The NBA Street series has slowly grown into something of a phenomenon, staking its claim with the first edition and further solidfying it with a solid sequel, NBA Street Vol. 2. But this is just the beginning, as EA Sports Big is back yet again, taking the home court as if it was theirs and bringing you their best street game. NBA Street Vol. 3 is looking to be huge, if my extensive playtest is any indication.

The first thing you'll notice is how much more realistic the courts and players appear. It wasn't like NBA Street Vol. 2 packed any sort of sloppiness or anything, but Volume 3 manages to look even better with lighting details, more fluid animation, and little details, right down to the glimmer of the floor on some of the hardwood courts. The game still moves at a speedy 60 frames per second, even during the game's emotional Gamebreaker moments, which can either be a simple Level 1 gamebreaker with a solo player, or a new team gamebreaker that involves all three players for a masterpiece of a play.

As far as the game's sound, it's right on. A new announcer has stepped into play and doesn't sound nearly as attitude laden as the one featured in Volume 2, and he calls the action like he sees it, giving props to those who make the plays and dissing those who get shut out with a block or steal. The licensed music collection is also on the money thus far, with stuff ranging from classic De La Soul ("Me Myself and I") to new tunes from the likes of Nelly and the Beastie Boys (who are hidden within the game- but of course).

Then we get to the gameplay, which is the most important factor in a game such as this. After all, if you don't have the smoothest playing b-ball game around, then what's the point? Fortunately, EA looks like it's coming up big here as well. Along with the typical gameplay moves that the series is known for (like setting up alley oops, building up a gamebreaker to score mega-points, or doing some sick-looking spins, dives and showoff tricks), NBA Street Volume 3 incorporates the use of the right analog stick for even smoother transition, as well as new moves like being able to rebound a ball off an opponent's chest, out of sheer humiliation. It really comes together to form smoother play than the previous versions, which was a nice surprise. At first, I thought it would just be a couple of things added to a formula and then slapped with a label for shipping, like a certain NFL Street follow-up. Not the case here.

Although I didn't get into them too much, I did play around with the dunk contest and the customization options. With the Dunk Contest, it takes a similar flavor to the one featured in NBA Live 2005, but offers more style and abilities. You have to string together combos and moves to pull off the ultimate dunk and try to impress the judges, if you can. It really works well for a game of this nature, but it's best played against friends to see who's the most stylish. As far as customization, you can customize your player right down to their hightops and head gear, including sweatbands and hats, and you can also build the court of your dreams if you're not up to playing on the number of courts already put into the game.

NBA Street Volume 3 is going to offer something significant no matter which version you get. The PS2 and Xbox editions will feature online play, so you can match up against your homies all the way from across town. As far as GameCube owners, they'll get a taste of Nintendo in the game with the inclusion of Mario and some of his friends, eager to get their own A-game on with power dunks and plays of their own. No matter which way you go, this game is looking to be a dominating experience. The only question is- what's going to be left for part four?