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Operation Sports:
NBA STREET V3: Takin' It to the STREET
By Shawn Drotar, Managing Editor, OperationSports.com
Basketball's heart and soul is on the street. From the young boy dribbling a ball in his driveway to the kids playing a pick-up game at recess, to teens gathering at the local park for a run, the game's always been on the pavement. NBA STREET V3 brings that enthusiasm to vivid and vibrant life on your Xbox®.
Heading in for the physics-defying dunk.
If you've ever seen street basketball in person or on television, you know that the game played there doesn't much resemble that of the NBA. Creativity is king, as players dribble and pass in spectacular fashion in an effort to impress the crowd—and maybe embarrass the opposition a little bit.
V3 challenges you to do the same. You play as Denver's Carmelo Anthony, Philly's Allen Iverson, and even "The Diesel," Miami's Shaquille O'Neal himself—but they won't be playing your standard NBA style of round-ball. Games are three-on-three with, shall we say, "loose" physics and gravity. Players leap for unbelievable blocks, pass in ways that Dr. Naismith never imagined, and make incredible dunks that make Michael Jordan look like an amateur. 
Basketball players ignoring gravity.
All of this may seem daunting at first, but thanks to EA SPORTS BIG's Trick Stick, you'll be passing "off the heezay" and dropping dimes before you know it. The Xbox controller's right thumbstick is used as the Trick Stick in NBA STREET V3, and flicking it at the right time makes your player execute a dribble move in an effort to lose the man guarding you. Use that in conjunction with any or all of the three turbo buttons to increase the difficulty—and "wow" factor—of the move. In street hoops, this plays to the crowd, but in V3, it's got a more direct correlation with the game: trick points. The more impressive a trick, the more points you can earn. String multiple tricks together in rapid fashion and you can earn even more points. To cash them in and add them to your total, you need to successfully score. Jumpers, lay-ups, and hooks all help your trick points, as well as your standing on the scoreboard, but if you want to really pile them up, you want to throw it down. Dunks require the use of the turbo buttons as well, in the same manner as the dribble move tricks—the more, the better. The more trick points you bank, the faster your Gamebreaker meter fills. The Gamebreaker is the greatest weapon in your arsenal, so the faster you can get to one, the better off you are. This tends to make games of NBA STREET V3 a two-tiered challenge: a race for actual baskets, and the racking up of trick points to earn Gamebreakers which dramatically alter the complexion of the game.
A Gamebreaker, when activated, is essentially an automatic shot. Once again, dunks are better, and while you're in the air, time slows down and you get the opportunity to pull off tricks within your dunk. Potentially, you can involve all three players on your team in a fantastic, mid-air ballet of movement that results in a thunderous dunk and stylish pose afterwards, complete with an autographed screen. Depending on just how spectacular your dunk was, the game awards between a two- and five-point swing in your favor. Since the default game's setting is to play to 21 points, a successful Gamebreaker can either help you catch up to your opponent, or slam the door on them. 
Realistic street-ball courts look fantastic.
The beauty of V3 is that it all sounds more complicated than it really is. In just a few games, you'll get the hang of it, and that makes this title a perfect pick-up-and-play game for a bunch of friends at your next Xbox party (or party that happens to involve an Xbox).
The game's graphics are lush, colorful, and gorgeous, with players rendered so well that you may do a double-take when you see their faces. It's fast, fun, and completely over the top. There's plenty in this package to keep the solo hoops fan busy, and it's even better with a friend or three. Of course, if you don't have any "basketball-jonesing" friends nearby, that's okay: NBA STREET V3 is Xbox Live™-enabled, so you can hoop it up anytime with gamers around the globe.
It's time to get in the game and take it to the STREET!
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