Take it to the Street

There are many different genres of video games today, each requiring a specific skill set to play. Sports games are a unique string of video games that take time and knowledge to develop well enough for a player to enjoy. Most sports game, such as FIFA and Madden, release a game almost every single year. There are also so many side options like audibles and rules sets that restrict the user’s ability to play the game if he or she doesn’t understand those concepts, which makes it harder on the player. Lots of sports games are like this. However, I believe one sports game sequel in particular is proof that a new, exciting and entertaining sports game can still be made. I’d like to look back on NBA Street Vol. 2, the fast-paced, trick oriented basketball game for the Playstation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo Gamecube in this retro game review. Following its cutting edge predecessor, NBA Street Vol. 2 proved once again that the funky, trick-filled, slam-dunking basketball game is here to stay. NBA Street contains a total of 4 different gaming modes for player to enjoy: Pickup Game, Be a Legend, NBA Challenge, and Street School. Each game mode adds variety to the game and makes it even more enjoyable.

When I first started playing, I jumped straight into the Street School game mode for some tips and pointers. The Street school gaming mode contains basic and advanced tutorials, taught by NBA Street's Stretch Monroe, for learning how to play the game. The tutorial makes it a lot easier to play the game, however it is not required. Upon completion, the player is also awarded an in-game trophy wish contributes to game completion, so regardless of if you need the practice or not, it’s still worth giving a try.

The Pickup Game mode is just that, a quick basketball game where the first team to 21 points wins. Like the other game modes in NBA Street, the Pickup game mode contains 3-on-3 based games. You can pick your team mates according to character game play stats to build a better all around team. Tricks can be utilized in all game modes to confuse the opposing team and score an outrageously amazing shot or slam dunk! The Pickup Game mode is essentially the bare bone basics.

The NBA Challenge mode is very awesome. At the beginning you pick a NBA Team and have to play all the other teams in the division to win the championship. When I first started out in this mode I chose to play as the Phoenix Suns. It is more intense than the pickup game mode and the teams are a lot more balanced than when someone makes his or her won teams. This in turn makes this mode a little more difficult than the other game modes, but it is still beatable nonetheless.

The final game mode is the Be A Legend mode, in which you create your own character and rise to be a Street Ball Legend. You create your own skills, customize your trick moves, outfits, and physical appearance, and go head to head with other street ballers to be the best! This is the main mode that revolves around a character that you the player create. And the best part is this mode is completely customizable!

The fundamental controls to the game are really easy to grasp, regardless of if the Street School tutorial mode was played or not. The basics of the game such as passing, movement, tricks, and shooting are all performed using single buttons on the controller. With certain combinations of buttons, more advanced actions can be performed and increase the chances to win. More advanced tricks and shots, as well as the Gamebreaker combos that turn entire games around, are performed using these advanced controls, even though they are required for basic gameplay. The graphics are amazing and the soundtrack is full of great songs. Most of the songs in the soundtrack are hip-hop. I’m not a huge hip-hop fan myself, but the songs definitely go great with the gameplay, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. One of the personally satisfying features, is the instant replay, in which you can rub the play into the opponents’ face. Also, lots of real life players are represented in the game as unlockable playable characters, such as Michael Jordan and Dr. J, which add to the experience!

In spite of the amount of sports games there are nowadays, NBA Street Vol. 2 is definitely a slam dunk, and leave other games, past and present, sitting on the shelf, or bench in this case. I personally believe NBA Street is the best basketball game ever made and I think NBA Street deserves a 9.3 out of 10 in this retro game review, for its amazing gameplay and customizability, as well as multiple game modes to keep the fun going for a long time to come. 

By: Corey Morabito