NBA Street is a
basketball video game developed by
EA Canada. It was released in 2001 for the
PlayStation 2 and in 2002 for the
GameCube. It combines the talent and big names of the
NBA with the attitude and atmosphere of
streetball.
NBA Street was followed by
NBA Street Vol. 2,
NBA Street V3, and
NBA Street Homecourt.
Gameplay Summary
NBA Street consisted of three-on-three basketball games. Asides from the basic structure of basketball, players try to collect
trick points, which are scored through the use of almost every basketball game maneuver such as faking out defenders, shot blocking, diving for the ball, and
dunking. If a team fills a special meter through flashy and effective
gameplay, they get to perform a
Gamebreaker, which is a special shot that not only adds to their score, but it subtracts an amount from their opponents' score.
Single player options included a user-created player touring famous American locations, picking up teammates from NBA rosters along the way.
The gameplay could be considered an "arcade" style of basketball in that it is not a true simulation, similar to the NBA Jam series. For instance, in-game players were able to jump high enough to grab three-point shots mid-arc (goaltending is permitted and is often used as a defensive strategy). Games on the default setting are scored not by traditional standards, as two-point field goals are worth one point, while made shots behind the three-point line rewarded two points. Instead of a time limit, the first team to score a predetermined amount of points were deemed the winner. However, variant options existed, such as matches based on trick points.
Reception
Reviews were mostly positive, and the game has a composite
Metacritic score of 89 out of 100.
With the success of the NBA Street series, EA Sports BIG expanded to the format to football with NFL Street and soccer with FIFA Street.
Cast and characters
30 current NBA teams were playable, with rosters from around
2000 and
2001.
Michael Jordan, who announced his comeback from his second retirement with the
Washington Wizards a few months after the PlayStation 2 release, is available on both the Gamecube and PlayStation 2 versions.
The game introduced several recurring characters called Street Legends, fictional basketball players who served as the series' bosses, each masterful in a particular aspect of basketball and representing a specific area of the United States. Their personalities and appearances were loosely inspired by real players, such as Stretch, the "cover athlete" who resembled Julius Erving in looks and abilities.
:Street Legends
Bigs: He is the first street legend that you will confront in Circuit City. His homecourt is Beacon Hill (a real court located in British Columbia). He is a big muscular guy, known as an ideal, British Shaq. His mastery skill is his power he has, and he is also a pretty decent blocker. He is a good big man to use on your team.
Bonafide: He is the second street legend that you confront in Circuit City. His homecourt is Broad Street (a real court located in Philly.) He is the youngest, shortest street legend in the game, and is like the Hispanic Allen Iverson. His mastery skill is his speed, and he also has very good ball handling skills. He makes a great point guard, and is an excellent player to have on your team.
Drake: He is the third street legend that you confront in Circuit City. His homecourt is called The Yard. He is a pretty short guy, and is a mondern day, ghetto Jerry West. His mastery skill is shooting. His shooting makes him an excellent player, but the downfall is that he can't dunk! He is a good player to have on your team.
DJ: He is the fourth street legend that you confront in Circuit City. His homecourt is Venice Beach (a real place located in Los Angeles). He is a Jamacian, about 6'7 and is somewhat related to a Jamacian style Dominique Wilkins. His mastery skill is his dunks, and he's a not too shaby shooter. He is a great player to have on your team.
Takashi: He is the fifth street legend that you confront in Circuit City. His homecourt is Yakatomni Plaza. He is a freakishly tall Asian guy standing at 7'8 very related to Yao Ming (even though he wasn't in the NBA yet.) His mastery skill is his blocks, and is a good dunker. He is also referred to as "Swat Team Captain"
Stretch: He is the final street legend that you confront in Circuit City (before Michael Jordan). He is the classic old school basketball player that is almost exactly like Julius Erving back in the day. His mastery skill is his dunking, and is a great shooter as well. He is an excellent player to have on your team.
Other special players, such as Yeti, Magma Man, Greylien Alien (Dream Team), as well as the group 3LW, a team called Team BIG, and a team with Stephon Marbury, Rafer Alston, and Michael Jordan (Team NYC) have to be unlocked.
References
External links
Category:2001 video games
Category:National Basketball Association video games
Category:Electronic Arts games
Category:PlayStation 2 games
Category:GameCube games
Category:Video games developed in Canada
