NBA Street: Homecourt – 360 – Preview

While
there have been many imitators over the years, EA’s NBA Street series is the
premier street basketball series. Three entries strong, the series shows no sign
of slowing, presenting a great mix of easy to grasp controls and deep gameplay.
Now, EA is looking to bring that magic to next-gen consoles while upping the
ante with wilder moves and more added features, plus the requisite HD graphical
boost. NBA Street: Homecourt is the next entry to the series, and presents more
than just a superficial graphical boost. The game’s gameplay mechanics feel a
lot smoother, and the moves that you can perform are some of the craziest yet.
NBA Street fans take note, it’s time to bring it home. 

NBA
Street Vol. 3 did
things a little differently as far as controls were concerned. The game used the
analog sticks as a means of tweaking dunks and performing moves. Homecourt
removes the analog controls from the tricks, instead utilizing the X and Y
buttons to do your moves, and the shoulder buttons to tweak them. This frees up
the second analog stick and lets you use it for passing, which gives it a better
dynamic.

The
game is certainly not short on new moves either. For starters, you can perform a
variety of dunks depending on how long you hold down the shot button. Tapping it
will allow you to perform a simple lay-up, while the longer you hold it down the
more complex your dunks get. If you hold down the button for the correct length
of time, you’ll perform a Repeater, where you dunk the ball, grab it in mid-air,
and then dunk it again for a second point. Also in your move repertoire are
three man alley oops, some play calling, and a bunch of other new and unique
moves.  

The
controls and on-court gameplay are pretty solid, but the game’s different modes
are pretty impressive as well. The Create-a-player system has been revamped both
in terms of editing your player’s look and how they play the game. When you’re
determining how your player plays the game, you have to choose between a set of
three skills, each with a pro-baller in mind (in fact, they each say something
along the lines of ‘Play like LeBron’ underneath). Also, when editing how their
face looks, you actually choose between three professional players in order to
make a facial composite.

Once
you’ve created your character, then it’s time to take the Homecourt Challenge.
In this mode, you build your character’s street rep up by taking on a variety of
opponents starting in your personal homecourt and then working your way up. 

Graphically the game looks great. The action is as fluid as it has been in
previous entries to the series, while the added animations make the game look
even better. The character models are also eerily uncanny when held up to their
real-life NBA counterparts. The courts also look great and have an increased
sense of personality, especially compared to the somewhat sterile appearance of
most pro-basketball games. 

While
still in preview form, NBA Street: Homecourt presented some great improvements
over previous entries in the series, but still retained its classic feel. Look
for it next month.