After the dissolution of any company, its talents (if any) must seek gainful employment elsewhere. I believe in the case of Acclaim, makers of the 90s’ most dearly-beloved basketball games, the talents were at best scooped up by EA for future employment–or, at worst, their work imitated to perfection–in the NBA Street series. Either way, it’s a wonderful happenstance that I should have tried the arcade-style dunk-fest that stars Mario and the Beastie Boys (in the Gamecube version, anyway). NBA Street V3 may feature real-life pros and their teams, but the drama is anything but as they tirelessly perform the wildest b-balling tricks you can muster. Thanks to use of the Trick Stick, these come off as effortlessly as watching a game on TV, and each motion capture has just as completely natural an appearance. Even the obnoxious announcer’s colourful commentary adds to the atmosphere on the street. As chock-full of customization as an EA game ever was, there’s no end to the fantasy in this professional league–and that’s why it makes a good video game.

Posted on June 29th, 2008 by katie