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GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Excellent
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 04/24/2003
- Released on: 04/28/2003
- Originally published on GameSpot: NBA Street Vol. 2 (GameCube) Review
Updating an arcade sports title for a sequel can be a tricky proposition. Since the genre doesn't always attract the hard-core simulation fan, updated rosters and other tweaks normally associated with more-serious sports games usually go unappreciated. But straying too far from the original formula may alienate the existing fans. NBA Street Vol. 2 is a textbook case of how to update a game like this--it makes a few solid improvements to the series' gameplay and visuals, and, most importantly, it doesn't break anything that was great in the first game.
NBA Challenge mode puts you up against all the NBA teams.
NBA Street is an arcade-style three-on-three basketball game with scads of offensive and defensive trick moves. NBA Street Vol. 2 adds a new layer of tricks, and the result is a balanced sports game that makes playing defense almost as entertaining as dunking the ball. For every offensive move in the game, there's a countermove. Well-timed blocks can knock almost any regular shot--and most of the weaker dunks--right out of the air. Special steal moves can be used to combat the offensive footwork designed to knock your defensive player out of position and onto the ground. Special passes can be used to bounce the ball off the backboard and out to another player, which is great for tricking defenders but is difficult to pull off terribly often. The game also has a turbo meter that governs the use of many of your more-effective moves. It slowly replenishes when you aren't using it.
Even the game-altering gamebreaker shots have been changed a bit. As you perform different tricks and combos, your gamebreaker meter fills. Once it's full, you have a limited amount of time to get the ball and shoot a gamebreaker. Hitting a gamebreaker shot not only gives you points, but it also takes a point away from the opposing team. Alternatively, you can choose to store your gamebreaker energy. Filling up the bar a second time lets you deliver a level-two gamebreaker, which has the added bonus of doing more damage to the opposing team's score. It's also completely unblockable, unlike the standard gamebreaker shot, which can be blocked fairly easily.
Beyond these changes, NBA Street Vol. 2 is roughly the same as its predecessor. It has a handful of different modes to choose from. You can create a player and take him or her through the game's "be a legend" mode, which starts you out as a lowly, skill-less street baller and allows you to build yourself into a highly-recognizable, skillful street baller. The be a legend mode takes you through a handful of locations and game types, pitting you against boss characters as you proceed. As you defeat teams in this mode, you'll get points to spend on character development, and you'll also be able to add one of your opponents to your team, which can consist of up to five players.
The rest of the modes take you away from the character-building side of things and let you play with real NBA players, past and present. You can also unlock a few additional players, including some of the artists on the soundtrack, like Nelly and the St. Lunatics or Just Blaze. The NBA challenge mode puts you up against all the NBA teams, broken up into their real-life divisions. Winning here nets you reward points that you can use to unlock even more items. The game's exhibition mode is also pretty well-structured, giving you a lot of different ways to play. You can disable gamebreakers, play by NBA scoring rules, or even play a game that keeps track of your accumulated trick points instead of the number of baskets you've hit.
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