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 The
advent of street based sports titles has exploded
thanks mostly to EA's take on this exciting new genre.
You'll usually find all of the same sports stars present
and accounted for in the street games but you're allowed
to play by the rules of the street which makes the
games accessible to anyone who loves a game of basketball
on the neighborhood court or a game of football in
the park. And we know that you guys love your outdoor
sports.
For
those unsure of what separates the street games from
the "real" games, NBA Street V3 is a three
on three blacktop brawl for the ball. It features
real NBA teams with reduced player lists. Since it's
in the vein of the original arcade b-ball game, NBA
Jam, you won't be playing the game with the same rules
of reality. It's all about style and glitz, building
up your tricks and maxing out your "gamebreaker"
meter which allows you dunk or shoot with maximum
stylepoints and if you connect you'll take points
away from the other team.
Taking
sports games online has afforded this genre with an
incredible breath of fresh air and NBA Street V3 is
no different. Please note that the GC version doesn't
allow online play and instead offers up three of Nintendo's
biggest stars as compensation for this. The PS2 and
Xbox versions are online playable, however they don't
feature Mario, Luigi or Princess Peach but I'm happy
to say that all three console versions are pretty
equal in terms of performance. The Cube and Xbox version
eek past the PS2 in terms of graphics and the PS2
suffers from longer load times, but no one will walk
away disappointed at the end of the day.
 Where
the three console versions diverge is in the control
configuration. Due to the overhauled control scheme
which involves using the R analog stick to control
the newly appointed "trick stick" which
gives players 8 different directions of juking bliss
which can be combined with the turbo buttons (mapped
to the shoulder buttons), players who own more than
one console might want to select the system which
has the most comfortable controller in their opinion.
In this case, the PS2 wins out due to the fact that
the controller is quite honestly one of the best ergonomically
designed controllers in the history of the universe.
If you disagree, you're an Xbox or GameCube fanboy!
If
you're looking for a simple game of streetball I'd
recommend just going outside. It doesn't get much
simpler that that. The amount of control over tricks,
dunks, combos and passing is pretty overwhelming,
especially if this is your first introduction to the
NBA Street series. Watching skilled players flaunt
their mastery over this game is akin to taking in
ballet; it's an exquisite dance which may look easy
to perform but the reality is much different. Noobs
will be fumbling all over the place, tripping over
themselves in an effort to look cool. Spend some time
in the all-new single player career mode and log hundreds
of hours offline before you even consider stepping
outside your IP address, unless humiliation is something
you're drawn to.
The
single player street challenge mode is new this time
around and it's a welcome addition. You will work
your way through 12 different courts during a 10 week
stint and you will play dozens of matches. The ultimate
goal of the street challenge is to increase your reputation
and earn points which in turn allows you to recruit
better players for your team as well as spend points
in the store to outfit your character etc.
The
customization available to you in V3 is staggering.
Created players not only have hundreds of different
looks, clothes, hair etc. but how they perform on
the court is directly related to the body type you
have chosen. Smaller guys will be easier to upgrade
speed, while larger guys will lack agility and need
to focus on shooting and blocking skills.
If
the online play and street challenge wasn't enough,
there is even a Dunk Mode available to you. Unlike
some of EA Sports other "dunk competition"
found in their other basketball offerings, this mode
is pretty lightweight and will probably only be used
sparingly due to it's lack of depth and challenge.
Once you visit it once or twice there really isn't
any reason to come back.
 Graphic
hounds will be blown away at the sheer style and presentation
of V3. Everything looks great, from the character
models, court designs, lighting effects and animation.
It really doesn't get any better than this and I think
it's a real technical achievement how smooth the combos
transition in a game with such complex movement.
This
is an excellent addition to the series and it's easy
to see why it's been two years since Volume 2. While
it expands on the formula set by previous versions,
it doesn't change them just for the sake of change;
the alterations have resulted in a better playing
game all around. With the advent of online play for
the PS2 and Xbox, V3 promises to provide literally
months, if not years, of replay value.
PS2
Owners: The load times suck but the graphics are
actually pretty darn close to the Xbox and Cube, which
surpised me. Online play is pretty good, but I found
it to be more laggy than XBL. As mentioned though,
you've got the controller that makes this game a breeze
to play.
Xbox
Owners: The best graphics by a small margin, load
times are zooming and the online play is unrivaled.
However even the smaller size of the S controller
manages to mar the experience just a tad. I play a
lot of Xbox and I'm used to it, but I would definitely
consider getting one of those peripherals that allows
me to use a PS2 controller in my Xbox.
Cube
Owners: Great graphics, no online play and personally
the controller just downright blows in my opinion.
It's unintuative and aside from the A and B buttons,
the button positioning on the Cube was designed by
someone who knows nothing about ergonomics or heck,
while I'm at it, color schemes, but that's beside
the point. What you do get is Mario, Luigi and Peach
as playable characters and your own Mushroom Kingdom
court to play on. This is a fun novelty but it begins
and ends there. Novelty. These characters just don't
fit in a basketball game and their appearance is somewhat
unsettling.
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EA
had a great hit with the first NBA Street. The second
attempt was decent but got out done by Midway's NBA
Ballers. So now it looks like EA Big is adding everything
and even including something special for the GC owners.
I guess this is their way of making up for the lack
of any online mode missing from the GC version. The
game will feature a cast of characters that fans of
the series will know. However, they are also adding
new characters including Mario, Luigi and Princess
Peach. No- I am not joking. It is not a rumor. The
three will be in the game. The question will be if
you need to unlock them or not. It looks like each
version will have something unique added to it. For
the Xbox owners the game will finally feature an online
mode where you can get 5 of your friends together
for a fast 3-on 3-dunk fest! While the PS2 players
have already had their online mode, they can expect
some new moves and a faster paced game.
While
the basic game remains pretty much the same formula,
it also looks like new modes are being added to expand
the game and push the experience a bit further. I
really hope the game is as good as they are saying
it will be. The chance to play with the legends and
the new characters sounds great. Players can also
expect the same great animations and brand new moves
and effects. You can provide your own smack talk;
however, knowing the series I am sure the characters
will have some great one-liners themselves. This is
technically the PS2 preview due to the fact the screen
shots and game features listed are from the PS2 version.
Fans can expect this one in stores in early February!
The
highly-anticipated third chapter in the multi-platinum-selling
NBA Street series rises above the rim and expands
on the customization and variety of game modes and
gameplay that helps distinguish the franchise within
EA's rich basketball portfolio. Gamers can build their
reputation as they create the future of street basketball
with all-new jaw-dropping, ankle-breaking, rim-shaking
moves in visually stimulating environments, from favorite
courts like "The Cage" and "Rucker
Park" to the next generation of streetball sanctuaries,
like "Venice Beach". It all adds up to give
V3 a revolutionary style all its own.
Featuring
NBA legends, today's top stars, and original characters
from past editions, NBA Street V3 reaches new heights
by making over-the-top, larger-than-life moves even
bigger in this action-packed, arcade-style game. Customize
your baller, build courts from the ground up, throw
one down in an all-new dunk contest and go online
to put your reputation to the test.
