NBA Street Review - PS2

NBA Street: Showdown for PSP continues the playground hoops series that has supplanted Midway’s NBA Jam as the top arcade-style basketball game on the market. It is the Paris Hilton of video games, where flashy entrances, stylish moves, and carefully planned poses are more important than the event itself. Winning by scoring more baskets than the opposition is still the main goal, but the fun comes from how the game is won--from kick passes and superfly dunks to bouncing the rock off a player’s head and faking out a defender using the slip-and-slide. Unfortunately, the PSP version of the NBA Street series is neither as feature-laden nor as flexible as its console predecessors, making it a questionable purchase for owners of NBA Street V3.

It’s Not Heezay

Since the PSP lacks the two additional shoulder buttons found on PS2, the amount of trick moves under your direct control have been drastically limited. Sure, you can still pass the ball with ease, dive for a loose ball, pump fake, call for a pick, and shoot, but trying to perform razzle-dazzle moves on a consistent basis is hit or miss. The square button is used to perform random tricks, but in order to initiate more advanced ball handling moves, the square button is either held or tapped in tandem with the left, right, or both shoulder buttons, which function as the turbo. Since each button has its own purpose apart from one another, it’s not easy to do what you want to during a fast-paced, up-tempo game.

Graphics Got Game

The slippery controls are disappointing, especially because the presentation is strong. Though it is clearly a few notches below the PS2 in terms of detail, Showdown features large, graceful players, appealing urban court environments, and bright colors. Optional instant replays show off your dunks, steals, or blocks, while announcer Bobbito Garcia will spew his unique catchphrases to keep the game moving at a brisk pace. Even the soundtrack is worth mentioning, with songs like Jump Around, Me, Myself, and I, and other classics from different eras. The camera views could be more diverse, but overall the game looks and sounds great. The play modes, however, are lacking.

Crowning Disappointment

King of the courts is Showdown’s main event, where you create a male or female athlete and play a series of pick-up games to increase skill points, purchase outfits, and unlock courts and characters by defeating each venue’s boss team. Yet you can easily breeze through this mode within a weekend, leaving you with head-to-head match-ups against a friend, pick-up games against the computer, or the arcade shootout and shot blocker minigames. The latter two are disappointing; the first has you quickly firing colored balls at miniature hoops, while the second is a tedious test of how well the block button responds as you stand in front of the hoop trying to swat shots from a series of computer-controlled athletes. It’s fun for all of one minute.

Under Construction?

NBA Street: Showdown is an otherwise solid playing game that comes up short in the control and play modes, especially when compared to NBA Street V3, which is clearly the better option for those new to the arcade b-ball franchise. While Showdown is quick moving and easy-on-the eyes, veteran players will tire of the game much faster than with EA’s other offerings on the widescreen handheld. If any Street could benefit from urban renewal, it’s this one.