To all of the fans of the crazy street ballers, you know the guys that be pulling off the craziest stuff you have ever seen with a basketball. The guys that come to represent, I am talking about the legends of the AND1 videos. Sure those guys are traveling by the definition of the rules, but hot damn it sure does look pretty.

Now the crew at EA Big did a pretty outstanding job capturing that magic that is street ball with their first outing of the NBA street series. However, the inaugural attempt was lacking in a couple of key areas. First off, it was lacking in general atmosphere; never did a genuine feeling of being apart of a street hoops game come across in the first title. Granted, all of the juke moves and dunks were suppose to be "over the top", but the feel of the street was never evident in the first version of Street. And secondly, the amount of unlockable goodies in the first version wasn't enough to keep you playing for more than a few weeks. So it seems that the boys and girls of EA Big zeroed in right on those problems when they reinvented the game of street hoops for the second time.

Graphically, NBA Street Vol.2 looks better than it did in its first outing. With smoother, more fluid animations and better backgrounds make NBA Street very impressive to look at while in motion. The "tricks" move with such grace and style, especially when executed in a logical sequence. Now of course if you enter the command for a move that requires your street baller to get on the ground and then you tell him or her to shoot, the sequence is going to look a little bit choppy and out of place. But with that being said, you can pull off some of the sickest ball moves and fakes I have ever seen in a video game.

Furthermore, all of the characters carry themselves with a "street baller" mentality, and yes; even John Stockton, Bill Walton and "Pistol" Pete look and move like they came straight out of the hood.

The atmosphere of NBA Street is enhanced by its music tracks, and the announcer; who providers hours of comic relief for you if you are not playing and just being a spectator. Not only did the nail the feel of the streets on the head with their selection of nice street tunes and their trash talking announcer, but EA Big also gave NBA Street vol.2 more life by simply providing more clothes for your ballers and ballettes to wear.

Gameplay wise, NBA Street vol.2 is easy to pick up, even for a person that has never really played any sort of video basketball entertainment in their life. And for veterans of the concrete courts, NBA Street vol.2 is an extremely deep basketball title, with a crazy amount of dunks and shakes to learn and master. Not to mention all of the unlockable jerseys and players that you can get in the single player modes, which gives this title an amazing amount of replay-ability. Now, this brings me to the create-a-legend mode. In this single player mode you get the chance to create a baller to challenge all of the kings and queens of the outdoor courts. The more games you play in the further along you can develop your baller, getting him/her new clothes, dunks, tricks, and just raw skills as you move throughout the game. Also, you will have to chance to play with and against the NBA elites and at some of the toughest street courts North America has to offer. (Green Lake included!)

The bottom line is that NBA Street is just plain fun, or as you'll start saying after playing Street for awhile, NBA Street is off the chain. Truly it is a treat for serious NBA basketball fans, weekend warriors, and the casual sports fan alike. 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. Now boys and girls, while you are breaking the ankles of your friends with killer crossover and over the top stutter steps, and you are having trouble mastering the art of trash talking, ghetto style. I will be holding an Ebonics seminar in Seattle, Washington in June.