GENRE
	Extreme-Sports
	DEVELOPER
	NuFX
	PUBLISHER
	EA Sports BIG
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
	BUY NOW AT

Anyone who has played an EA Sports BIG title knows how it’s all laid out. SSX Tricky features a boost meter that increases each time you pull a trick. Def Jam Vendetta doesn’t have a boost meter, but it still allows you to pull insanely awesome tricks. The NBA Street series is stuck somewhere in the middle of these two franchises. Is that a good thing? It definitely is, since NBA Street Volume 2 is clearly the best title to be peeled off of EA’s extreme sports label. Sporting extremely detailed graphics and wonderfully addictive gameplay, this arcade basketball title gives the player over 20 hours of playtime. Once you’re done with the main game, you can call up your friends and start up a 4-player game of hoops. From the elite basketball fan to the average novice, this game offers a whole lot of bang for its buck.

visuals

Every character model looks amazingly detailed, from the muscle tone to the facial features. Michael Jordan looks like Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain looks like the Stilt himself. The courts look astoundingly crisp and clear, even the backgrounds beyond the game area. The only bad thing about the court is the crowd that looks a lot like lively animated cardboard cutouts. You can tell that they aren’t at all as detailed as the players on the court, especially when they freeze up during in-game action close-ups. The animations are extraordinary and are captured with excellent style. The trick shots look great and actually seem like anyone playing basketball today could pull them off. Unfortunately, the transitions could have used a bit of work. For example, pump faking and then turning around to throw the ball is very choppy and could have been worked on a bit more closely.

audio

The music is great in this title featuring such artists as Nelly and Redman, but can be fairly repetitive, especially after hours and hours of play. However, the commentary provided in the game is far superior to that featured in the original NBA Street. Provided by New York local DJ, Bobbito Garcia, the fast quips and punk-out talk is hilarious and pumps you up very well for the next round. Anyone who randomly shouts “Macaroni and Cheese” is okay in my book.

gameplay

NBA Street Vol. 2 doesn’t take anything away from what made the original so fun. Featuring three-on-three matches, the action gets intense with several offensive and defensive moves to make. You can juke around with tricks, fakeout with some uber-stylized tricks, and dunk like nobody’s business. The glory of the play mechanics is that with every offensive move, there is a defensive move to counter it and vice versa. If someone tricks around you, you can counter with a turbo steal and lead it back to your court for a dunk or alley-oop. The turbo boost is a helpful tool, but available in a very limited supply. Thankfully, it replenishes at a reasonable pace so that you’ll soon be back for some more fast footwork.

While the NBA Challenge and Quick Match modes are fun, the meat of this game is in the Be A Legend mode. This mode allows you to create a completely new character, male or female, and take them around the nation schooling anything that comes in your path. There are several matches in which to partake, and after each one you can recruit beaten players into your five-player team. Taking on boss characters adds to the fun of this deep, engaging mode. You can even increase your character’s stats and add to their looks by purchasing new clothes and shoes. This mode alone provides the player with over 20 hours of playtime. That’s only if you rush through it with little or no losses.

multiplayer

Adding to the ever growing line-up of four-player party games, NBA Street Vol. 2 provides hours of fun for you and up to three other friends. There’s even a cooperative mode in NBA Challenge, which is an entire mode in which you go from each region of the NBA challenging anyone who comes across your team. You and a couple of friends can control an entire team through this mode, which lasts between four and five hours. Four players can play a competitive quick match, giving two players to a team. This mode can still offer a lot of fun, especially when it comes to talking smack.

overall

I’m not the biggest sports fan, but with games like NBA Street Vol. 2, it’s easier to get into the game and even inspires me to check out some in-depth statistics. It obviously isn’t the basketball simulator that the NBA Live series is, but definitely reminds me of the classic Midway NBA Jam series back in the 90’s. Who can I recommend this title to? Anyone and everyone, especially sports fans! If you haven’t checked this title out, get out there and check it out before NFL Street hits you upside the head.

9.3/10