Overview

An excellent general impression can be felt as soon as the menus appear. Very stylish, these menus feature faded colours, like old movies, and unmistakable cracklings. The soundtrack accompanies this progression magnificently with catchy titles that range from Quincy Jones to the Jackson 5 without ever sounding ridiculous. Movie fans like Jackie Brown know what I'm talking about! Even for the detractor of American hip-hop and rap, the music is a treat for the ears and makes every transition, every passage in a menu most enjoyable. One way as another to give an impression of greatness to everything the game offers, even if it hides a severe flaw in the content, but we'll come back to that later.

For newcomers, an explanation is obvious: NBA Street is a game that offers three-on-three matches on outdoor or indoor courts. Either way, the environments are perfect for our eyes and ears. Indoors, the shoes squeak. Outdoors, the sun assails us, the scenery stretches far out to the horizon, and the play of light is incredible. The whole game comprises many filters that allow us to gratify the game with a unique graphic style. But what makes this game's primary success is its mix of realism (with real players, real licenses) and completely crazy cinematic effects. Spins, double dunk, the players are one with the ball, and many equally graceful movements are within reach of all hands, even the slowest. All these thanks to refined yet straightforward gameplay!

Gameplay

Well, indeed, this one requires a particular time of adaptation. The first few hours will be painful, and after creating your character, which you can intelligently base on two existing players via quality morphing (Tony Parker and Shaquille O'Neal combined, now that's a player's game!), the Career mode will open the doors to several consecutive games before you get the hang of it. On paper, everything is straightforward: a button to counter, to shoot, to jump, to pass, but the first moments are quick, and the player will not be able to find his way around.

Gameplay mastered; let's get down to business. The screen starts to roar, and the colours go crazy; your character uses the ball as a new part of his body. With a very rhythmic hip-hop tune, here you are doing BreakDance on the court with the main interest of inflating your combos bar. Continue the tricks, stumble your assailants, and you'll increase your score. Once the ball enters the basket, you break your score and can earn up to ten points from a single shot unless one of your opponents steals the ball from you. In this case, the game slows down, the music turns off, and once it is restarted, the music is set to the rhythm of your assailant's movements. Although it is your own Gamebreaker, no one will stop your opponent from enjoying it once he has the ball. Fortunately, what is valid for him is also useful for you.

The style is incredible. NBA Street Homecourt is a real next-generation game in the sense that it offers a whole new feel. Thrills, moments of pure happiness, musical sequences of great class. The Career mode also adds to all this tension that we happily drink, with its many successive challenges and its evolution system. As in a role-playing game, your character is, at the beginning of the adventure, only a simple level 1. Whether a success or a bitter failure, each match will bring you experience (more victories, of course). The more you improve, the more your stats will increase. That's how you can become a real talent.

Unfortunately, the Career mode is not very long - a few hours of play the most after spending the necessary adaptation time to get used to it. Four difficulty modes are indeed present but what is sorely lacking in the title is a diversity of game modes! Because apart from the career mode, only three possibilities are available to you.

So yes, NBA Street Homecourt is not a game that you play for ten hours or so in a row, especially after folding the Career mode, which is not excessively long. But the atmosphere is so enjoyable that coming back to it is a real pleasure. The game will always be a hit with your friends who don't know the ropes yet. Despite its short lifespan, the game is a good investment. Even those who are not so much in love with basketball will find something to their liking. As for the target audience, the question doesn't even arise. They will be over the moon!

Conclusion

It's magnificent; the animations are incredible; the pleasure of the game is immense. Yes, the lifespan is not massive; the fault lies with a single solo mode that cruelly lacks various game modes. Despite its apparent flaws, NBA Street Homecourt is a must have, a title not to be missed under any circumstances.