X-Factor:
Off the Heezay!
Electronic Arts, the champions of console sports publishing, brings the authentic back-alley ball of the NBA Streetseries to the Xbox® with the stunning NBA Street Vol.2. This game lets you hit the asphalt (or concrete) with 25 new NBA legends, a fat roster of current pro ballers, and your own custom-designed players and games.
This is a whole new ballgame…
Look Sharp
The gritty graphics crackle with realism and style that truly shines on the Xbox hardware. The standard play view offers enough detail to see the sweat on the players' foreheads, but lets you see enough of the court to plan your moves with precision. Each player has a distinct uniform (sometimes actual game togs, but usually a street version of same), and your choice of ready-made players and legends borders on overkill. For legend value alone, choose from a list that includes Dr. J, Magic Johnson, Wilt the Stilt, Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Isaiah Thomas, Pistol Pete Maravich, or one of three different Michael Jordan options. (Like Godzilla, Jordan plays and looks differently depending on the era. Of course, he doesn’t have atomic breath, but come on, he’s Jordan.)
The players look good, but the gloriously detailed real-world basketball courts look even better. NBA Street Vol.2 lets you try out the finest street hoops arenas in the country, without blowing the college fund on air fare (or, if you live in New York, cab fare). Take on the greats in Manhattan’s Uptown, Philly’s Broad Street, Brooklyn’s Soul in the Hole, the NYC Rec Center, The Cage at Greenwich Village, Oakland’s Mosswood, Foster Beach outside of Chicago, L.A.’s Lincoln College, Rucker Park in Harlem, and even the pastoral asphalt of Seattle’s Greenlake. You’ll need to work on your skills to unlock some of these classic courts, but they’re worth it.
Check out those mad skills.
The Jams Are Fully Pumped
NBA Street Vol.2 comes packed with woofer-worthy hip-hop and R&B tracks. In addition to Nelly's exclusive Not In My House, you can groove your game to the dulcet tones of artists like MC Lyte, Nate Dogg, and Erick Sermon (featuring Redman). The music never overpowers the gameplay audio (well, unless you trick out your audio options to do so), which layers the courtside trash talk with ambient sounds appropriate to the locale. Players call for passes in directional stereo, helping you manage your plays in-game without slowing down.
But, How Does It Play?
EA’s latest foray into the NBA plays remarkably smooth, but the game truly shines when you master the Tony Hawk-style trick system. While simple moves—passing, shooting, evading defenders—are easy to pick up and exploit, you’ll get bonus points for dunks, alley-oops, and a gaggle of other outrageous tricks that would never be allowed on a professional court. NBA Street training mode guides you through even the most difficult combos and teaches you how to make the most of “game-breakers.” These spectacular shots (applied with a dose of turbo power from your recharging turbo meter) don’t just score, they demoralize the other team so badly that they’ll have to give you some of their points.
Now, this is street ball—goal tending, fouls, and the like aren't just allowed, they’re encouraged. With the "My Rules" option, you can further customize game types to your liking. Set up a Trick Challenge, and win by scoring bonus points with a Back 2 Poppa or an Off the Heezay. Add and manipulate the shot clock, adjust the points needed for victory, set up a slam-dunk-only game, or, if you’re feeling cocky, spot your opponent some points that you can take back later with a game-breaker.
This is street ball at its finest.
Get In the Game
Like many sports titles, NBA Street Vol.2 lets you create your own superstar from the ground up. You get a full range of body types, from shot-blocking giants to fast-moving dunk maestros. You can place your custom baller in your own team—and select an original logo—then enter the Pick-Up Game, NBA Challenge, or Be a Legend modes. Myself, I built a gigantic Princess Leia clone and teamed her up with Rick Barry, Magic, Dr. J, Bill Walton, and a Wizards-flavored Jordan.
No other console does the crystal clarity, immersive sound, or smooth gameplay of NBA Street Vol.2 like the Xbox, which allows up to four players to take to the court at once. So, call out your rivals, and get set for the tip-off—EA’s taking it to the street.
By Ben Barker
