Respect. Earning it on
the streets isn’t easy but once you have it there’s no feeling quite like it.
In fact, you can forget money and you can forget that endorsement deal for Nike
because respect is what it’s all about and on the cracked concrete of this court
you have to give it your all. This is street basketball, a game taken just as
serious as the professional game when things are at stake. In NBA Street V3
you play for respect and for the love of the game and trust me when I say
you’ll really love this game.
Last year’s NBA Street
Vol. 2 did a great job of bringing us an arcade-styled street basketball game
filled to the brim with great game modes and plenty of style. This year we see
a return of all the things that worked well in game plus the addition of Xbox
Live support. The result is a game that feels a lot like a complete package and
one of the most entertaining games of basketball out there.
For starters, the
three-on-three action moves at a quick pace but places much emphasis on stylish
court tricks (but more on that a bit later). You can create your own player,
designing everything about him or her–tweaking the littlest things such as the
size of the player’s nose or eye color. There are a lot of options in this mode
so you can create a pretty original baller. There’s even an option to create
your own court using the Court Creator, adding banners, graffiti or deciding
whether the court has a cracked floor or one that resembles a grade school
playground.
The game modes this year
range from Game On (a friendly exhibition game) and Play It–a mode that
includes Pick-Up Game, Dunk Contest and the game’s career mode called Street
Challenge. Dunk Challenge is a slam dunk contest complete with judges and three
different venues. Up to eight participants can enter the contest and perform
some pretty flashy dunks that have you launch into the air (sometimes over
objects you can place near the net) and dunk. It’s challenging alright but one
of the game’s biggest highlights. You’ll see much of the dunk contest during
Street Challenge mode, though. In Street Challenge mode you’ll be picking your
team and taking them through a number of tournaments earning respect. Some of
the pick-up games you’ll play have challenges to complete like the trick point
challenge. You’ll have ten weeks to build your reputation and the more rep you
gain the more easy it is to draft some really skillful ballers to play on your
team. You’ll also find one of your own players joining the ranks of one of your
rivals, these Rival Challenges cannot be declined with suffer a penalty so you
best accept and win.
Control-wise, the game
moves smoothly and that’s a good thing since this is pure arcade-styled action.
Returning favorites like the Gamebreaker are back but so are some new features.
The new Trick Stick, for example, makes it easy for you to pull off some really
neat tricks by using the right thumbstick. You can unleash some overly
extravagant dunks or make shots you wouldn’t see in any other game and you’ll
love every second of it. The more stylish moves, that have names like Off the
Heezay or Back 2 Papa, are fun to pull off but it’s the mid-air tricks that are
just too much fun to pull off.
There are also loads of
unlockable extras such as new courts like the Brighton Beach or Venice Beach
courts. You can also unlock legends of the hardwood such as Julius Erving or
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to name just a few. Online the game runs at a steady
framerate but it’s the fact that you can play on your own created court using
your own created players that make the Xbox Live multiplayer mode shine.
NBA Street V3
sports some pretty sharp visuals on the
Xbox. While it’s not an incredibly detailed game (you won’t see much of the
players’ facial features during the match) things such as the great lighting on
the courts and player shadows more than make up for it. The animation is smooth
so watching players pull off some fancy moves on the court will not fail to put
a smile on your face. Also the star players look a lot like their real life
counterparts so expect LeBron James to look like LeBron James.
Old-school hip-hop from
artists like MC Lyte and De La Soul are okay and so are the tunes by the Beastie
Boys and Don Yute. The Custom Soundtrack feature would have been greatly
appreciated since you’ll hear the same tunes playing throughout the main menu
and during dunk contests. The music isn’t incredibly bad, though, unlike the
play-by-play and color commentary. The fact that a single person handles the
commentary isn’t that bad, it’s the super annoying hip-hop flavored delivery
that will have you cringing and shutting off his voice throughout the game that
is. If you don’t believe he’s that annoying, just listen to five minutes of his
horrible coverage.
If you’re looking for an
addictive arcade-styled street basketball game this year it just has to be
NBA Street V3. Let’s face facts, what other game has plenty of enjoyable
game modes, solid controls, sweet graphics and the best three-on-three action
this side of, well, NBA Street Vol. 2?
Add a great court and player creation option and you have a game that shouldn’t
be missed by fans of the sport.
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Gameplay: 9.6
If it looks like a dream and plays
like a dream this is the best dream I’ve had all year. The controls are solid
and the arcade-feel just makes the Gamebreaker moves stylish and fun to pull
off. The game modes are enjoyable as well, especially Street Challenge mode.
Graphics: 9.0
While not a gorgeous-looking Xbox
game the player models and courts look excellent. It’s a joy watching these
ballers slam dunk in some of the best-lit courts you’ll find in a basketball
title. The animation is smooth and the flashy effects just the way we like it .
. . flashy but not too much. What’s up with those little kid ballers? Watching
them dunk on Shaq is hilarious.
Sound: 7.5
The tunes range from old-school
hip-hop to some new tunes from the Beastie Boys to Nitty and most of it isn’t
bad–although it would have been cool if we were given the option to use our own
soundtrack. The one-man play-by-play is just plain annoying to the point that
you’ll be shutting him up pretty early in the game.
Difficulty: Medium
The AI is still pretty sharp
although sometimes they fall for some pretty basic tricks Harlem
Globetrotters-style. Still you’ll find some real challenges in Street Challenge
mode and the Legendary difficulty setting will have you really working hard.
Concept: 10
Plenty of creative options allow you
to be creative in designing your own court or baller (be it female or male).
There’s even a Barber Shop and Store although, sadly, you can’t put cornrows on
Yao Ming. Still you can unlock new courts, items and even legendary players
like Larry Bird and “The Stilt.” Oh, and the inclusion of an Xbox Live
multiplayer mode just sweetens the deal.
Multiplayer: 9.0
Xbox Live support means you’ll be
playing this one for a very long time. You can use your own created players and
court and share them with other players but the best part is that you can
participate in the Dunk Contest or play a World Challenge tournament mode. Good
stuff.
Overall: 9.5
EA Sports Big delivers the goods yet
again. NBA Street V3 is pure arcade-styled basketball goodness and by
far one of the best street games the series has produced so far. If you love
basketball and fun then you don’t want to miss this one.
