NBA Street V3 focuses on the
streetball variation of basketball, with a more
arcade-like style of gameplay compared to the
simulation style of
EA Sports'
NBA Live series. Games have three players on each team with no
out of bounds,
fouls, or game clock; they include a
shot clock, however. Games are usually played until a team scores 21 points, though a team must win by at least two points; the game continues past 21 points otherwise. Each short range shot is worth one point, while a shot from long range (beyond the usual
three-point line) is worth two. They can also be played with NBA scoring rules, however, where a short range shot is worth two points and a long range shot is worth three. In exhibition games, the player may use a custom rule set that allows for the game to be played with either scoring rules and up to any number of points, with 50 being the limit. In
NBA Street V3, Gamebreakers return to their original format from
NBA Street, becoming once again unpocketable. This time, while in the air just before landing a dunk, the person controlling the Gamebreaker can do tricks with the right analog stick or pass the ball to teammates. Depending on how well these tricks are executed, and how long the ball is passed (each player may only have the ball once during a Gamebreaker), a dunk could be worth two to four points, and the opposing player's score would be subtracted by one, causing a three-to-five point swing. In an NBA game, the score changes become three to five points for the offense and a loss of two for the defense, amounting to a
five-to-seven point swing. The risks added by this mechanic are the possibility of overdoing the tricks and therefore missing the basket, or (due to the variance in offensive points) allowing an opponent to take advantage of a poor or failed Gamebreaker to entirely reverse the momentum of the game. The same controls for the Gamebreaker apply in the new Dunk Contest feature. The "trick stick" is also used on the ground for specific tricks, while the trick button now performs a random trick. 12 courts based on real-life locations are featured in the game;
The Cage,
Gun Hill,
Dyckman, and
Rucker Park in
New York City, Garland Park (known as "The Hawk" in-game) in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, The Dome in
Baltimore, Maryland, Tandy Recreation Center in
St. Louis, Missouri, Foss Park in
Chicago, Illinois,
MacGregor Park in
Houston, Texas,
Venice Beach in
Los Angeles, California,
Mosswood Park in
Oakland, California, and Brighton Beach in
Brighton, England, the only European court in the game. Players can also create their own courts, which can be used as their home court in the Street Challenge mode. After selecting which city the court is in, players can edit all aspects of the court, including its surface,
backboard, backdrop, and
wall murals. The player can buy more items for their court as they progress through the game and earn Street Points. ==Development==