EA NBA Street

As popular as basketball is on the other side of the Atlantic, it’s never really had all the care and attention the game needs. That is until now, as EA’s NBA Street is a totally brilliant basketball game.

Much like NBA Jam (which as you may already know is my benchmark for a truly good basketball game),

NBA Street

is a side to side moving game. With three players on each team, you get to pick your side based on overall star rating and on their strengths and weaknesses. For example the Celtics are a 5 star side with strength in dunking and weakness in blocking.

In this game you’re objective is to win by being the first to score 21 points. This provides a good challenge but not an epic battle of wills. You only have a few seconds in possession of the ball to score so be prepared to rush their defence and perform some suitably superhuman feats of agility when dunking.

This is a game that is instantly playable for both experienced and amateur players alike. I say this because there’s enough to the game to challenge and entertain regardless of the skill level. Of course you can pick one of the top flight teams and play against one of the ‘bad’ sides, but even this won’t guarantee a win in your favour.

NBA Street

recaptures the old-school game play style that offers excellent fun entertainment as well as superb controls and appearance (and the sound’s not bad either!) Something hauntingly familiar of NBA Jam emerges in this game – which is far from a bad thing. The slams are quite a work of art and add to the addictiveness and fun challenge posed by the game. Rather than simply scoring points as rapidly as possible, you get to do flips, spins and windmill actions as you leap through the air towards your opponents’ goal.

By only having six players in total on the court, you have ample room to run into and take full advantage of. A few passes and you will be at the other end’s scoring zone. Controls are a breeze to work with, up, down, left and right (for all the obvious moves), hit OK or 5 and you’ll pass the ball, hold it and you’ll attempt a shot. The dunk-power bar is also something to test your skill with, as you can end up overdoing it and missing the dunk and falling in a heap – normally dispossessed too to add insult to injury!

To help you get around your opponents you can also use the double tap feature, which causes your player to perform a shimmy, dummy or other wicked trick to lose the player and hopefully give you a shot at their hoop.

Overall then, the game-play is a total resounding success. The simple and effective controls matched with the excellent graphics provide a very addictive game which will keep you entertained for hours. With challenges for you to unlock, you will certainly be tested in your balling skills and will find there’s much more to this game than you may expect. I think in truth, I might have to compare all other games to this rather than NBA Jam!

Rating 97%

Positives

Great looks and action

Entertainment in bucket-loads

Good controls

Very addictive for both experienced and inexperienced players

Negatives

A little easy at times

Music’s a little repetitive