Electronic Arts is known for two things: gobbling up game companies left and right and producing sports games that are household names, like “Madden NFL” and “NBA Live.” If there’s one thing you can count on EA doing right, it’s great sports games.

“NBA Street V3” is the third entry to the “NBA Street” series, which is EA’s attempt at taking a more arcade-oriented approach with its sports games. This isn’t the usual five-on-five game on a stadium court; it’s three-on-three on the street.

From the start, gamers will be drowned by the enormous wave of options and extras.

There is a lot crammed into the game, including customization options like Create-A-Player, Create-A-Court and even Create-A-Shoe, in addition to game modes such as Dunk Contest and Street Challenge.

A tutorial explains all the options available and eases newcomers to the game play of “NBA Street V3.” Anything that could be included is here.

The newest addition to “NBA Street V3” is the “trick stick.” In the past, button combinations were used to activate moves and tricks. Things have been simplified for the better. Moves and tricks are done by pressing a direction on the trick stick and holding the turbo button, or buttons, depending on how advanced the trick is. Not only is the trick stick user-friendly, but it has decent depth to offer to advanced players.

Unfortunately, after the initial “wow!” wears off and hours are spent on the customization options, gameplay begins to get noticeably repetitive.

A match consists of running to the basket, dialing in combos and then dunking/shooting. It’s exciting the first 50 times, but definitely not the next 50. The main reason things get dull is because the defensive option is bare-bones. There is stealing and blocking — two measly options available compared to 30-plus options available to the offense. Be prepared to watch the offense run circles around the defense — literally.

Because of the weak defense, the game gets dull and predictable after playing about 50 matches or going through the Street Challenge the first time through. If there was more emphasis on the arcade aspect of the “Street” name — power-ups on the court, pushing, wrestling moves, fireballs or simply anything, there might be something to break up the monotony of the game.

How cool would it be if Shaq could pile-drive Kobe into the pavement?

Let’s hope it’s in the next installment.

Even with the inevitable repetition, “NBA Street V3” still manages to shine with its overabundance of options and extras. The customization options offer a nice, engaging distraction to the main game. The sharp attention to detail and slick presentation is just the icing on the cake.