System: Xbox 360, PS3
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Canada

Let me begin this review by stating this: NBA JAM is still one of my top five franchise games of all time. It managed to blend fast, action-packed gameplay with loads of unlockable characters and energy. It was one of the very first “must have” multiplayer games; not to mention that it was one of the funniest sports titles ever. Fast forward to EA’s NBA STREET: HOMECOURT, not only the spiritual successor to NBA Jam, but a powerhouse game in it’s own right – infusing the best elements of the past, with modern hip-hop styling and flavor.

For those of you that have been living under a rock for the past ten years, the premise of the NBA STREET series is simple: frantic 3-on-3 basketball with very few rules. The more physical you play, the better. Offensively, the game revolves around two main components: multiple trick moves/combos, and the Gamebreaker. The Gamebreaker is a meter that is filled when a player performs multiple trick moves; the more complex the move, the quicker the meter fills up. Once the meter has been activated, the player has the ability to perform crazy-stupid badunkadunk (Insert favorite Sportscenter adjective here) moves that can range in value from 1-4 points. This year, EA has tweaked the Gamebreaker ever so slightly as for the first time, the defender will now have the ability to cash in on the Gamebreaker as well. If the defender can steal the ball from the opposing team, he can score a basket and turn the tide on the offense. In earlier iterations of NBA STREET, if the defense managed to “cop the rock”, the Gamebreaker would continue until the meter expired. Now, both teams have an equal opportunity to change the flow of the game adding a much needed dimension of strategy to the game.

Graphically, this game is absolutely ridiculous – Not only do the NBA and WNBA character models look phenomenal, but they animate just as well as they look. This is the first next-gen EA Sports game that actually sports 60fps which certainly adds to the life-like nature of the characters and environments. All new dunk and shot animations help to solidify the graphical package, including the new double and triple dunks. Yup, you heard me right; there are actually dunks that can score two or 3 points depending on the amount of tricks performed before the dunk. It’s like watching the most amazing, acrobatic movement ever seen on a basketball court. Awesome.

Game Modes are slim this year, with a revamped Career Mode, aptly titled Homecourt Challenge leading the charge. Instead of using a deep create-a-character from scratch mechanic (ala Tiger Woods; let’s hope they bring this back for the next installment of NBA STREET), this year the characters are created by a mix of existing NBA players and then competing on a variety of courts around the country. Even though playing this mode is extremely enjoyable, I would have liked more unlockables than just various Air Jordan’s and uniforms – whatever happened to the good old days of hidden characters? The rpg-like method of leveling up your created baller is cool but the game simply needs to add more depth to it’s Game Modes to enhance the single player component. The real joy of these type of games is in the multiplayer portion. When playing over Xbox Live, I encountered no slowdown whatsoever but there was also the lack of any sort of lobby that I found very hard not to notice. This has become a standard in mostly all multiplayer online games, and EA Canada dropped the ball on this front. Certainly not a deal-breaker by any stretch of the imagination, especially considering we’re used to EA titles lacking in the online department, but an integral part of the game that needs to be addressed.

On the audio side of things, this game is funky-fresh. While NBA 2K7 might retain the current crown of best in-game soundtrack currently, (at least until EA’s DEF JAM: ICON is released), this title is clearly a close second. Whether it’s Herbie Hancock’s Rockit playing as the Gamebreaker theme, or the hip-hop/funk/soul background music, this game is clearly as cool as the other side of the pillow. In game announcing has a ton of flair as well; I especially enjoyed the announcer rejoice and groan when a player gets hit with a double or triple dunk – friggin hilarious.

The best part of playing this game is the nostalgic feeling of fun; I harkened back to my days at the local arcade dumping token after token into the NBA Jam machine, vying for basketball supremacy. NBA STREET: HOMECOURT has clearly raised the bar on all other franchises that offer an alternative view of mainstream sports games. Huge Kudos to EA for improving an already great game, and I eagerly await the next version with open arms.