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NBA Street (video game)
Encyclopedia
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.
. 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.
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
.
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.
The Street Legends are, in order, Biggs, Bonafide, Drake, DG, Takashi, and Stretch.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
video game developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by EA Canada
EA Canada
EA Canada is a video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The development studio opened in January 1983 and is EA's largest and oldest studio...
. It was released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and in 2002 for the GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
. It combines the talent and big names of the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
with the attitude and atmosphere of streetball
Streetball
Streetball or street basketball is a variation of the sport of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less by way of formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules...
. NBA Street was followed by NBA Street Vol. 2
NBA Street Vol. 2
NBA Street Vol. 2 is the sequel to NBA Street. It was released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and for the first time in the series, on the Xbox. Japan was only able to see a PlayStation 2 release of this game...
, NBA Street V3
NBA Street V3
NBA Street V3 is the third game in the NBA Street series. It is the sequel of NBA Street Vol. 2. It was released for PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox, along with a PlayStation Portable port of V3 called NBA Street Showdown....
, 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 dunkingSlam dunk
A slam dunk is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was...
. If a team fills a special meter through flashy and effective gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
, 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
NBA Jam
NBA Jam is a basketball arcade game developed by Midway in 1993. It is the first entry in the NBA Jam series, and was written entirely in assembly language. The main designer and programmer for this game was Mark Turmell...
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 MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
score of 89 out of 100.
With the success of the NBA Street series, EA Sports BIG expanded to the format to football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
with NFL Street
NFL Street
NFL Street received good reviews upon release. It received a 7.75 from Game Informer, and a 9.2 from IGN. The game also received 4 stars out of 5 from GameSpy, saying that "Pick-up football was never this exciting." Additionally, Gamespot gave it a rating of 7.9, saying "If you've been eagerly...
and soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
with FIFA Street
FIFA Street
FIFA Street is a sports video game developed by Alex Shulmann and published by Electronic Arts. It is commentated by MC Harvey of the So Solid Crew....
.
Cast and Characters
30 current NBA teams were playable, with rosters from around 20002000-01 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Mike Miller, Orlando Magic*Defensive Player of the Year: Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia 76ers/Atlanta Hawks...
and 2001
2001-02 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs*Rookie of the Year: Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies*Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons...
. Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, who announced his comeback from his second retirement with the Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
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
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
in looks and abilities.
The Street Legends are, in order, Biggs, Bonafide, Drake, DG, Takashi, and Stretch.