Does V3 stand tall against it's superb predecessor?
NBA Street V3 seemed like a pretty big step ahead for EA BIG. NBA Street 2 was already a huge game so the company had a rock solid base to build this game on. V3 boasts with new updated rosters, flashy moves and urban baller gear. I was pretty blown away the first time I played it but the game wasn't that impressive after all, at least to me.
First of all, the most noticable change from Vol 2 is the graphics engine. It has been completely remade and now it's artistic relying more on lightning and shadows. The players look better than ever using baggier gear, which can look pretty silly on some players but mainly it looks pretty cool.
The player ratings have been changed from Vol 2's five star rating to NBA Live style 0-99 point rating. I like them both, but I do miss the golden crown feature in Vol 2.
The actual gameplay is a continuation of Volume 2's fun gameplay and brings the trick stick: you will now execute dribble moves with the right analog stick similar to NBA Live's freestyle control. It works pretty well but some moves are pretty difficult to pull, in the beginning I found myself pulling random moves rather than really spending time getting used to it.
The gamebreaker system has been completely redone and this time you will jump and execute midair tricks in order to get more points. There is also a possibility of missing a gamebreaker that leaves you with nothing from the gamebreaker. This gamebreaker has some issues though. One is that most of the times the situation is so quick that you can't really concentrate on what moves you will pull so they will be somewhat randomly tossed. The opponent has no possibility to interfere with the gamebreaker in anyway once the sequence is happening. There is also no second level gamebreaker so you will always hunt for the next leap to outerspace. Nowadays I get 4-6 gamebreakers in a game so I really miss the 2nd level gamebreakers. But that is only my personal opinion.
Volume 3 has the following game modes: Pickup game, Dunk contest, Street Challenge and Practice mode. Pickup game has the same idea of a single game as Volume 2. The dunk contest has the gamebreaker leaps and it's a competition for the best dunk, but this game mode doesn't really bring much more gameplay value since it's pretty boring, at least when compared to recent NBA Live's dunk contest which is hours of fun. The practice mode is a welcomed addition where you can practice your moves and learn to play the game.
The street challenge is a remix of Be A Legend where you will take your created baller to face against the top ballers. Here's where V3 is at it's best, since it has probably the deepest creation mode in any game. You can edit your face, body build, hair, tattoos and facial hair. You can buy new jerseys, shorts, shoes, and skills. You will also have to create your own court and have a chance to upgrade it later on. In V3 the Street Challenge advances like a real summer would. You will advance day after day, playing a game every day and night. It's a change, but it can get repeative. I maxed out most skills and had the team of my dreams with 30 days left. The last tournament is something to wait for though. Another flaw is that players don't seem to have enough personality anymore. Street challenge nonetheless is the core of the game and brings hours of fun.
This game is a fun basketball game and a fun game, but Volume 2 was that as well. To me V3 adds a deeper creation mode and new rosters but doesn't bring much else. It is a fun game but I would liked more game modes (1 on 1, 3pt shootout) rather than cosmetic updates; I really missed the NBA Challenge. The gameplay isn't much different than Volume 2 and that is the key. If you haven't played Volume 2, V3 will be the bomb. But if you played your heart out with Volume 2, V3 doesn't add much more. It's your call from here.
