January 7, 2005 - When we took a look through the PSP's games at this year's CES debut, we were knocked out by the early work done onActivision's Spider-Man 2. The next day, it was EA's turn to show off how far this system will go with its special PSP edition of the NBA Street series. Titled NBA Street Showdown, the game showed off some mondo effects work in the court shadows in this early version, and with colors that popped off the screen, the game looked the part of a street legend. Better yet, the PSP edition packed in some modes that will put some new style into the game that has been screaming for a give-and-go handheld edition since it's first shot.

What's gone into this PSP edition to earn that Showdown subtitle? First off, the game is being designed as a building effort over the console games, and it will do most everything you're used to on other systems in either small doses or large. Some game modes are designed for quick play (such as the mini-games, and the Party Play multiplayer), others are meant to go on as long as you have the passion (including the King of the Courts mode, which features a story mode going through the ranks to beat court bosses and collect playable characters and play areas), and all of the modes are meant to build stats and give points for unlocking jerseys, players, Trax music and more.

We had a chance to play the game, as well as some of the minigames that will be playable, and we can see that these extra modes will really add a lot to the game. We were particularly addicted to the minigames -- Arcade Shoot and Shot Blocker. The first plays out like a cross between a pinball game and a bar hoops game, as players will have to fire free-throws at moving targets that cross bonus spots, go underneath each other for double-swish opportunities, and getting into range of shots that bank off the sides of the Arcade Shoot cabinet to bounce into the hoop. The second game is a minigame for the fans -- but, in this case, it's the fans who had complaints. EA has taken criticism that defense in the second NBA Street was heavy on the goaltending to heart, but they also realized that grabbing and swatting balls is a ton of frickin' fun, and have built a minigame around it. Multiple shooters will be shooting threes, and you'll be working to swat or grab as many as possible. There are rings marking off point values for how bold a blocker you trusty yourself to be, and with random Money Balls and all kinds of combo-centered mayhem going on, these two games are straight up addictive.

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The main game ain't too shabby, either. EA still has some speed-up optimizations to make, but the play in this preview build was reaching towards the frantic pace its console brothers. The visual pop of the game is already there, with great character models that dominate the screen and full shadowing effects that play up the distinctive style that this series has set in its past two incarnations. EA has tuned the cameras for the PSP's widescreen view, which has given them a lot more room to play and also the ability to get a lot closer to players without giving them no room to move. WiFi multiplayer for two gamers is one of the game's biggest features, although Party Play will fit the bill if you only have one system.

EA has had its EA Canada Team Fusion crew working on this for quite a while now for PSP, and the game is on its way towards making the North American launch of PSP. We're eager to see the next previewable version of the game soon to get another showdown with NBA Street Showdown.

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