NBA Street Homecourt fails to capture the spirit of predecessors
One of the best arcade sports titles to come out in the past 10 years was NBA Street. The game had the perfect mix of pure arcade fun and basketball skill. It’s been nearly 3 years since the last NBA Street and now the series is making its PS3 debut with NBA Street Homecourt.
With each addition in the franchise Street has become more mature. One could say that NBA Street 1 was a young child while NBA Street Homecourt is a young adult. Homecourt doesn’t feature the somewhat cartoony visuals or presentation that the other Streets did. Homecourt is a lot like NBA Street Vol. 3 in that the presentation is taken a bit more seriously. There’s no more annoying commentator and the Street narrator from Vol. 3 returns. Homecourt also has some more meaning behind it too. See in this version some of the key NBA players represented in the game have their real homecourts where they practiced their skills in the game. Some of the players such as Carmelo Anthony will actually narrate their homecourt level or discuss the importance it has to them. This is a nice touch to the series and takes the franchise into a good direction.
Other than the mature feel of the game, Homecourt has also gotten a revamped control scheme. The first two titles had the shoulder buttons handle the tricks while Vol. 3 had the right analog stick handle the tricks. Homecourt now features a context sensitive trick system that take awhile to get used to. The triangle and square buttons now handle the tricks while L1 and R1 and trick modifiers. Depending and how long or how many times you press the triangle or square button your character will perform a different move such as a crossover. The trick system also takes into account the size of the player when it comes to tricks. So you can’t do the same tricks that Steve Nash can do if you’re playing as Shaq. Dunks have also gotten a revamp. When you go for a dunk holding down the circle button will charge up a meter. The longer you hold down the button the more points you get and if you time it well you can pull off a new double dunk. Double dunking consists of your player doing an insane move such as grabbing the ball with his feet after dunking to score another dunk. When you double dunk you obviously get 2 points instead of 1. This trick system does take awhile to get used to since you can’t really button smash your way to victory due to the new stealing A.I. Compared to other Street titles you could usually do a ton of tricks and not have to worry about your opponent stealing the ball but that changes with Homecourt. The A.I in the game will be all over you if you’re careless with your moves. Stealing is a bit easier too so if you do loose possession you have the chance to win the ball back quickly if you select the right player to make the steal attempt.
One of the best aspects of the Street series is the Gamebreaker moves. Over the course of the franchise the Gamebreakers have evolved with more elaborate moves and visuals. Sadly the Gamebreakers in Homecourt are a bit disappointing. First of all the biggest problem with the new Gamebreakers is how you activate them. In the past titles you simply pressed L1+R1+Circle but in Homecourt when you’ve filled up your Gamebreaker meter you need to go to the half court and press triangle to activate it. This method of activation is a bit clumsy and disrupts the flow of the tricks you do. When it comes to the tricks themselves they’re also a bit disappointing. In the previous Streets all the Gamebreaker tricks were essentially the Uber tricks and couldn’t be done in normal play. But in Homecourt all the tricks you’re capable of are basically the same as your regular tricks. The only exception is that depending on how many tricks you did prior to scoring you will gain more points such as 2 or 3 points and deduct more points from the other team. There’s also none of that visual flair that the Gamebreaker tricks had other than a different visual filter. Another new element to the Gamebreaker system is if you lose the ball the other team can actually go into Gamebreaker mode. This is a nice concept since it keeps you on your toes more but in some cases you may lose the ball to a cheap move or simply a gameplay error which can be frustrating.
Of course Homecourt being a PS3 title the game has gotten a graphical boost. The various courts in the game, which are all based on real courts, are visually sharp and have nice details to them. The character models are also good and mirror the real-life counterparts but they have somewhat of a shiny look to them which looks like they’re perpetually sweating. While the courts are visually nice they’re missing some of that character the made up courts had in the previous NBA Streets. There are several visual filters used in the game which help add some character to the game but at times they can be overused and potentially cover up any flaws the graphics have. In the end the visuals in Homecourt are pretty solid but nothing amazing or awe-inspiring. Another returning feature is the career mode. Just like the other Streets you create a baller and work your way through the trenches competing against other NBA players as you progress. There are no real changes made to the latest version compared to others which may disappoint some. The only real change to the mode is that you travel from various courts through the game. Each court has different matches you can play with the eventual meeting with the NBA player before progressing. There is some variety to the matches since some consist of dunks only, shots only or a certain point requirement. Sadly you don’t face any legends in the game such as Michael Jordan nor will you encounter any of the made up legends such as Stretch or Takahashi. It should be noted though that there is an upcoming Xbox Live expansion for Homecourt which does feature 8 Street legends such as Stretch but at this time there is no word of this hitting the PS Store yet.
A rather odd feature is the create-a-baller mode. Instead of adjusting your players’ height and other attributes you select the position you wish to play as and then select a template face. Other than that you have no control over what your baller looks like or his attributes. Instead of upgrading your skills through experience points, the game automatically adjusts your skills based on your performance in the game. So if you do a lot of dunks then you’ll get some dunk experience. This may disappoint some since you never have any control over your progression through the game. An interesting new feature is by unlocking certain clothes and wearing them you can gain experience quicker. So if you wear the unlocked Jordan jersey and Air Jordan’s then you’ll have a faster time leveling up.
Homecourt is also a bit light on content. While there are the standard games mode the create-a-homecourt and create-a-sneaker modes are not in the game. These were some nice aspects that were featured on Vol.3 and it would’ve been nice to see them in Homecourt. And the dunk contest mode from Vol. 3 is also missing. While the dunk mode did have some issues it was a fun mode and it’s really disappointing that EA didn’t include this or try to build upon it. There is an online mode that is pretty solid. You can play both ranked and unranked matches. The online experience is pretty good and doesn’t feature any lag or slowdown that could potentially ruin the experience.
Homecourt is a solid title but in the end it’s almost the same experience that we’ve been playing for the past few years. Despite the addition of a new trick control scheme the game doesn’t really do anything that sets itself apart from the previous Streets. It also loses some of that flair the the Street titles are known for. If you’re a veteran of the Street series you may want to rent the game before committing to the purchase. However if you’re a newbie of the Street series then you may dig the game for its fun gameplay and sharp visuals.
With each addition in the franchise Street has become more mature. One could say that NBA Street 1 was a young child while NBA Street Homecourt is a young adult. Homecourt doesn’t feature the somewhat cartoony visuals or presentation that the other Streets did. Homecourt is a lot like NBA Street Vol. 3 in that the presentation is taken a bit more seriously. There’s no more annoying commentator and the Street narrator from Vol. 3 returns. Homecourt also has some more meaning behind it too. See in this version some of the key NBA players represented in the game have their real homecourts where they practiced their skills in the game. Some of the players such as Carmelo Anthony will actually narrate their homecourt level or discuss the importance it has to them. This is a nice touch to the series and takes the franchise into a good direction.
Other than the mature feel of the game, Homecourt has also gotten a revamped control scheme. The first two titles had the shoulder buttons handle the tricks while Vol. 3 had the right analog stick handle the tricks. Homecourt now features a context sensitive trick system that take awhile to get used to. The triangle and square buttons now handle the tricks while L1 and R1 and trick modifiers. Depending and how long or how many times you press the triangle or square button your character will perform a different move such as a crossover. The trick system also takes into account the size of the player when it comes to tricks. So you can’t do the same tricks that Steve Nash can do if you’re playing as Shaq. Dunks have also gotten a revamp. When you go for a dunk holding down the circle button will charge up a meter. The longer you hold down the button the more points you get and if you time it well you can pull off a new double dunk. Double dunking consists of your player doing an insane move such as grabbing the ball with his feet after dunking to score another dunk. When you double dunk you obviously get 2 points instead of 1. This trick system does take awhile to get used to since you can’t really button smash your way to victory due to the new stealing A.I. Compared to other Street titles you could usually do a ton of tricks and not have to worry about your opponent stealing the ball but that changes with Homecourt. The A.I in the game will be all over you if you’re careless with your moves. Stealing is a bit easier too so if you do loose possession you have the chance to win the ball back quickly if you select the right player to make the steal attempt.
One of the best aspects of the Street series is the Gamebreaker moves. Over the course of the franchise the Gamebreakers have evolved with more elaborate moves and visuals. Sadly the Gamebreakers in Homecourt are a bit disappointing. First of all the biggest problem with the new Gamebreakers is how you activate them. In the past titles you simply pressed L1+R1+Circle but in Homecourt when you’ve filled up your Gamebreaker meter you need to go to the half court and press triangle to activate it. This method of activation is a bit clumsy and disrupts the flow of the tricks you do. When it comes to the tricks themselves they’re also a bit disappointing. In the previous Streets all the Gamebreaker tricks were essentially the Uber tricks and couldn’t be done in normal play. But in Homecourt all the tricks you’re capable of are basically the same as your regular tricks. The only exception is that depending on how many tricks you did prior to scoring you will gain more points such as 2 or 3 points and deduct more points from the other team. There’s also none of that visual flair that the Gamebreaker tricks had other than a different visual filter. Another new element to the Gamebreaker system is if you lose the ball the other team can actually go into Gamebreaker mode. This is a nice concept since it keeps you on your toes more but in some cases you may lose the ball to a cheap move or simply a gameplay error which can be frustrating.
Of course Homecourt being a PS3 title the game has gotten a graphical boost. The various courts in the game, which are all based on real courts, are visually sharp and have nice details to them. The character models are also good and mirror the real-life counterparts but they have somewhat of a shiny look to them which looks like they’re perpetually sweating. While the courts are visually nice they’re missing some of that character the made up courts had in the previous NBA Streets. There are several visual filters used in the game which help add some character to the game but at times they can be overused and potentially cover up any flaws the graphics have. In the end the visuals in Homecourt are pretty solid but nothing amazing or awe-inspiring. Another returning feature is the career mode. Just like the other Streets you create a baller and work your way through the trenches competing against other NBA players as you progress. There are no real changes made to the latest version compared to others which may disappoint some. The only real change to the mode is that you travel from various courts through the game. Each court has different matches you can play with the eventual meeting with the NBA player before progressing. There is some variety to the matches since some consist of dunks only, shots only or a certain point requirement. Sadly you don’t face any legends in the game such as Michael Jordan nor will you encounter any of the made up legends such as Stretch or Takahashi. It should be noted though that there is an upcoming Xbox Live expansion for Homecourt which does feature 8 Street legends such as Stretch but at this time there is no word of this hitting the PS Store yet.
A rather odd feature is the create-a-baller mode. Instead of adjusting your players’ height and other attributes you select the position you wish to play as and then select a template face. Other than that you have no control over what your baller looks like or his attributes. Instead of upgrading your skills through experience points, the game automatically adjusts your skills based on your performance in the game. So if you do a lot of dunks then you’ll get some dunk experience. This may disappoint some since you never have any control over your progression through the game. An interesting new feature is by unlocking certain clothes and wearing them you can gain experience quicker. So if you wear the unlocked Jordan jersey and Air Jordan’s then you’ll have a faster time leveling up.
Homecourt is also a bit light on content. While there are the standard games mode the create-a-homecourt and create-a-sneaker modes are not in the game. These were some nice aspects that were featured on Vol.3 and it would’ve been nice to see them in Homecourt. And the dunk contest mode from Vol. 3 is also missing. While the dunk mode did have some issues it was a fun mode and it’s really disappointing that EA didn’t include this or try to build upon it. There is an online mode that is pretty solid. You can play both ranked and unranked matches. The online experience is pretty good and doesn’t feature any lag or slowdown that could potentially ruin the experience.
Homecourt is a solid title but in the end it’s almost the same experience that we’ve been playing for the past few years. Despite the addition of a new trick control scheme the game doesn’t really do anything that sets itself apart from the previous Streets. It also loses some of that flair the the Street titles are known for. If you’re a veteran of the Street series you may want to rent the game before committing to the purchase. However if you’re a newbie of the Street series then you may dig the game for its fun gameplay and sharp visuals.