After seeing NBA Street on PS2 at E3 last May, I was always hoping this game would come to the GameCube. The graphics and animation looked fantastic, and the over-the-top gameplay looked to be a fun romp. It’s finally arrived on the GameCube (early no less), but is it anything more than just an upgraded NBA Jam?

3-on-3 extreme street basketball is what NBA Street is all about. You play up to 21, and you have to win by 2 points. Each basket counts for 1 point. Normal 3 point shots are worth 2 points. You also have a separate score going for doing special moves, dunks, shots, etc. Different from NBA Courtside’s arcade mode, the out-of-bounds lines count in NBA Street. Outside of that, there really aren’t any rules. Taking people out, fouling, and goaltending are completely legal.

NBA Street has loads of big dunks, combos, and trash talking. I figured I could skip the tutorial mode and move to the game right away, but I ended up getting spanked. Reset…start over. The training mode teaches you the basics, as well as the advanced controls so you can do the moves that will get you more points. I think the training mode is really the best way to learn this game.

The controls take a little while to get used to if you’ve been playing NBA Courtside, but once you play through the training mode, you’ll be all set for some slammin’ dunks. Timing is crucial with blocks, dunks and steals…so there is a slight learning curve. Overall the controls are generally pretty decent. To do some of the special moves, utilizing the Z-trigger is necessary while also pressing the R-button. It will remind you dearly of SSX Tricky. Some may like this, others won’t.

NBA Street looks almost as good as it plays. The players generally resemble their real life counter parts, but I wouldn’t say as well as NBA Courtside. Even though everything moves at a brisk pace, the framerate is very solid. I would like better camera options than just low, medium, and high. A camera that actually pivots would have really made me happy. The only time the camera isn’t panning from left to right is when there’s an instant replay, or you’re performing a “GameBreaker.”

No play-by-play? WHAT?! The audio is a little on the weak side in my opinion. The voice acting is pretty good, and the players spout words of wisdom as they’re knocking opponents on their butts as they drive to the hoop. But that’s it. “Joe the Show,” who is the training coach, offers additional trash talking, but that’s it. There’s some mediocre music in the background, but I wasn’t impressed. “Joe the Show” doing some over the top play-by-play would be a nice addition. “Joe the Show” is funny, but he’ll never mention real players names, unless it’s one of the boss characters.

Multiplayer is good, but you are limited to 2-player games only. EA Big had planned to make NBA Street 4-player on GameCube, but unfortunately it didn’t make it into the final product. 2-player is fun…but if you have 4 people, the other two people will become bored, and probably decide to eat your food, mess with your cat, and comment on how messy your apartment is. Results will probably vary.

NBA Street is a fun arcade style basketball game. It’s easy to pick up and play within minutes with a friend. It is pretty much a direct port of the PS2 game. Hopefully next year EA can implement 4-player action, as well as make the camera more dynamic. But for now, Street Ball doesn’t get much better than this.