Review: NBA Street 2

By Paul Atherton

For those not in the know, NBA Street does exactly what it says on the tin.

As the name implies, this is street basketball played by the rules of the street - no penalties, no fouls. Three-on-three is the order of the day.

You can choose from a range of urban settings - Chicago, New York, Philadelphia - and a variety of stars or street players.

NBA Street 2 follows the same format as its predecessor - and, you'll be reassured to know, is a worthy successor.

The big improvement this time is that you can play as old school NBA legends from the 60s and 70s - Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Larry Bird, a young Michael Jordan and many more.

As before, there are also plenty of unlockable players.

After working through an initial training session you'll soon know all the outrageous dunks, tricks and steals, including the endlessly entertaining 'Off Tha Heezay' - passing the ball to yourself by bouncing it off another player's head.

NBA STREET 2 Format: All major consoles Price: £39.99 Publisher: EA Sports Genre: Sports

Tricks are important as they allow you to pick up bonus points.

Once you have accumulated enough points you can attempt the 'gamebreakers' - which boost your tally still further.

If you know the right keypad combinations, the 'gamebreakers' allow you to use your whole team in an audacious move to rack up the points.

There are several modes in the game - including NBA Challenge and Be A Legend.

In NBA Challenge you play all of your league rivals to win the mode.

But it is Be A Legend that will keep you coming back for more.

First you customize your player and pick up some team-mates, then take on all-comers through a plethora of different games, tournaments and street challenges.

VERDICT Graphics: 92% Playability: 90% Sound: 95% Realism: 88% Overall: 93%

The more games you play, the more you can develop your player, getting him new clothes, dunks and tricks.

Beating teams also gives you the option to add to your squad from the losing team.

There are loads of games and challenges and hundreds of rounds of basketball to be won, so it should keep you busy for a long time.

The atmosphere of NBA Street is enhanced by an excellent soundtrack including hip-hop tracks from the likes of Nelly and Nate Dogg, plus various sound effects from the street - traffic, sirens, crowd abuse etc.

Jive-talking Bobbito 'DJ Cucumberslice' Garcia provides the (sometimes annoying) commentary, but overall, NBA Street 2 is an improvement on an already superb game.

A must-have for all console-owning sports fans.