NBA Street single-handedly shattered the backboard of arcade-style sports games. In three iterations on PS2/Xbox/GameCube, it dominated the competition -- regardless of the sport. Its blending of combos that were closer to Tony Hawk or Street Fighter with high-scoring aerial action proved irresistible, for both hardcore sports gamers and casual players alike.
In its first next-gen iteration, NBA Street Homecourt has instituted a lot of changes and taken more risks than you'd expect. At the same time, it stays true to what made Street such a popular franchise. Forcing your core fan base to basically relearn how to play the game is shaky ground, but it comes at the benefit of a tweaked experience that also embraces newer players.
Homecourt has two main trick buttons, rather than the four we're used to. What's more, they're mapped to X and Y instead of the shoulder buttons. It may sound like a watering-down of one of Street's main attributes, but the fluidity of the animations allows for smoother, more rapid-fire transitions between tricks. Also, the bumper buttons act as modifiers, opening things up a bit. Basically, NBA Street Homecourt's controls are tailored for less experienced players, while still offering deep gameplay for seasoned veterans.
The dunk system has also been totally reworked. No longer do you hold multiple buttons to pick from a huge list of dunks. This seems like a downer, until you see what's taken its place. Once you take flight, your dunk is dependent on two things: how long you hold the button down, and what type of player has the ball. Keeping it held results in higher trick-point totals, but also leaves you open to rejections. Time the release perfectly, and you get a double-dunk: Your player actually corrals the ball before it hits the pavement to slam it through the rim a second time for twice the points!
Not only does the double-dunk look great, but it's another way to come from behind without using a Gamebreaker. There is a risk, however -- wait too long, and you'll blow the dunk. Seeing the same move over and over can get a little repetitive, but Homecourt more than compensates. It's questionable how many people were holding three trick buttons for an off-the-backboard slam anyway.
Speaking of Gamebreakers, they too have received a facelift. When your meter is full, hit Y when at center-court, and one point is automatically subtracted from your opponent's score. How many get added to yours is dependent on the number of tricks you pull off before getting the hoop. Again there's a risk, as a turnover can result in the other team getting the bonus bucket. These big risk, big reward moments add a lot of drama to games, and definitely enhance the overall NBA Street experience.
Getting accustomed to these new mechanics takes time. After all, we're used to using those face buttons for totally different things. Don't be alarmed to get your rear end handed to you early and often. Thankfully, a new practice mode allows you to experiment with the controls and hone your game. You can even bring defenders in and out of the mix. Many games feature a mode like this, but never has it been so useful. Once you get up to speed, Homecourt moves like a well-oiled machine.
NBA Street Homecourt's soul deals with the places you play as much as the people playing -- hence the name. It's about building a rep for your 'hood, while at the same time improving your skills. As such, the environments are distinctly modeled in great detail. You've never played on a digital playground like the four-court square of Cloverdale. Venice Beach is another memorable area, and its resemblance to the real place is uncanny. Designing these courts accurately makes a lot more sense than the cold, massive confines of the NBA's teams.
You'll still be building your baller from the ground up, of course. Do you want a quick scorer like Kobe, a bruiser like Brand, or an all-around whiz like Marion? Unlike past games, it's not about making an across-the-board Superman. Your stats go up based on performances: Get a lot of steals in a game, and that ability improves. Of course, you could get lucky and earn a Freak skill that maxes out one attribute. This helps you compete with those NBA (or WNBA) players who have Master skills that make one part of their game totally dominant. Like in the past, this career mode will have you recruiting new players, visiting new courts, and engaging in several types of pick-up games.
Other modes focus on Gamebreakers, trick points, or the bare basics of basketball. Sadly, there's no mode to run through the NBA teams, tournament-style, or one where you could shoot for the most trick points to top a leaderboard. Online play is included too, offering the same choices as single-player, and is a great advantage to Homecourt. After all, as good as the computer is, nothing beats matching wits with another savvy human player. Multiplayer is as good as ever -- if not better, thanks to the riskier choices one can make.
Graphically, Homecourt initially doesn't look that great. You'd think six players on-court instead of 10 would leave lots of room for visual advancements, but apparently not. The reason this isn't the case is to keep everything fluid and fast -- which is respectable. Even still, don't be surprised if you find yourself thinking you're playing an Xbox game once in a while.
On the audio front, Homecourt tries something different. Instead of having a commentator dropping urban slang ad nauseam, you get a barrage of player chatter. The amount of dialogue here is incredible, as they'll talk about the score, the action going on, and just general trash-talking. It's really well done. The music follows an old-school style and acts to complement the game rather than stand out.
It's debatable whether the tweaks EA has made to NBA Street are for better or worse; it really depends on your skill level and what you're into. As a whole, though, NBA Street Homecourt is an excellent arcade-sports title that knows no equal on next-gen consoles. It's more user-friendly than ever, has a killer single-player mode, and its online play will only make you keep it cemented into your Xbox 360 that much longer.
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