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Takin' It to the Street

Street Hoops? AND 1® Streetball? Neither of these scrubs can sniff the NBA Street series' jock. Electronic Arts redefined arcade basketball by mimicking the antics in the old-school classic Arch Rivals and adding its own personal flair, the result being one of the most celebrated sports franchises in video games.

With their fourth iteration, NBA STREET Homecourt, the company tweaked the controls to empower the player. Now you have more moves than Allen Iverson and Steven Nash combined. Best of all, it got rid of the annoying Bobbito Garcia, AKA DJ Cucumberslice, the announcer that plagued the previous NBA Street  games.

Play in the neighborhoods where NBA stars grew up.

Garcia's exclusion represents a dramatic shift from the previous games' funkdafied style. EA went for a modern approach that focuses on playgrounds and the NBA superstars that made them famous. Cover boy and Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony, for example, associates himself with Cloverdale in Baltimore, Maryland, as do players Sam Cassell and Juan Dixon. Similarly, take to the streets and take on NBA players in Coatesville, where Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Kobe Bryant will make players look like chumps.

Authentic Environments
In addition to Cloverdale and Coatesville, EA shoved Venice Beach, Franklin Park, The Dirt Bowl, Ash Park, Brand Jordan Gym, Rupert Bell Rec Center, and Goat Park into the game. Little details, such as banners hanging on buildings and graffiti help to authenticate these environments.

Like all NBA Street video games, you select an NBA team, and then decide which three players to play as. From there, they choose Shirts or Skins (a first for the series), then hit the courts in an attempt to outscore the other team by any means necessary, whether that involves flashy dunks or rainbow three pointers.

However, Homecourt doesn't play anything like NBA Live 07 or NBA 2K7. Don't worry about backcourt violations or going out of bounds. Fouls don't exist, and the game encourages you to push opponents (Y shoves).

Street Rules
Thankfully, this lack of officiating enhances the game. NBA Street discards organized rules in exchange for smashmouth street ball. Instead of attempting a weak looking lay up or short, baseline jumper (although those types of shots exist), the game encourages players to perform impossible, superhuman maneuvers in which guys crossover at 60 miles per hour, jump off people's backs and do 360 flip dunks.

Carmello is ready for some street ball.

Forget about hitting a fade away jump shot to win a game. Try dunking the ball, hanging onto the rim and dunking again, then again. Instead of netting a measly basket, you can score three on a single trip.

Thankfully, EA makes doing these sweet-looking moves easy with simplified controls. Instead memorizing button combinations, the developers made X and Y the primary trick buttons.

Rapidly pressing X causes a character to quickly pass the ball between his legs, and pressing and holding it makes him pull off a hesitation dribble. Y, on the other hand, lets you bounce the basketball off people's heads and confuse opponents with elegant spin moves. Combined with the left and right bumpers (LB/RB)—the trick modifiers—guys bust out cartwheels and capoeira-style flips.

By keeping things simple, EA makes Homecourt one of those cherished "pick up and play" experiences that every one will enjoy. The game contains plenty of combos, so those willing to invest the time to learn the secrets gain a better shot at beating a n00b that frantically presses buttons, but the fact that anyone can do these moves with very little effort makes this game very appealing.

Gamebreakers
Gamebreakers also add a great deal of depth. In previous NBA Streets, you accumulate trick points. When the meter's full, unleash a gamebreaker (a super move), one that not only adds more points to your score, but takes points away from the other player. While the basic model remains intact, EA throws players a curve by dropping a money ball onto the court.

No blood, no foul in this high-flying contest.

Whenever someone fills his or her trick meter, a bright spot appears at center court. As the ball handler passes through this highlighted area, activate a gamebreaker by pressing Y, whereupon the ball turns into a "money ball." The player in possession of the money ball performs even crazier tricks, and depending on the combos, the odds of scoring more than just one point on a single shot rises. However, if an opponent steals the money ball, the momentum then shifts to the other team.

In other Street games, characters can block shots and slap the ball off the rim. In Homecourt, they get their feet stuck in the rim after a botched dunk, get pushed while attempting a three, or get leveled while racing to the hoop. Evenly matched players soon discover that nothing comes easy, even when it appears that they have a clear path to the basket or a wide-open jumper.

Homecourt Challenge
To give the game even more depth, EA included a story mode entitled Homecourt Challenge. Here, take a custom street ball player across the United States and battle against no names as well as famous players, the goal being to dominate the courts and earn the respect of your peers.

Select one of three open spots, then a difficulty level (Easy, Medium, Hard, or Expert). From there, choose to be a guard, forward, or center. Each category contains six fictitious people that play like a particular NBA star. For example, guard Junior Santos plays like Baron Davis, while Quincy Teel plays like Jason Kidd.

After selecting a character, modify their appearance with the right analog stick. In a unique twist, EA allows you to select two NBA players (from 38), and blend their facial features with the fictional player's likeness to create the ultimate, and sometimes ugly basketballer. While extremely creepy, this hypnotizing process stands out as a fun diversion and quite the talking point.

After playing a cruel god, pick your home court, recruit teammates, and compete in a series of challenges. Some involve normal rules (what passes for normal in NBA Street) while others impose strict guidelines, such as only being able to score on dunks or jump shots. Moreover, when you first start out, your guys don't have Dwayne Wade-like skills. They'll need to earn them by winning games, which will boost their eight attributes: Shooting, Passing, Dunking, Boards/Blocks, Handles, Steals, Power, and Speed.

As you win games, you have the opportunity to discard and recruit players. This proves especially useful after defeating NBA stars, as their boosted skills will give you an edge.

Next to Homecourt Challenge there's Gamebreaker Battle (score off gamebreakers only), Trick Battle (cash in trick points to score), Back to Basics (no trick points or game breakers), Custom Game (tinker with the shot clock, shots allowed and what they play for) and finally, online play.

As expected, the game features all 30 NBA teams, and in a surprise twist, a WNBA squad featuring the likes of Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie, who crash the boards with as much ferocity as the men. EA did a remarkable job with the character models, capturing the likeness of each player while paying attention to minute details such as tattoos and musculature.

The entire game looks gorgeous, with realistic surfaces, courts bathed in ethereal sunlight and backboards that bend as players terrorize rims. Due out February 20, NBA Street Homecourt will definitely become popular, thanks to its fantastic visuals, easy to learn controls and impressive moves.

Article by Chris Buffa, GameDAILY Senior Editor