NBA Street: Showdown

Written by John Nieves  on January 25, 2005

First Impressions: Ever have the urge to drop off the kids AND play NBA Street at the same time? Consider your prayers answered.

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EA is serious about its commitment to making games for PSP. Just ask Team Fusion, the development team created with the sole purpose of bringing some of EA Sports' biggest titles to PSP. It seems as though an arcade sports game would be a natural fit for a handheld console and EA is hoping that this adage holds true with NBA Street Showdown.

On paper, NBA Street seems like the perfect arcade sports franchise to bring to the PSP. One game of 21 lasts about fifteen minutes, which gives you enough time to get a game done with in just about any situation. Want to play a bit of 3 on 3 before your next class? Play some Arcade Shoot or Shot Blocker during your lunch break? NBA Street Showdown definitely affords these opportunities, without forgetting that you may want to get a little bit more out of your play time later on.

For the times you plan to spend more than just a few minutes with your PSP (which will be more than likely, lets face it), NBA Street Showdown has you covered. King of the Court mode is ported over from previous iterations of NBA Street bringing longevity to what can usually be a shallow handheld experience. King of the Court works just as it did in Vol. 2., having you play different teams until you defeat the court bosses that you can add to your team (which were exclusively created for the PSP version). Not only that but you can also build stats, unlock music, jerseys, and old school legends.

The graphics in NBA Street Showdown are frighteningly similar to those found on the PS2. You have detailed courts with impressive shadows, detailed player models with bright, colorful uniforms, and you even have commentary from Bobbito, who provided commentary for NBA Street Vol. 2. Not only does NBA Street Showdown look pretty, it's also presented in widescreen thanks to the PSP's sexy 16:9 high resolution screen. Having seen it in motion, I can also state that although not optimized, the game already runs at a smooth as silk framerate.

If you are looking for a quick fix, NBA Street Showdown has mini-games created specifically for this version of the game; Arcade Shot and Shot Blocker. Arcade shot plays a lot like those arcade hoops machines you see at arcades and bars. You get three hoops that shift left and right with varying point values, giving you an opportunity to sink it through all three at the same time. An added wrinkle is that when playing it in multiplayer, you receive bonus points for knocking another player's ball and causing them to miss.

The other mini-game, Shot Blocker plays out just as the name suggests. You are given three different zones with three different point values; 200, 600, and 1,000 and you are asked to block any and every shot that comes your way. The closer you are to the shooter the bigger your point total is for stuffing his shot back at his grill, block a money ball and you get huge points. Let's face it, one of the more entertaining parts of NBA Street is playing defense because it gives you the opportunity to stuff the players dunk or shot back in his face, so it only makes sense to make a mini-game out of it. Both of these modes are available to be played either via WiFi wireless connection, or if you only have one PSP available, you can hand off to each other and take turns.

NBA Street Showdown will be front and center whenever PSP decides to launch. With great visuals, tried and true NBA Street gameplay, and brand new mini-games, NBA Street Showdown is shaping up to look like one of PSP's better launch titles.