NBA Street: Homecourt [PS3]

NBA Street single-handedly shattered the backboard of arcade-style sports games. In three iterations on PS2/Xbox/GameCube, it dominated the competition -- regardless of the sport. Its blending of combos that were closer to Tony Hawk or Street Fighter with high-scoring aerial action proved irresistible, for both hardcore sports gamers and casual players.

In its first next-gen iteration, NBA Street Homecourt has instituted a lot of changes and taken more risks than you'd expect. At the same time, it stays true to what made Street such a popular franchise. Forcing your core fan base to relearn how to play the game is shaky ground, but it comes at the benefit of a tweaked experience that also embraces newer players.

Homecourt has two main trick buttons, rather than the four we're used to. What's more, they're mapped to Square and Triangle instead of the shoulder buttons. It may sound like a watering-down of one of Street's main attributes, but the fluidity of animations allows for smoother, more rapid-fire transitions between tricks. Also, R1 and L1 act as modifiers, opening things up a bit (strangely, R2 and L2 are barely used). Basically, NBA Street Homecourt's controls are tailored for less experienced players, while still offering deep gameplay for seasoned veterans.

The dunk system has also been totally reworked. No longer do you hold multiple buttons to pick from a huge list of dunks. This seems like a downer, until you see what's taken its place. Once you take flight, your dunk is dependent on two things: how long you hold the button down, and what type of player has the ball. Keeping it held results in higher trick-point totals, but also leaves you open to rejections. Time the release perfectly, and you get a double-dunk: Your player actually corrals the ball before it hits the pavement to slam it through the rim a second time for twice the points!

Not only does the double dunk look great, but it's another way to come from behind without using a Gamebreaker. There is a risk, however -- wait too long, and you'll blow the dunk. Seeing the same dunk over and over can get a little repetitive, but Homecourt more than compensates. It's questionable how many people were holding three trick buttons for an off-the-backboard slam anyway.

Speaking of Gamebreakers, they too have received a facelift. When your meter is full, hit Triangle when at center-court, and one point is automatically subtracted from your opponent's score. How many get added to yours is dependent on the number of tricks you pull off before getting the hoop. Again there's a risk, as a turnover can result in the other team getting the bonus bucket. These big risk, big reward moments add a lot of drama to games, and definitely enhance the overall NBA Street experience.

Getting accustomed to these new mechanics takes time. After all, we're used to using those face buttons for totally different things. Don't be alarmed to get your rear end handed to you early and often in the career mode. Thankfully, a new practice mode allows you to experiment with the controls and hone your game. You can even bring defenders in and out of the mix. Many games feature something like this, but never has it been so useful. Once you get up to speed, Homecourt moves like a well-oiled machine.