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NBA Street

Developer: NuFX, Inc.

Publisher: EA Sports Big

Console: GameCube

Genre: Sports

Number of Players: 2

Released: February 19, 2002

Memory Card Blocks: 5

Introduction

Here comes the second EA Sports Big title to appear on the GameCube. Like SSX Tricky before it, it’s an arcade take on the sport of basketball. The GameCube port does feature some exclusive stuff that is not found on the PS2 version. GameCube owners get a new court; faster load times, updated rosters, and a new pick move by pressing the c-stick. Interestingly, instead of playing in basketball arena’s, EA takes it to the streets. Does this game top the classic NBA Jam games of yesteryear?

Graphics: 9/10

The very first thing I noticed was the high detail of the courts and the surrounding area. There is a 3d crowd that wanders about alongside the courts. A very welcome addition since most games have 2d crowds. On some courts you can see quite a few different cars and trucks driving by. The most impressive effect was in “The Paint” court where there is a good-sized tree that sways in the wind. Also in some levels there is little pieces of garbage that blow across the court as you play. Also the different weather effects like rain and snow look really good.

Most of the players are recognizable by just looking at their faces. They move around the court with ease and with no animation problems. I like to purposely try to block a shot from behind the backboard to see the animation of the player hitting the backboard and falling to the ground. There is absolutely no hint of frame rate problems in this game. When the trick meter is filled up you get to use the awesome game breaker move that turns the game into slow motion as you dunk or shoot the ball. It is worth noting that how the basketball net reacts to the ball is very realistic.

Sound: 9/10

Overall the sound is commendable. Joe “The Show” Jackson does the in-game commentary. Some of his comments are really funny and it doesn’t get repetitive. The crowd even chimes in with insults or props when they are in awe of a move you just accomplished. All of the street players have speech and Michael Jordan makes some comments also. The music played during the game is in the background so you can barely hear it. It doesn’t grow repetitive at all. The background noise is very good. You can here cars honk, and seagulls flying above. The rest of the sound effects are good like the swoosh of the basketball going through the hoop and the clang of the rim after a dunk.

Gameplay: 9.5/10

Definitely the best part of the game is the incredibly fun game play. There is a training mode called Street School which lets you learn all the rules and controls. It is worth going through because you unlock a court by completing it. The main mode is City Circuit. You get to face all the NBA teams and numerous street teams. As you defeat the NBA teams you have the option of picking one player to join your team. When you face the street team and defeat them you automatically get the star of the street team. There is also a Hold The Court mode where there are certain objectives to pass on each court.

Since this is an over the top arcade game there are 3 players per team. There really are no rules what so ever. Luckily there is no Goaltending, fouling, or out of bounds. This game is real fast. The first team to score 21 points and have a lead of at least 2 points wins the game. In Addition a shot that would normally score 2 points in the NBA, is only worth 1 point in NBA Street. Also 3-point shots are only 2 points in the game. When your trick meter is full you can pull of the game breaker move. You can score either a one-pointer or two-pointer and it will subtract the same amount from your opponent.

Controls: 9/10

The controls definitely take a little time to get used to. The controls are similar to SSX Tricky though so if you played that you shouldn‘t have any problems. On offense A is to pass, B is to shoot, X and Y are your trick buttons and the left and right button and the Z-button are your turbos. A new addition for the GameCube version was the C-stick that is used to call picks. On the defense sides of things A is to change players, B and Y are for blocking, X is for stealing, and the turbos function the same. A neat addition is to dive after a loose ball. Press any turbo button twice and you dive for the ball. The only thing lacking is a way to customize your own controls the way you like.

Replay: 9.75/10

The replay value is busting at the seams. There is so much to do. There is a create-a-player mode that is quite good and detailed. You can even select a nickname that the announcer will call out. It will take a while to pass all the objectives in Hold the Court mode. 2-player is very fun and you will be staying up late playing this game with a friend. Even if you have no friends, there is still a great deal of replay. There is also a neat little Promo Reel that shows off 3 other EA games. The only thing keeping the replay value from getting a 10 out of 10 is the lack of a 4-player support.

Conclusion

This is arcade basketball at it’s best. This game is just plain fun! I would even go as far as to say that even if you don’t like sports games you should at least rent this game. I honestly didn’t think I would enjoy this game because it was on the streets. I was dead wrong. With the success of this game, I’m pretty sure other companies will start to create their own Street basketball games. My searching is over. I finally found a game that is better then NBA Jam!

Pros Cons

3D crowds No 4-player support

Unlimited replay value No Manual Replay

Blazing fast frame rate Can’t break backboards

Faster load times over PS2 version

"The Paint" court exclusive to the GameCube version

Final Score: 9.25/10, 93%, A

Reviewed by: Eric Brown on May 25, 2002

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