"A pretty good over the top basketball game"

I really enjoyed the original NBA Street for the PS2 but to be honest I never bought it and I never tried its sequels. Well, I rented NBA Street Home court and I must admit I was nervous because EA ahs really gone downhill. If flashy moves and graphics are what you want with a mix of the old NBA Jam game play style then this game is for you.

The graphics in this game are rather good. A little too shiny but the character models look good as do all of the moves. Everything moves as realistically as they could since some of the moves can't really be done. The courts also look good but feel a bit bland in the details areas.

The sound in the game really isn't too bad. I never heard of any of the artists on the soundtrack but I never noticed any lyrics either so I didn't have to suffer through bad rap music. On the other hand I don't remember much of the music because I was really into the game. Voice work is amusing but nothing special. Sound effects aren't that bad either but nothing special.

The control in the game is rather smooth and once you get the hang of the controls you can really pull off some cool moves. That's a plus when the moves look so complex but I do wish there was a tutorial for the game play because for someone who hasn't played a game in the series in a number of years might have some problems with just jumping into the game.

You have your normal modes. Create a player, quick play and I don't remember what the others were since I didn't really mess with them.

Create a player is a bit weak but it does get the job done. With create a player you take then from being a rookie to being a pro. It works pretty well and it's the core part of the game.

I found myself enjoying quick play more and in both modes there are different ways of playing. I prefer the mode where you need to reach a certain score. The other modes are good too but I found it much more fun.

The trick system in the game is very simple to get the hang of and looks cool. The AI is pretty much brain dead on the lower settings so you might want to up the difficulty.

The game isn't overly long but the achievements will bring some extra life to the game since you'll need to do the create a player thing twice. The on-line mode seems pretty lively but the games I played were a bit laggy at times which did cause some problems.

I'd recommend NBA Street home court as the perfect weekend rental with friends. I really don't think the on-line and normal modes are good enough to make this worth buying for the price that EA is asking for. Maybe if it was under $30 I could see it worth buying.

Story - N/A
Graphics - 9/10
Sound - 7/10
Control - 8/10
Game Play - 8/10
Replay Value - 6/10

Final Score - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/12/07