NBA Street Vol. 2

The game is pick-up-and-play, it's beautiful to look at, and it raises the cultural precedent bar to backboard level. Even if you don't like sports games, you'll love this one.

EA Sports BIG and developer NuFX, Inc. have taken their nearly flawless game and made it that much better, taking it to a whole new level in terms of graphics, gameplay, sound and presentation... Right when you pop in the game, you know you're in for a good time. [Apr 2003, p.72]

The epitome of gameplay perfection.

The four-player is, as they say, dope-ass. You have to get a multitap and play this with three other friends. And the edit mode, in fact, all of the various modes, are deep, compelling, and well thought out. It's a true winner.

The brilliance of NBA Street Vol. 2... is that it retains the elements of the sport that translate well into the video game world, ditches the ones that don't, and makes the entire experience into a great game instead of a mere simulation.

If you’re a huge basketball fan, you need to have this game. If you’re not a huge basketball fan, you should still get this game.

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.

I'm not saying Street is more or less realistic than "Live," but Street is better at being an arcade b-ball title than "Live" or "2k3" at being a sim.

A huge leap forward in the evolution of street basketball. It has numerous options, solid control, and engaging gameplay that will appease hardcore fans and casual ballers alike.

The graphics are much improved from the original NBA Street. The graphics look sharper and the player detail is incredible.

Though virtually identical, the three versions of NBA Street Vol. 2 differ when it comes to control. The PS2 is the native platform for the series and hence the most accessible, mapping out the trick moves to the four triggers.

With smooth graphics and animations, a true feel for the art of street ball, fantastic controls, and a multiplayer mode that brings out the trash talker in even choirboys make NBA Street a must have for owners of any major console.

Seldom does a sports game possess arcade-style flair and PC-like depth but NBA Street Vol. 2 is just such a game.

In other words: You best get yaw white-boy, tea-drinking, mummy-kissing ass down to the staw – bitch.

If you don't have the patience to learn button combinations and toil over the fine points, then perhaps there's no hope for you, but for the rest of us, the reward structure is tuned finer than Dennis Rodman's haircut, it's funkier than a jazz sandwich, and if you don't like basketball, then this is more than likely to convert you.

If all game sequels were of this caliber and depth, the gaming world would be a far better place. [May 2003, p.32]

Proves to be a more mature and skilled iteration of fast-paced hoops. [May 2003, p.78]

What keeps Street hot in any of its addictive modes is its tight controls, great graphics, and awesome play-by-play commentary (you go, Bobbito!). [May 2003, p.72]

Essentially the same game with a slew of slick improvements, and gamers will have an absolute blast throwing down dunks while exploring its new features.

A damn fine sequel that will have many gamers coming back for more. The only negative I can think of about this game is that once you unlock everything, you will find that you will play the game more for multiplayer fun rather than single player excitement.

Stunning enhancements to the visuals and sound aside, the new tricks, game variations and collection of extras is more than one would expect from a sequel.

Exactly the sequel I'd hoped for... Scarily addictive - I found myself awake until the wee hours playing to unlock past NBA greats and upgrade my own player's attributes. [May 2003, p.118]

Even after you unlock everything you will still be down to take on your friends with the multitude of things you acquired; such as throwback jerseys, courts, legends and street ballers.

The balance between doing combos and pulling trick moves still isn't weighted enough in favour of the latter, so when things get tight it's tempting to go back to being dull. [PSM2]

Just as fun as the first. Almost exactly as much fun, come to think of it. The new features add something to the game, but the fact that we've been here, and done this before negates those new bonuses, so it's essentially a wash.

A textbook case of how to update a game like this--it makes a few solid improvements to the series' gameplay and visuals, and, most importantly, it doesn't break anything that was great in the first game.

It’s not a title that has you playing for weeks on end, but it will be pulled off the shelf more often than you initially thought, if only to experience the fluid control and opportunity to trash talk opponents while initiating some of the most outlandish moves ever witnessed in a hoops game.

The up-to-four-player game itself is hot to death.

Heck, even if you aren’t a hoops fan, there’s plenty of unintentional humor to appreciate: Seeing Yao Ming dunk on Bill Walton alone is worth the price of admission.