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NBA Street
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Graphics & Sound:
What kind of graphics can a game about 3 on 3 basketball with high flying dunks, and over-exaggerated moves possibly have? How about 'SUPERB?' NUFX obviously spent some time on making this game not only presentable, but absolutely shimmering. The courts themselves are the real deal, looking exactly like they do in real life up to the potholes in the concrete. The backgrounds are wonderful, with glinting sunlight, dancing audience members, and breathtaking weather effects. The players themselves look like they should, with wonderfully rendered emotions and fluid movement. The dunks look so buttery as you watch Shaquille O'Neal (who actually looks like Shaquille O'Neal!) do a perfect 360, and windmill the ball right down the pipe. NBA Street definitely looks good. So, the question is 'Maybe the sound isn't so good, right?' Nope. The music and sound go right on along with those jaw-dropping graphics. You can hear the sneakers grating on the rough blacktop. The net does an appropriate 'pop' when you nail the trey, and the rim thunders and shakes when you get a nice hard dunk on it. The crowd will hoot and holler', cheer and jeer. Traffic will honk, and car alarms will go off. NUFX gave us a real all-encompassing kind of experience with NBA Street . The music is so well done, speeding up as the game gets tighter, and more mellow as blowouts begin to take shape. NBAS features some kickin' tunes by 3LW who also show up as an unlockable team. When push comes to shove, NBA Street is amazing in the visual department and provides a real aural treat. |
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Gameplay:
The gameplay is reminiscent of real streetball. 3 pointers count as two, with everything else counting as one. Games are played to 21, with a deuce rule, which is you have to win by two. Of course winning isn't the only objective out in the streets. You must impress. For this reason NBAS gives gamebreaker points for any trick dribble, dunk, shot, etc. that you do. When the points have accumulated enough, you get a 'Gamebreaker,' which is a super-shot per se. If you hit this shot (which you pretty much always will if you're within reasonable range of the basket), you will get the allotted points for the particular shot, as well as take that amount of points off of your opponent's score. If you're winning 13-11 and you hit a 2-point gamebreaker; voila the score is now 15-9. It is a nice little idea in the game, and always something to look forward to. My favorite thing is to have a gamebreaker and 20 points on the scoreboard. I'll always do this magnificent dunk to end the game which usually shatters the rim and just looks so darn good! NBA Street is played as a 3 on 3 throughout the game's modes. Circuit Mode will pit your NBA team of choice against other NBA teams of the region. If you best your foe, then you are allowed to take a player off of their team, OR take development points, to which you can apply to your own custom-made player. Right now, I have a 6 foot 10, 270 pound nightmare on the courts. When you beat all the NBA teams in a region, you play the region boss, which is an 'unknown' team that is usually highlighted by street 'legends' such as Bonafide, Drake, DJ, and Biggs. Your objective is to become circuit champion. No easy task, considering that the current champ is a one Michael Jordan and his team. In Hold the Court Mode, you take an NBA team and try to beat 'all-comers' to the court. When you beat a team, you don't get to choose a player off of their team. Your objective is to get the most wins and the most trick points on any particular court with the core team you have chosen. Every game you win in Hold the Court Mode unlocks new body styles, faces, and shoes for your Create-a-Player. It also gives you more create points, or cheat codes. There is also a Street School Mode which teaches you the game, if you so choose to do the formal training thing. With so many things to unlock, and Circuit Championships to obtain, NBA Street has more replay value than The Matrix .
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Difficulty:
NBA Street has your three normal Difficulties. Joe 'the Show' (the announcer who has an amazing 'street' vocabulary) will usually let you know when you're ready for the next level. On Easy level, it takes one or two games, and you're on your way to becoming THE force on the court, while only the most proficient will look respectable and emerge victorious on the Hard level. Perhaps the only whiny thing I have about the game is that players like Reggie Miller will drill three after three on you, but when you choose him (in Circuit Mode), he's hard pressed to make twenty five percent. NBA Street does provide adequate challenge and yet none of the difficulty is caused by control. The controls are simple and smooth. The players react instantly and efficiently. You don't have to push any button twice, or throw the control pad down in frustration. Wherever you want your player to run to, or end up at, is done so flawlessly. So while Chris Webber dunking on your head repeatedly can boil anyone's blood, being able to manipulate your player to dunk back is all the more rewarding.
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Game Mechanics:
This is probably the only 'complaint' I have: LOAD TIMES. Wow, they take an immense amount of time. Also, if you make the mistake to have 'Auto Save' OFF in the Options, then you will be prompted to save no less than four times after every game. Still, the load time is bearable, especially for an otherwise sparkly NBA Street game. If push came to shove, and I'd have to sacrifice the Create-a-Player for faster load times, then gimme' the long load times, cuz' I'm keeping my player. Again, the controls make this game that much more fun to play, and aren't a hindrance in any way. NBA Street inhabits relatively small amounts of memory, so you can save that space for any other EA Big games. Another noteworthy accomplishment is the manual. The manual is an absolute hoot to read, thoroughly explaining EVERY part of NBA Street , which is a rare commodity these days, and setting the atmosphere for this game with streetball phrases and entertaining stories. Riot Rundown: It's very hard to give a 100 percent to a game. Had it not been for the load times, and minutely unfair AI, NBA Street would have hit the century mark. Fortunately, these minor flaws are easy to get over, and only noticeable if you're picky. NBA Street is truly a must have game for any sports fan, fanatic or leisure. I've never had as much fun playing this type of game, and NUFX , and EA Big have definitely put something out worth buzzing about. |
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-Sydney Riot, GameVortex Communications AKA Will Grigoratos |
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