NBA Street Vol. 2 Review

Developer	EA Sports Canada
Publisher	EA Sports BIG
Genre	Sports

With the original NBA Street, EA Sports BIG had scored their second consecutive hit in a row fresh off the heels of their then sleeper hit, SSX. Now two years later, EA Sports BIG has established themselves as a major division of Electronic Arts by compiling hits such as SSX Tricky and Def Jam Vendetta. Still, with all of the SSX Tricky’s, Def Jam Vendetta’s, and Sled Storm’s that have been released by EA Sports BIG, only one question remained on many gamer’s lips; When is the sequel to NBA Street coming? Well fear not, NBA Street Volume 2 is here and it will hit you like a ton if you weren’t ready for it.

The original NBA Street had something that the original NBA Jam didn’t have; Street cred. Somehow, EA Sports BIG found a way to successfully combine elements from SSX and infuse them into a basketball game. Add a touch of street ball, and you had an instant arcade sports classic that was not only fun to play, but also fun to experience. With NBA Street Volume 2, Electronic Arts cranks it up to ten and adds tons of new unlockables and features, not to mention actual NBA legends to spice things up. Do all of these additions make the game better, or simply longer? Read on and find out.

Gameplay - If you’ve played the original NBA Street, you’ll have the general idea of what the gameplay in NBA Street Volume 2 is all about. The game is three on three, and like in real streetball, baskets inside the three point arc count for one point and anything behind the three point arc count for two, first to 21 wins. The basic setup is nothing new nor is it anything special, but once you start playing you’ll soon realize just how much fun the game can be.

First off, most of the tricks from the original NBA Street remain intact in its sequel. Those of you that loved “Dinner’s Served” or “Backbreaker” have nothing to worry about because all the greats have made a return. What I find impressive about the tricks is the fact that there is just as many new tricks as there are old. Humans by nature are visual animals, and although pulling off impressive dribble maneuvers as well as dunks may appease mostly any basketball fanatic, NBA Street Volume 2 captures the attention of the common gamer as well by including a point system that actually counts for something. Much like in the SSX series, tricks equals boost, and boost in this case, equals gamebreakers. The more tricks you perform, the more points you get, and the more points you get, the more your gamebreaker meter fills up. The difference here is that in Volume 2, you can fill up your gamebreaker to two levels.

Another interesting wrinkle added to the gamebreakers is the fact that you can use, pocket, or cancel your gamebreakers. Level one is your run of the mill gamebreaker that we all have known and loved from the original. When you pocket your gamebreaker, you rescind the right to use it so you can increase your gamebreaker meter to the second level. Pulling a level two gamebreaker doubles the amount of points taken away and the amount given back to you when compared to a level one gamebreaker. In the end we are talking about an aspect of the gameplay that ensures that each game has that element that makes you feel as if the tables could turn at anytime. When you cancel a gamebreaker, you actually take away an entire gamebreaker meter from your opposition while you lose your right to use yours as well. All of these elements insures a frantic pace that will have teams going back and forth constantly to see who will come out on top.

In addition to more moves and an extra level of gamebreaker, NBA Street Volume 2 has also added actual NBA legends in addition to fictitious street legends. The NBA legends range from Pistol Pete, to Isaiah Thomas, from Michael Jordan, to Dr. J to Wilt the Stilt, and even David Thompson. Michael Jordan fans are definitely in for a treat as you can unlock and play as Michael Jordan circa 1985, 1996, and present; even have them all on the same team! This is definitely a cool touch that makes you want to play through the game so you can unlock all of the Jordans as well as the other NBA legends. Unlocking is a major part of the gameplay found in NBA Street Volume 2, but it doesn’t come off as a cheap crutch to make you keep playing; so much so that I believe the game wouldn’t be as much fun without having to earn everything you get. You can unlock anything from secret players, to street legends, to NBA legends, to NBA throwback jerseys for your user created character to wear. The unlocking aspect of the game just seems like a natural extension of the gameplay that only helps in making the game that much more intriguing.

Overall, the gameplay is tight and incredibly fun. There is so much added to this game that I can go on and on about how well it plays, and how many things you can unlock. Aside from the actual gameplay, this game is also four player. If you can grab three of your buddies to play two on two, I can guarantee you that you will have the time of your life (refrains from throwing in a Dirty Dancing joke). In all seriousness, NBA Street Volume 2 is one of the best Co-op games I’ve played. All I can do is recommend that you try it out yourself, especially if you are into basketball.

Graphics - The graphics in NBA Street Volume 2 are impressive, although they won’t blow anyone away. The actual NBA players themselves were done as caricatures of their actual selves, almost having a cartoonish feel to them. This look is definitely not a turn off, and is in fact a welcome niche that gives this game its own look and feel. The backdrops are beautifully textured, with minimal jaggies and a constant 60 FPS framerate. Overall, the game looks good, and separates itself from the rest of the basketball games out on the market.

Sound - The sound was done incredibly well, lending itself to the hip hop culture. First off, you will hear tracks by Nelly, Just Blaze, MC Lite and others, which fit right in with the rest of the hip hop-dipped influences found throughout the game. Those of you who actually liked “Joe the Show” as an announcer in the first NBA Street (all two of you) will be disappointed to know that Bobbito Garcia is now the announcer. This is a definite plus that increases NBA Street Volume 2’s street cred to a respectable level and away from “trying to sound street” to actually being street. Bobbito has plenty of sayings, more than a few of which will make you chuckle out loud. Overall, all of the sound effects and music is done exceptionally well, and keep in tradition with the EA Sports BIG brand name by being interactive; changing on the fly depending on how well you are doing while you play. Bravo to EA Sports BIG for doing sound the right way in a sports game.

Overall Value - Overall, NBA Street Volume 2 is a damn fine sequel that will have many gamers coming back for more. The only negative I can think of about this game is that once you unlock everything, you will find that you will play the game more for multiplayer fun rather than single player excitement. Even with this small problem, I’d still recommend this game to basketball fans first and foremost, and gamers alike, especially if you are looking to play a game that is simply fun to play.

Review by John Nieves