GameCube

NBA Street

For the uninitiated, NBA Street’s three-on-three b-ball reinvents the stale NBA Jam formula, delivering over-the-top hoops with a streetball flair. There are no rules and no fouls as you battle to be the first to score 21, blocking shots and busting off huge dunks, alley-oops, fakes, and a slew of other special moves. The action goes down in either City Circuit mode, which employs a ladder tournament to pit you against all the NBA teams and some street-player squads, or Hold the Court mode, where winning streaks unlock new courts and other goodies.

If you thought NBA Jam was worth your time ten years ago, NBA Street should definitely be on your buy list. Even if you normally only play simulation basketball, Street's balance is a fresh of breath air. If you're a casual gamer, or looking for a party game, NBA Street still earns a healthy recommendation. If you're still wary, then it is definitely worth a rent. The only real negative is the fact that you have to leave the last two controller ports empty.

NBA Street isnt technically groundbreaking in terms of its presentation, but the game still has a better sense of art direction than most videogames. The overall graphic design melds hip-hop, NBA, and comic book sensibilities successfully together for a distinct look. The accompanying sound effects and background music are effective and incorporated well into the game. The graphics were overall clean, animation was smooth, and the player models were bold and expressive. NBA Street also beautifully recreates some of the worlds most legendary playgrounds like New York Citys West 4th and Rucker Parks.

The real key to any game (and a real charm in NBA Street) is its gamebreaker feature. While dribbling, dunking, stealing, and throwing alley-oops, teams tally and amass points for successful moves. Those points, which can grow into the hundreds of thousands, fill up a game meter similar to a 28.8 kbps download bar. When the bar is pegged to the right your team has a gamebreaker shot. This shot gives the team making it one or two-points (two for a three-pointer), and takes that many points away from the opponent. And, when playing to 21 a two or four-point swing is not only a gamebreaker, but often a deal-breaker as well. As the shot is taken or as the player elevates for a rim rocker, the screen shifts to a letterbox mode, now commonplace in EA Sports titles.

NBA Street is one of those rare games that is simply addictive. Even after you've gone through the city circuit mode or the hold-the-court mode, you'll find yourself constantly trying to break records either you or your friends set for individual courts. A great gameplay system, detailed graphics, and easy-to-use control--there simply is no reason for you not to own this game if you don't already have the PlayStation 2 version.

One part your favorite NBA all-stars, one part well-polished gameplay, and three parts attitude. This is Electronic Arts' recipe for one of the most satisfying arcade-infused basketball videogames ever created. It's name: NBA Street. Originally created for the PlayStation 2, the GameCube version sees its release nearly eight months later with several notable improvements in an all-around more polished package. For basketball enthusiasts NBA Street is definitely worthy of your attention, offering up trick-based controls, impressive visuals, tight three-on-three matches, and a rewarding multiplayer mode.

Sound is decent also with a good rap always on to keep up the pace and the great sound of a swish that brings back the memories of playing around the world with friends. All in all this is a great game to buy and defiantly worth your time and money, especially if you got some friends around to play it with. If you liked Madden and Courtside, you will LOVE this. Check it out as soon as you can. Its on shelves everywhere so don't miss it!

Bottom line: if you're a fan of arcade basketball, NBA Street will definitely get your juices flowin'. The playback value is extremely high, so it would be worth your while to get this game.

Overall, NBA Street is an incredibly deep game. It has a great Franchise/Season mode that gives you different types of players and cheats for the created team you get off the bat. If you even start to get into this game and like it, you will find plenty here to get your moneys worth.

Attention all wannabe street-ballers out there: NBA Street is the game for you! That is, assuming you haven't played it before. NBA Street's greatest flaw is the fact that it is a port. It seems as if every great third-party GameCube game was released on the PSone or PS2 first. NBC airs commercials that say, "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you!" to promote re-runs of their hit shows in the summer. It's best to apply that logic here.