The good just keeps on getting better. NBA Street V3 features street ballers that equate to their real-life counterparts, with a touch of cartoony-ness to them. The players look dead-on, although there’s not much in the facial expression department. However, that’s not the focus in the NBA Street series. Regarding graphics, all that really matters are the animations for the game. And let me tell you, they’re the shiznit. Whether you’re bouncin’ the rock off your defender’s head or shakin’ him off with a trick move, everything’s got a dynamic style. The same can be said for those oh-so-pretty dunks; especially the ones in the Gamebreakers and Dunk Contests (more on that later). Pulling off a series of combos never looked so stylin’.

On the audio side of the ball, V3 comes down to two things: the soundtrack and the announcer. Both, I’m happy to say, live up to the hype of its predecessors. The soundtrack features a mixture of old-school and new-school rap, with the Beastie Boys being one of the main highlights. As for the announcer, well... he’s just great. Basically, you’ll hear him shoutin’ something after almost every move or basket... which I thought would get annoying after a bit. How wrong I was. He’s got plenty of lines that call the game, and a lot of them are pretty hilarious. I still find myself chuckling after some of his remarks.

For those that aren’t aware, the NBA Street series is all about 3-on-3 basketball. There aren’t a whole lot of menu options for you in V3, but the ones that are there are the ones that count. You can play a Pick Up game, which is just how it sounds. The main mode, however, is Street Challenge. Here you create a baller, along with your own court. You’ll then pick at least two teammates to build up your street cred. You do this by earning reputation points in pick up games, tournaments, dunk contests, rival challenges, and other special events. Along the way, you’ll even be asked to join an NBA team for the NBA Street League.

One change made within the game is the ability to increase your Gamebreaker’s points. After you earn a full bar of style points, take off for a Gamebreaker dunk. While in the air, perform all sorts of tricks... including a double alley-oop to your teammates. Depending on the amount of stunts you pull off, you could earn between two to four points. However, you could also earn a big, fat zero if you miss the dunk, so make sure you don’t get ahead of yourself.

As previously mentioned, there’s also the brand new Dunk Contest, which is just the bomb. Here you can bounce the ball in the air or off the backboard, jump over things like an NBA trophy or a ladder, all the while pulling off as many moves as you can during mid-flight... before finally throwing it down with some authority. This is a complete blast. Sure, the jumps are way too high to be human, but that just means you have more time to add an extra move (or two) into your repertoire. Be careful, though, because you don’t want to be pulling off a trick when you’re near the rim. Otherwise, you’re liable to fall on yo’ ass!

V3 is also available online for the PS2. Here you create a baller for the World Challenge Mode, where you again earn rep points by playing in games similar to the Street Challenge.

Here’s where I shaved some points off my total score. V3 has three varying levels of difficulty: Got Game, Mad Game, and Legendary (Basic, Medium, and Hard). But to tell you the truth, they’re all kinda easy. Maybe it’s because I’ve been playing the series since the original debuted, but the game seems to be at the same difficulty throughout once you know how to handle your ballers. There’s a Practice mode available for those new to the courts, but really, that’s what the easiest level is for as well.

What really sold the package for me was the controller configuration in NBA Street V3. Instead of each button having a function (like in Vol. 2), moves are determined by the number of shoulder buttons you press and the direction you press the “Trick Stick” (also known as the right analog stick). This made everything so much easier that I couldn’t believe it hadn’t been thought of before. As is in the past, V3’s memory card usage and loading time are on the low end.

The NBA Street series has always been worth the price of admission, and V3 is no exception. With the all-new Dunk Contest and Trick Stick, NBA Street V3 is a street baller’s dream.