricks are even trickier.There is more to do in this version of Street than most gamers could ask for.Thats why I decided to write this review.

Visuals::
As we all know the X box is going to produce some pretty incredible visuals.But the credit should go to EA for the very well animated character models.Every dunk and most tricks look like they can actually be done in real life.Actually most of them have been done by the hidden legends in this game.You barely notice the cell shading because the polygonal structure of the character models are very well constructed.The cell shading just adds to details such as,muscle definition,skin tone, and facial features.Not to mention that extra shine you see in the clothing.
The courts and backgrounds are very well done.On some of the outdoor stages leaves blow across the court.They even bounce off players as they blow all over the place.My favorite court is Uptown.Its a court surrounded by a chain link fence.Every court neighborhood has its own personality.Like how one park is in the middle of an Oakland neighborhood surrounded by houses.To Ruckers park famous festive tournament atmoshere.All in all the visuals get a 10/10

Sound::
From Bobbito's over excited commentary to the Hip Hop jams pumping in the background.The sound in this game is excellent.The emphasis on the booming crash when you slam dunk adds to the excitement of the game.I myself would have preferred the game to allow you to customize the soundtrack.But the music selection is ok and adds to the game.You can select which songs on the playlist which is fine.I just feel this game should have had the option for customized soundtracks.9/10

Gameplay::
Not only is this game a little more frantic but the computer AI can be a pain on any setting above the default setting of Got Game.Which I will touch on later.^_^
New to Street gameplay is level 2 gamebreakers.And the amount of trick options that will allow you to take full advantage of aquiring lots of trick points.Back to Papa and Off the Heezay are dribble tricks that if pulled off will reward you with lots of trick points.Once you build up your trick meter up to level 1 gamebreaker status you can pocket it buy pressing the white button.Which keeps the level 1 gamebeaker on hold until you build it up again.When you pull a level 2 gamebreaker off it is pretty much automatic in scoring.Like a regular gamebreaker it has a little slow motion cinematic only difference is it shows you and teammate pulling off a off the wall shot or dunk.A successful level 2 gamebreaker is a game turner. A dunk or short range shot gives you 2 points and takes 3 from your opponent.A long range shot still gives you 2 but takes away four from your opponent.Luckily you can cancel an opponents pocketed gamebreaker by using your gamebreaker.Which is good because there are those who will grasp the trick system quicker than others.These players would totally abuse the level 2 gamebreaker because they can rack up trick points real fast.
Under the Main menu there are sections labeled Play it,My Team,Rewards,High Scores,Inside Vol 2,and of course options.
Play it pretty much is the meat of the game.You can choose to do the NBA challenge.I would recommend going to My Team a hand picking players to create your own dream team to do the challenge.In NBA Challenge you pick a team to play as and then pick a division on NBA teams to play against.The cool things is once you beat all the NBA teams in that division you play against a Legend team made up of old school NBA stars.Once you beat them they are unlocked and can be used in any game mode except Be A Legend.Unlike the first NBA Street you cannot snatch a player from a team you beat in NBA Challenge.Thats why I recommend creating one in My Team.You can only pick 5 players though.
Now the Be A Legend mode does allow you to snatch a player from teams you beat.But you can only have up to 5 players on your team.Be A Legend mode is basically a way to build up your created player.You play games though 6 cities while trying to build up your recognition and dev points.Dev points allow you to buy clothing,shoes,and character building points.Recognition points allow you to unlock certain courts and areas.You can build up to about 9 or 10 created players.
If I do have a problem with the gameplay its probably with the game settings.They consist of Got Game which is the default setting,Mad Game is medium,and Legendary for those NBA street players with serious God like gaming abilities.I myself enjoyed the first NBA Street.It is one of the few sport games I feel that female gamers like myself can compete in with hardcore guy sport gamers.I will say the Got Game setting is pretty mediocre.Anyone will feel they are the best at NBA street VOL 2 by playing this mode.But me being a glutton for punishment felt I should boost the difficulty up a notch by putting it on the Mad game setting.Lets just say I got spanked pretty badly in some games.The computer AI makes very difficult shots while you miss them.They also seem to steal the ball better than you do.The Mad game setting is appropriately named because you will be getting mad at how cheap the computer AI in the game can be.I can only imagine how difficult Legendary is.I will say nothing will prepare you for human competition more than playing on the Mad game setting.All in all I enjoy every minute of my fun yet frustrating beat downs at the hands of the computer AI.9/10

Final Thoughts::
This game is a must own if you are a B ball nut.But even those who aren't will have a fun playing this game.NBA Street VOL 2 should bring back those days of you and 4 friends playing NBA Jam till 4 a.m. in the morning.The create a player option really allows you to take advantage of the 4 player mode.The only bad thing is that you must build your player up through Be A Legend mode in order to compete with others.
The amount of unlockables in this game is not over or under whelming but just enough to keep gamers satisfied.Unlockables range from Legend Jerseys to the actual Legends itself.From Bob Cousy to Pistol Pete.Not to mention 2 Micheal Jordans.The Street Legends are back to.The only ones that returned are Stretch and a taller buffer Bonafide.My favorite Street Legend is one called Dimes.Think of a young Micheal Jordan but instead as a white girl with perfect stealing skills.Overall I really enjoy this game even with the huge gap in game setting difficulty.Its just my own personal nit pick of the game.Other than that this game is flawless in what it delivers,Fun.9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/29/03, Updated 04/29/03