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NBA Street

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This article is about the first game in the NBA Street video game series. For information on the rest of the series, see NBA Street (series).
NBA Street
North American PlayStation 2 cover art featuring Stretch
Developer(s)NuFX
EA Canada
Publisher(s)EA Sports BIG
Producer(s)Patrick Quinn
Wil Mozell
Designer(s)Josh Holmes
Programmer(s)Lou Haehn
Artist(s)Lisa Clarizio
Daryl Anselmo
Composer(s)Jason Ross
SeriesNBA Street
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, GameCube
ReleasePlayStation 2
GameCube
  • NA: February 5, 2002
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

NBA Street is a basketball video game developed by NuFX and EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label. It was released for the PlayStation 2 on June 19, 2001, and on February 5, 2002, for the GameCube. The game combines the talent and big names of the NBA with the attitude and atmosphere of streetball.

NBA Street is the first installment in the NBA Street series, and was followed by NBA Street Vol. 2, NBA Street V3, and NBA Street Homecourt.

Gameplay

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NBA Street is based on three-on-three street basketball. Aside from the basic structure of basketball, players try to collect trick points, which are scored through the use of almost every basketball game maneuver such as doing fancy dribble moves, faking out defenders, shot blocking, diving for the ball, and dunking. If a team fills their trick meter, they get to perform a Gamebreaker, which is a special shot that not only adds to their score, but it subtracts an amount from their opponents' score.

The single player mode "City Circuit" involves making a user-created player, touring famous American locations and picking up teammates from NBA rosters along the way.

The game has "arcade" style gameplay, similar to the NBA Jam series. Games are scored not by traditional standards, as two-point field goals are worth one point, while made shots behind the 3-point line are worth two. Instead of a time limit, the first team to score 21 points are deemed the winner. However, the winner must win by 2.

Cast and characters

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Twenty-nine NBA teams are playable, with rosters from around 2000 and 2001. However, only 5 players are available from each team. Michael Jordan, who announced his comeback from his second retirement with the Washington Wizards a few months after the PlayStation 2 release, is available on both the Gamecube and PlayStation 2 versions. He was however removed as the "Final Challenge" in the GameCube version as he now played for the Washington Wizards in the game. Instead, the City Circuit ended once a player beat the Street Legend "Stretch".

The game introduced several recurring characters called Street Legends, fictional basketball players who served as the series' bosses, each masterful in a particular aspect of basketball and representing a specific area of the United States. Their personalities and appearances were loosely inspired by real players, such as Stretch, the "cover athlete" who resembles Julius Erving in looks and abilities.

Development

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With the game being based on a street ball style of basketball, EA invited Vancouver-based streetball group The Notic to do motion capture.[2][3] The most notable member of the group was Joel Haywood, nicknamed "the King Handles".[4]

Reception

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The game received "favorable" reviews on both platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[5][6] Kevin Toyama of NextGen said of the PlayStation 2 version, "Despite a few small problems, NBA Street delivers a basketball experience even sports game cynics can't help but love."[23] In Japan, where the same console version was ported and published by Electronic Arts Victor on August 23, 2001, followed by the GameCube version on March 22, 2002, Famitsu gave it a score of 31 out of 40 for the former,[12] and 30 out of 40 for the latter.[11]

Air Hendrix of GamePro said of the PlayStation 2 version in its August 2001 issue, "When the final buzzer sounds, Street gets serious props for breathing a huge blast of fresh air into what had been Midway's stinky old locker room. Street has staked its claim on the court, easily earning the title of this summer's latest must-have PS2 game."[29][c] Eight issues later, he said that the GameCube version "is sure to be one of this young system's early stars. If you've already conquered the PS2 version, there's no compelling reason to pound this pavement. But if 'GameCube' is your middle name, NBA Street should be your next game."[30][d]

The PlayStation 2 version sold 1.7 million units in the U.S. and earned $57 million by August 2006. Between June 2001 and August 2006, this release was the 18th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube consoles in the U.S. Combined sales for all NBA Street games released between June 2001 and August 2006, across the three game systems, reached 5.5 million units in the U.S. by the latter date.[31]

The same console version was nominated for the "Best Sports, Alternative Game" award at GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001 Awards, which went to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.[32] The same console version was also nominated at The Electric Playground's 2001 Blister Awards for "Best Extreme Sports Game" and "Best Canadian Console Game of the Year", but lost both to NHL Hitz 2002.[33][34]

With the success of the NBA Street series, EA Sports BIG expanded to the format to football with NFL Street and soccer with FIFA Street.

Notes

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  1. ^ Two critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the GameCube version each a score of 8/10, and the other gave it 8.5/10.
  2. ^ Three critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the PlayStation 2 version each a score of 9.5/10, 7.5/10, and 8.5/10.
  3. ^ GamePro gave the PlayStation 2 version two 5/5 scores for graphics and fun factor, 4/5 for sound, and 4.5/5 for control.
  4. ^ GamePro gave the GameCube version two 4/5 scores for graphics and sound, 4/5 for control, and 5/5 for fun factor.

References

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  1. ^ IGN staff (June 19, 2001). "NBA Street Ships to Stores". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  2. ^ Wong, Alex (April 28, 2020). "The legend of King Handles and The Notic". SB Nation. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  3. ^ Faris, Nick (April 11, 2020). "The unique career of the streetball icon who played with Air Bud and impressed KD". theScore. Score Media and Gaming. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  4. ^ Adams, J.J. (March 18, 2020). "The legend of Vancouver streetball 'king' Joey Haywood endures". The Province. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "NBA Street critic reviews (GC)". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "NBA Street critic reviews (PS2)". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Barnes, J.C. "NBA Street (PS2) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  8. ^ Leahy, Dan; Hager, Dean; Kujawa, Kraig (May 2002). "NBA Street (GC)" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 154. Ziff Davis. p. 112. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  9. ^ Leahy, Dan; Kujawa, Kraig; Hager, Dean (September 2001). "NBA Street (PS2)" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 146. Ziff Davis. p. 141. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  10. ^ Steinberg, Scott (July 17, 2001). "NBA Street (PS2)". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on January 9, 2003. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "ニンテンドーゲームキューブ - NBAストリート". Famitsu (in Japanese). Vol. 915. Enterbrain. June 30, 2006. p. 102. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "プレイステーション2 - NBA STREET". Famitsu (in Japanese). Vol. 915. Enterbrain. June 30, 2006. p. 89. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  13. ^ "NBA Street (GC)". Game Informer. No. 109. FuncoLand. May 2002. p. 84.
  14. ^ Leeper, Justin (August 2001). "NBA Street (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 100. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  15. ^ Dr. Moo (June 2001). "NBA Street Review (PS2)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  16. ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (February 27, 2002). "NBA Street Review (GC)". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on October 23, 2004. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  17. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (June 20, 2001). "NBA Street Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on June 25, 2001. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  18. ^ Sabine, Mike (April 26, 2002). "NBA Street (GCN)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 12, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  19. ^ Kocher, Dave (July 5, 2001). "NBA Street (PS2)". SportPlanet. GameSpy Industries. Archived from the original on December 28, 2004. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  20. ^ Bedigian, Louis (May 5, 2002). "NBA Street - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  21. ^ Mirabella III, Fran (February 25, 2002). "NBA Street (GCN)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  22. ^ Zdyrko, David (June 19, 2001). "NBA Street (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Toyama, Kevin (September 2001). "NBA Street (PS2)". NextGen. No. 81. Imagine Media. p. 66. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  24. ^ "NBA Street". Nintendo Power. Vol. 154. Nintendo of America. March 2002. p. 133.
  25. ^ Zuniga, Todd (August 2001). "NBA Street". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 47. Ziff Davis. p. 105. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  26. ^ Weigel, Ray (July 5, 2001). "NBA Street (PS2) Review". Extended Play. TechTV. Archived from the original on December 30, 2001. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  27. ^ Gibbon, David (July 13, 2001). "Let's Play...NBA Street (PS2)". BBC Sport. BBC. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  28. ^ Boyce, Ryan (June 12, 2001). "NBA Street (PS2)". Maxim. Archived from the original on August 7, 2001. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  29. ^ Air Hendrix (August 2001). "NBA Street Owns the Asphalt" (PDF). GamePro. No. 155. IDG. pp. 100–1. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  30. ^ Air Hendrix (April 2002). "NBA Street Shatters the Backboard Again" (PDF). GamePro. No. 163. IDG. p. 110. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  31. ^ Campbell, Colin; Keiser, Joe (July 29, 2006). "The Top 100 Games of the 21st Century". NextGen. Future US. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007.
  32. ^ GameSpot staff (2002). "The Best and Worst of 2001 (Best Sports, Alternative Game Nominees)". GameSpot. CNET. Archived from the original on February 3, 2002. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  33. ^ "Blister Awards 2001 (Console Games 2)". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. 2002. Archived from the original on July 13, 2003. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  34. ^ "Blister Awards 2001 (Special Awards)". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. 2002. Archived from the original on July 13, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
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