Gamespy Street V3 preview

http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/nba-str...html?fromint=1

Jade Empire. God of War. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The list of original games coming out in 2005 is certainly impressive, yet the game I want to play more than any of them is a sequel. No, it's not the next Zelda or the third Splinter Cell, although those are definitely on my must-play list. The game I'm holding my breath for is a sports game, though it offers much more than just a roster update or some improved graphics. It's a sequel that's been built from the ground up to be better, deeper, and more authentic than its predecessor, which was one of the best games to come out in 2003 (and one that is still in heavy rotation in my console). I'm talking, of course, about NBA Street V3, the game that's going to let you do more than just experience the life of a street baller: you'll get to live it.


At its core, NBA Street V3 is a lot like the last game: you can perform ankle-breaking tricks, throw down high-flying dunks, and swat your opponent's shot half way to New Jersey. For the most part, the controls haven't changed much either, as you still use the same buttons to pass and shoot, as well as jump and steal. Even the turbo buttons are the same, but you've still got a limited amount at your disposal. However, although the most basic of controls haven't been changed, nearly everything else has been overhauled. There have been a ton of great changes, but none is as dramatic as the reworked trick system.

In the previous game, hitting one of the two trick buttons while bringing the ball up the court would cause your player to perform a crazy move, hopefully throwing the defender off-balance in the process. While the tricks were fun to pull off, they tended to get old fast, since there were only so many combinations of showy moves and modifiers in your bag of tricks. Now however, you've got more tricks than you'll know what to do with. In NBA Street V3, EA introduces the Trick Stick, which allows you to pull off a dizzying number of trick moves with just a flick of the right analog stick.

As I said, the addition of the Trick Stick dramatically alters the game, mostly because you can play a whole game without pulling off the same trick twice. Flicking the right analog in any of the 8 directions (left, right, up, down, and the diagonals) will pull off a different trick, and each of these can be modified by holding down one, two, or all three turbo buttons. So you've basically got 32 different tricks at your disposal right off the bat, and pulling them off on the fly is smoother than ever, since the trick animations aren't canned like they were the last time out.

Since there are so many new tricks in your arsenal, it's no surprise that you'll be seeing some crazy stuff on the court. The tricks are now broken up into 3 chapters, and they get progressively more flamboyant as you go from one chapter to the next. If you want to unlock the next level, you'll need to successfully perform all of the available tricks in each chapter. Of course, you won't be able to just pull trick after trick as you slowly make your way up the court. Thanks to a new collision detection system, you'll have to choose your spots carefully or you'll be grasping at air as the ball rolls away and into the waiting hands of your opponent.


In order to keep track of the tricks in any given combo, every move will be reflected in a combo gauge at the top of the screen. Five circles spell out the word COMBO, and you'll see an arrow appear that shows what direction you pushed the analog stick. It will also denote how many turbo modifiers were being held at the time by making each a different color. A white outlines means you didn't modify it at all, while red tells you (or your opponent), that you pressed all of the turbos. The harder the trick, the more points you'll get, but beware: attempting tough tricks will increase the risk of losing the ball.

Once you pull off enough tricks, you'll be able to perform a Gamebreaker. Unfortunately, friends, that's a story for another time, so be sure to check back frequently for our continuing coverage of NBA Street V3. We'll be bringing you everything you want to know about Gamebreakers, the new Dunk Contest, as well as a ton of info on the deep, innovative Street Challenge mode. Until then, get out there and practice your tricks!

[Buzza]

man this also looks sick!

[CRKnight]

reminds alot of the SSX trick system...that's pretty cool.