NBA Street V3 garners gold

Electronic Arts today announced that NBA Street V3 is off to the factory and will be on store shelves February 8. The basketball game is being developed by EA Canada and is the third installment in the successful NBA Street franchise.

In NBA Street V3, gamers will play as created characters, NBA stars of today and yesterday, and special cameo characters in three-on-three blacktop action. Hoops can be played on several real and fantasy courts, and the new court creator lets players customize their own stomping grounds for playground legends.

The game features all the high-flying, gravity-defying, awe-inspiring action gamers have come to expect from the series. The new trick stick allows b-ballers to pull off novel maneuvers, and a new dunk contest has been added to showcase gamers' slamming skills.

Also new to this year's edition is the inclusion of guest stars. Rap trio The Beastie Boys not only lend their tune "An Open Letter to NYC" to NBA Street V3, but also lend their likenesses. Beat the Beasties on their home court, and they become playable characters. The GameCube version of the game features three more playable characters: Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach.

NBA Street V3 is rated E for Everyone and will retail for $49.99. For more information on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.