Score
Gameplay:	8
Graphics:	8
Sound:	8
FunFactor:	9
PlasmaFactor:	8
Overall:	8.2

NBA Street Homecourt Review
June 13, 2007 by Bryant Crawley

It’s been two years since the Street series has graced a console. Well this year the king has returned in its first venture onto the next-generation systems with NBA Street: Homecourt. Has this once-dominating franchise returned to its throne or has it fallen by the wayside in the jester’s court?

New Name, Same Game!

 

The first thing you have to notice about the game is the game play, which has not changed since the launch of the series. It has relatively remained the same with a few minor tweaks here and there. One impressive twist is called the Trick Remixer. With this, any trick is possible in the game with the simple pressing of the A button and one of the bumper buttons. It really is a neat addition to game play, especially when trying to string a number of tricks together for the all-impressive Game Breaker. Speaking of which, this year's version of Street did away with the simple hitting the Game Breaker and it being automatic. Rather with this version, once you are in the "game breaker" mode you have to fill up a bar to get the maximum amount of points for the Game breaker. It goes all the way up from one to four depending on how well you build up your bar.

 NBA Street has an extensive list when it comes to game modes. They are: Game Breaker Battles (games involving only game breaker points), Trick Battles (games won by only using trick points), and Back to Basics (which is no game breakers or tricks, just a straight-up game of basketball.)   These modes pale in comparison to the meat and potatoes, which is called Homecourt Challenge. This mode is the main single player aspect of the game and takes a created player to different NBA players’ home courts in the game. This mode is mainly large but I do have so problems with this mode. One aspect I did not like is the fact that it’s really not long enough. What I was hoping for was an experience comparable to NBA Street Vol. 2, which was rather long. What could have helped was having more actual players having actual courts. I know EA was going for realism in regards to courts but they could have added a lot more to it. They could have included a King of the Court mode where if you win you keep the court. The court is yours. After you won the court you have to defend it. They could have added a little RPG element by having not only to build your character up but also your teammates and not just picking NBA players as soon as they became available. Maybe having the chance to actually take on NBA teams instead of teams thrown together with NBA players. If EA had added any of these elements to the game I guarantee the single player experience would have been longer then a day. Yes, that's how long it took me to complete Homecourt challenge. Some challenge, huh?   

Too Pretty!

 

The real beauty of this game has to be when the game is in motion. Now EA decided to keep the cartoonish look of the players but yet they have upgraded it to match their real life counterparts.   When you see Dwayne Wade in the game, it looks like Dwayne. When you see Kobe Bryant, it looks exactly like Kobe. You get my drift. When the players actually move you can see that EA finally nailed a sports game and had it running at 60 fps because there is absolutely no slow down or "hiccups" in this game. Everything runs silky smooth. Players react to passes and plays within a split second of them happening. Personally I'm really glad EA finally made the leap to 60 fps and did not keep the game running at 30 fps. I'm hoping that the rest of the EA sport games delivery on the same kind of frame rate while not slouching on the graphics. NBA Street is proof positive that it can be done in a sports game.

Swish!

 

Not too much you can say about the sound. Everything in the game sounds authentic. The great thing about the NBA Street series is that on the court you hear actual teammates calling for the ball and calling when they're open (Very cool).

Take the Good With the Bad...

 

The online aspect of this game is pretty much standard. All the same modes are available online except for the fact that there is no Homecourt challenge. The only thing added to the online experience would be the fact that there are now leader boards. Other then that everything is the exact same.

Speaking of Online, one of the real problems I had with the game would be stuff not being included. Some of the content that should have been included to make the game complete, is now costing gamers money to have. I understand that EA is trying to make money with these micro transactions on Xbox live, but at a certain point things need to change. The old school street legends Stretch, Bonafide, Biggie Littles, and Takashi should have been included in the game. They shouldn't have cost gamers $10 to get. I understand that some of the courts were made free and some cost money and that's no problem. I have no problem paying for extra courts but I do have a problem paying for players that were included in every single Street game for free before this one.

Plasma Balling!

 

The factor that will draw you into the game would have to be that it is a blast to play, especially if you have friends over. Homecourt is a very simple, yet very addictive game. You will want to show off new moves that you have learned and perfected in the game over and over till your TV explodes. The game has a lot of "WOW" moments when it comes to the dunks and the tricks (there are too many to name).

 

Verdict

 

Bottom line, NBA Street: Homecourt is a blast to play. I have my issues with a couple of factors (Homecourt mode, micro transactions, online, etc.) but the game is just too much fun to put down. Now I'm not going to say Homecourt is my favorite in the series because that title still belongs to Vol. 2 but it is a steep improvement in regards to Vol. 3. If only EA improves the single player experience in the game by the time Vol. 5 comes out, it may be the all time best sports game around.