NBA Street Homecourt Review
Gamers show off their new kicks without getting shot.
Posted by Chris Buffa on Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Forget about sissy NBA rules. In Electronic Arts' NBA Street Homecourt, referees don't blow their whistles when someone gets shoved to the blacktop. In these games, players swat the ball before it hits the rim and use their teammates as props. Out here, at Venice Beach, Franklin Park and Cloverdale, players earn respect by pulling off flashy crossovers and double dunks, because no matter the situation, one must always defend their Homecourt. Bottom line, the game offers wannabe legends more fun than a Detroit Piston's brawl.
Don't expect funky music or the annoying D.J. Cucumberslice, the irksome narrator from the previous NBA Street games. This year's game focuses on NBA players and their humble beginnings. Sure, Denver Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony continues to wow fans with his impressive moves, but before he rocketed to the NBA he was just a kid on the courts of Cloverdale, jockeying for position and etching his name into the minds of all who opposed him. EA nails the presentation, providing gamers with a relaxed, heartfelt tribute to these athletes and the courts that they made famous.
How the game plays matters most and the developers did a masterful job in not only enhancing the arcade style play but also making it more accessible. Unlike previous entries that forced players to memorize buttons to pull off fancy tricks, Homecourt lets them dazzle audiences with just a few presses.
It all starts with the Trick Remixers (X and Y on Xbox 360, Square and Triangle on PS3). Pressing one of these buttons causes players to perform a quick crossover, stunning opponents and creating an open path to the basket. At the same time, pressing and holding these buttons produces more maneuvers, transforming a simple crossover into a hesitation dribble. Combined with the modifiers (LB and RB on Xbox 360, L1 and R1 on PS3), characters bust out soccer moves, spin around, flip the ball over their heads and sometimes around their opponents. Embarrassment (by the defender) ensues, coupled with plenty of trash talking.
Gamers dribble up to the three-point line and launch rainbows, give a teammate an alley-oop while serving an opponent a much-deserved facial or take the rock and jam it through the rim. However, in Homecourt, simple two-handed stuffs look tame in comparison to leaping off a person's back en route to the hole, where a player not only dunks once, but also holds onto the rim and slams once more. Guys land on the rim, flip and then jam, while some leap over fifteen feet into the air, then pass the ball off to a guy ten feet higher, who proceeds to deliver the pain; people will be hooked as soon as they see one of these plays.
In addition to the improved offense, Homecourt sports tougher defense thanks to being able to shove in mid air. A bozo going for some ridiculous windmill slam will plummet back to Earth, the ball in the hands of his more aggressive opponent. This lengthens the game while lessening the impact of Gamebreakers.
Gamebreakers allow players to do even crazier moves. Each team has a trick meter that fills depending on how many tricks/types of tricks they perform. Once full, the screen changes shades and a money ball (a multi-colored basketball) drops onto the court. In a unique twist, defenders may steal the money ball, thus gaining access to the superhuman speed it provides. Combine this with shoving, and a mad scramble ensues for the ball.
While people will enjoy pick up games, Homecourt offers a plethora of options, starting with Homecourt Challenge. In this mode, players select three fictitious players of varying skills, then hit the playgrounds, challenging various teams (some made of fake people, others NBA pros) and meeting various requirements, such as winning a game with dunks only. As they win, their characters level up in the following categories: Shooting, Passing, Dunking, Boards/Blocks, Handles, Steals, Power and Speed. Furthermore, they recruit new players, adding guys like Steve Nash, Elton Brand and Tim Duncan to the squad. They also customize player faces, blending actual NBA pros together and creating hideous mugs. The combination of Elton Brand and Steve Nash looks horrifying.
Homecourt also features five other modes. Gamebreaker Battle forces people to win by scoring with just the money ball, Trick Meter challenges them to fill the trick meter to earn points, Back to Basics eliminates Gamebreakers and trick points and Custom lets gamers adjust rules. Finally, online play (through Xbox Live and the PS3 online network) allows players to anyone in nearly lag free contests. Both versions of the game feature leader boards and ranked/unranked matches. Xbox 360 wins the battle, however, thanks to its user-friendly setup.
Graphically, the game looks the same across both platforms. EA did a masterful job on the character models, perfectly capturing NBA player likenesses, right down to musculature. NBA Street's courts look excellent, with the sun's warm glow casting shadows across realistic surfaces and the rim bending under the weight of the athletes. Even the animation deserves attention. Everything moves fluidly, from the bouncing ball to twisting bodies.
NBA Street Homecourt gets old after a while since it lacks the options found in the more robust NBA 2K7, but players will delight in its light hearted take on basketball. Its theatrics, coupled with its gorgeous visuals, make it a fine addition to everyone's collection.
Final Score: 8 (out of 10)
Final Score: 8/10
