Gaming Target - GameCube: NBA Street Volume 2

Written by Jonathan Nicklas on February 18, 2003

First Impressions: Fo shizzle nizzle, it's the big Myllzizzle.

Last year's NBA Street for the GameCube captured street-ball at its absolute finest. Everything you would find on city courts was implemented in Street, from the trash talking and mad handles right down to the backwards hats and timberland boots. Ballers from all over the globe battled it out in famous courts like The Cage and Rucker Park. Even some of the street legends themselves made appearances, such as Starburry and Skip 2 My Lou. NBA Street was simply an amazing arcade style b-ball game and Volume 2 is looking to expand on the craziness even more. Street brought back the classic gameplay style of Midway's NBA Jam - 3 on 3 ball with ridiculous dunks, and threw it into the streets of New York City with the toughest competitors around. Volume 2 is going to use the same system, with lots of new tricks, dunks, and players.

The biggest difference between the 2 titles isn't the upgraded tricks or the new courts though. Instead of just having the players of this era's NBA, Volume 2 is bringing back the stars who made basketball what it is today. Players like Larry Bird, Clyde "The Glyde" Drexler, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Dr. J are just a few of the legends that are making their way from the Hall of Fame to your living room. You may have to do some work to unlock them all, but it'll be well worth it to see Chamerlain stuff Shaq. For those of you who are new school, 6 street legends have been added into the mix to show the players of the past how it's done now-a-days. Add all this up with the updated create-a-player mode and you've got more players available than you can shake a really, really, ridiculously big stick at.

This isn't to say that the new tricks won't be impressive. In fact, some of the moves that have been added to Volume 2 are so insane, you'll have to watch them a few times over just to figure out what the heck the player just did. Tricks like bouncing the ball through your legs, off the ground, off the backboard and dunking. Or maybe bouncing the ball off your opponents head, off the backboard to set up your teammate for an alley-oop. Seeing some of the tricks in action will remind you of the MJ and Larry Bird commercials where they challenge each other to more and more difficult shots, except now it's all happening right in the middle of a game. Some of the handling maneuvers are god-like as well, like dribbling with your feet and around the back with through the legs fake-outs.

So now you're ready to hit the court, but which court is it gonna be this time around? Some of the old favorites are returning to Volume 2, including The Cage, Rucker Park, and Broad Street. You will also be able to take your game to some new locations, like Soul in the Hole, The Rec Center, and Lincoln College. The settings for each game will now also be changeable, including the point totals and how many points players start off with. With this great new addition, players of all skill levels can now battle it out against each other.

What makes or breaks your game in Street is the ultimate shot, The Gamebreaker. However, seeing as how this is the second edition of Street, it would only seem to have a second edition Gamebreaker. That's right, now you can surpass the Gamebreaker and take it to the next level. Build up enough style points and you can execute a totally unblockable shot, which incorporates all 3 members of your team into one giant dunk. You'll be bringin' down "The Funk" in style as you get to view a cut-scene of Nike's commercial when the Level 2 Gamebreaker is executed. The original Gamebreaker is still being utilized in Volume 2 as well, and can now be saved for use later on in the game if you've built yourself a safe lead and don't need to use it right away.

Continuing on it's rampage to conquer the world of gaming is the cel-shaded graphic style, which has found its way into Volume 2. Players now have a cel-shaded design to them, which brings out more color, as well as more detail. The courts themselves will also benefit from the new design, with every court now featuring every last detail you would find on them in real life. DJ Bobito has taken over the commentary duties and will be speaking his mind against a true Street hip-hop soundtrack.