NBA Street

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Title : NBA Street
Author : Electronic Arts
Release Date : 20010622
Binding : CD-ROM
Regular Price : $49.99
Amazon.com Price : $23.29 (53 %)
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Editorial Reviews :
NBA Street is the best arcade basketball title available. Period. Why? No refs, no clocks, no fouls. Players will knock you over, and they practically live for blatant goaltending throughout the game. Realistic? No, but it's always fun--even if you hate basketball.
Street has two different game modes--City Circuit and Hold the Court--yet the differences here are minimal. Both feature three-on-three games of 21, in which you must assemble a squad composed of (initially) NBA players. Soon you'll play against street legends (read: bosses) that, once defeated, can be added to your team. Your ultimate goal is to defeat the biggest legend ever: Michael Jordan.

To survive the streets, you must learn which buttons to mash as you master specific stunts. This will add special points to your score and give you access to different ways to score. Though similar to NBA Jam and its sequels, Street is deeper, and sports a surprisingly developed finesse game.

Street does commit some fouls, though, with its over-the-top, repetitive commentary and lack of play modes. However, even if you hate arcade-style basketball, you'll find Street differs from the pack, making it a solid MVP contender.

Pros:

* Good controls and gameplay
* Pleasantly cartoonish graphics
* Arcade approach makes it fun for those turned off by very technical basketball simulations

Cons:

* Horrific commentary
* Only 2 very similar gameplay modes
* No 4-player support

Buyer Reviews :
Video game basketball falls into two categories: arcade and simulation. Simulation games almost universally stink--largely because passing the ball around among five players can be a daunting challenge by itself, much less keeping up with everyone. In contrast, arcade games narrow the playing field down to three, two, or one player per team, simplifying the game and increasing the fun.

For those who may not know, Electronic Arts practically invented the arcade-style basketball game (we will ignore Atari basketball) with its landmark title One on One. Licensed players (Dr. J. and Larry Byrd, to be specific), instant replays, shattered backboards, and fouls were all seen for the very first time back in the days when Michael Jordan was playing for the University of North Carolina and not for Bugs Bunny.

NBA Street is essentially three-on-three, low-rules, street ball. Goaltending is legal, charging is legal, but Harlem Globetrotter moves such as pantsing your opponent are still forbidden. Your team is rewarded with trick points for each special move you accomplish, and with enough trick points you can pull off a 'gamebreaker'--a high-percentage shot effectively worth double the normal amount of points (it adds to your score and subtracts from your opponent's).

Like EA Sports Big's other title, SSX, NBA Street is a triumph of style and of substance. The graphics, sound, and overall presentation are strong enough keep you intrigued until the smooth control and addictive gameplay hook you for good. The control scheme is intuitive, and rewards skill and timing without making the game impossible for the clumsy.

My friend Ed, who has a notoriously short attention span, played NBA Street for seven hours straight a few weeks ago. Sure, he never really got any better, and I could embarrass him easily, but even at his pathetic skill level he loved the game. Loved it.

The only flaw in an otherwise outstanding game is the tutorial mode ('Street School'), which feels like it was programmed haphazardly, frequently and infuriatingly interrupting the game with pop-up windows of instructions during the session. This could have easily been corrected.

That misgiving aside, NBA Street is the finest basketball game currently available for any system-and a must-have if you've ever had fun playing the real game or a videogame of the sport.

(by Randal Cooper)

Features/Technical Specs :
* Amateur-style basketball game
* Momentum meter shows when you're in the zone
* Unlock NBA players, streetball legends, and tough street courts
* Win cool accessories, from shoes to tattoos, in Hold the Court mode
* For 1 or 2 players

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