Respect.  Earning it on the streets isn’t easy but once you have it there’s no feeling quite like it.  In fact, you can forget money and you can forget that endorsement deal for Nike because respect is what it's all about and on the cracked concrete of this court you have to give it your all.  This is street basketball, a game taken just as serious as the professional game when things are at stake.  In NBA Street V3 you play for respect and for the love of the game and trust me when I say you’ll really love this game. 

Last year’s NBA Street Vol. 2 did a great job of bringing us an arcade-styled street basketball game filled to the brim with great game modes and plenty of style.  This year we see a return of all the things that worked well in game plus the addition of Xbox Live support.  The result is a game that feels a lot like a complete package and one of the most entertaining games of basketball out there.
 

For starters, the three-on-three action moves at a quick pace but places much emphasis on stylish court tricks (but more on that a bit later).  You can create your own player, designing everything about him or her--tweaking the littlest things such as the size of the player’s nose or eye color.  There are a lot of options in this mode so you can create a pretty original baller.  There’s even an option to create your own court using the Court Creator, adding banners, graffiti or deciding whether the court has a cracked floor or one that resembles a grade school playground. 

The game modes this year range from Game On (a friendly exhibition game) and Play It--a mode that includes Pick-Up Game, Dunk Contest and the game’s career mode called Street Challenge.  Dunk Challenge is a slam dunk contest complete with judges and three different venues.  Up to eight participants can enter the contest and perform some pretty flashy dunks that have you launch into the air (sometimes over objects you can place near the net) and dunk.  It’s challenging alright but one of the game’s biggest highlights.  You’ll see much of the dunk contest during Street Challenge mode, though.  In Street Challenge mode you’ll be picking your team and taking them through a number of tournaments earning respect.  Some of the pick-up games you’ll play have challenges to complete like the trick point challenge.  You’ll have ten weeks to build your reputation and the more rep you gain the more easy it is to draft some really skillful ballers to play on your team.  You’ll also find one of your own players joining the ranks of one of your rivals, these Rival Challenges cannot be declined with suffer a penalty so you best accept and win.

Control-wise, the game moves smoothly and that’s a good thing since this is pure arcade-styled action.  Returning favorites like the Gamebreaker are back but so are some new features.  The new Trick Stick, for example, makes it easy for you to pull off some really neat tricks by using the right thumbstick.  You can unleash some overly extravagant dunks or make shots you wouldn’t see in any other game and you’ll love every second of it.  The more stylish moves, that have names like Off the Heezay or Back 2 Papa, are fun to pull off but it's the mid-air tricks that are just too much fun to pull off.

There are also loads of unlockable extras such as new courts like the Brighton Beach or Venice Beach courts.  You can also unlock legends of the hardwood such as Julius Erving or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to name just a few.  Online the game runs at a steady framerate but it's the fact that you can play on your own created court using your own created players that make the Xbox Live multiplayer mode shine. 

NBA Street V3 sports some pretty sharp visuals on the Xbox.  While it’s not an incredibly detailed game (you won’t see much of the players’ facial features during the match) things such as the great lighting on the courts and player shadows more than make up for it.  The animation is smooth so watching players pull off some fancy moves on the court will not fail to put a smile on your face.  Also the star players look a lot like their real life counterparts so expect LeBron James to look like LeBron James.

Old-school hip-hop from artists like MC Lyte and De La Soul are okay and so are the tunes by the Beastie Boys and Don Yute.  The Custom Soundtrack feature would have been greatly appreciated since you’ll hear the same tunes playing throughout the main menu and during dunk contests.  The music isn’t incredibly bad, though, unlike the play-by-play and color commentary.  The fact that a single person handles the commentary isn’t that bad, it’s the super annoying hip-hop flavored delivery that will have you cringing and shutting off his voice throughout the game that is.  If you don’t believe he’s that annoying, just listen to five minutes of his horrible coverage. 

If you’re looking for an addictive arcade-styled street basketball game this year it just has to be NBA Street V3.  Let’s face facts, what other game has plenty of enjoyable game modes, solid controls, sweet graphics and the best three-on-three action this side of, well, NBA Street Vol. 2?  Add a great court and player creation option and you have a game that shouldn’t be missed by fans of the sport. 

Gameplay: 9.6
If it looks like a dream and plays like a dream this is the best dream I’ve had all year.  The controls are solid and the arcade-feel just makes the Gamebreaker moves stylish and fun to pull off.  The game modes are enjoyable as well, especially Street Challenge mode.

Graphics: 9.0
While not a gorgeous-looking Xbox game the player models and courts look excellent.  It’s a joy watching these ballers slam dunk in some of the best-lit courts you’ll find in a basketball title.  The animation is smooth and the flashy effects just the way we like it . . . flashy but not too much.  What’s up with those little kid ballers?  Watching them dunk on Shaq is hilarious.

Sound: 7.5
The tunes range from old-school hip-hop to some new tunes from the Beastie Boys to Nitty and most of it isn’t bad--although it would have been cool if we were given the option to use our own soundtrack.  The one-man play-by-play is just plain annoying to the point that you’ll be shutting him up pretty early in the game.

Difficulty: Medium
The AI is still pretty sharp although sometimes they fall for some pretty basic tricks Harlem Globetrotters-style.  Still you’ll find some real challenges in Street Challenge mode and the Legendary difficulty setting will have you really working hard.

Concept: 10
Plenty of creative options allow you to be creative in designing your own court or baller (be it female or male).  There’s even a Barber Shop and Store although, sadly, you can’t put cornrows on Yao Ming.  Still you can unlock new courts, items and even legendary players like Larry Bird and “The Stilt.”  Oh, and the inclusion of an Xbox Live multiplayer mode just sweetens the deal.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Xbox Live support means you’ll be playing this one for a very long time.  You can use your own created players and court and share them with other players but the best part is that you can participate in the Dunk Contest or play a World Challenge tournament mode.  Good stuff.

Overall: 9.5
EA Sports Big delivers the goods yet again.  NBA Street V3 is pure arcade-styled basketball goodness and by far one of the best street games the series has produced so far.  If you love basketball and fun then you don’t want to miss this one.