NBA 2K

"I'll tell you it's like the sky's getting further away..."

My past with the game of basketball is like a roller coaster - sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. Right now, I love it. Since I am really enjoying basketball right now, it is only natural that I would want to play a basketball video game. Rather than play any of the subpar NBA Live games, I chose to bestow my gaming skills to NBA 2K, Sega Sports' first basketball game. It's no wonder why - NBA 2K is by far the best basketball game I have ever played.

Why is NBA 2K the best basketball game I've ever played? Perhaps it's because of the sheer amount of depth in the game. Right away, just by looking at the game's main menu, one will realize they are in for a treat. Exhibition, quick start, season, playoffs, and practice modes are all available from the start. The only real thing missing is a franchise mode, but that is no big deal, thanks to the equally great season mode. The season mode is not unlike other sports games' offerings, but it does present some neat aspects such as the all-star voting, comprehensive player stats, and the usual trading and free agent signing. Whether one would want to play a full 82-game season or a lesser amount of games is up to the player to decide, but most likely they will be playing a full season because the game is so great.

Why is NBA 2K so great? Well, besides the seemingly endless amount of depth, perhaps it's because of all of the great actions that can be used on the court. In addition to the basic actions like stealing, blocking, crossover dribbling, and whatnot, NBA 2K offers a ton of more advanced features to use. Tired of having the computer call all of the plays? Go ahead and call 'em yourself. Need to double-team Shaq? Call over another player to help out. See an open man near the basket? Throw him an alley-oop. The number of different things you can do on the court is simply staggering, just like NBA 2K itself.

Even with the fact that it has a lot of on-the-court actions and a ton of depth, that's not the best part about NBA 2K. Nothing tops NBA 2K's realism. Players aren't the only people on the court - there's referees that make fair and sometimes controversial calls , coaches that yell words of encouragement or disappointment to their players, team benches that are filled with the other players on the team, and a crowd that actually shows some movement instead of the usual 2D drivel found in other sports games. Everyone on or around the court shows emotion. Players' facial expressions change with whatever they are doing and the benchwarmers will jump off their seats if their teammates make a big play. The whole on-the-court experience makes it feel like you're really at an NBA game and not just playing a video game. Truly impressive work by Visual Concepts (the game's developers).

As much as I would like to say the opposite, NBA 2K is not a perfect game. Instead, it will have to settle to near-perfect because of a few annoying flaws. The worst flaw would have to be the horrible free throw shooting system. Instead of a more normal and fair FT shooting system, Visual Concepts had to try and be innovative with their system. In order to shoot a free throw, one must 'massage' the left and right trigger buttons on the Dreamcast controller until the corresponding arrows match up at the basket. If the arrows don't match up evenly, the shot will be off. This ridiculous system requires a lot of patience to figure out, which is something I don't always have. Other than that, the only other problems are barely noticeable. Sometimes players will stand around the hoop instead of trying to get the rebound, and the fans don't have those green stick type things to wave at you while you're shooting a free throw. Once again, those two problems aren't very evident and don't detract as much from the game as the free throw shooting system does. They are still problems, but not very big ones.

NBA 2K is a beautiful game. Everything is colorful, the 1300+ animations are all smooth, and there is an endless amount of detail on the court. The courts are all modeled after their real-life counterparts, and they all feature superb lighting effects, as well as brilliantly stalking shadows that follow the players to and fro. And speaking of 'fros, every player looks just like the real thing, complete with their own hairstyles, facial features, and body tattoos. The detail and beauty of NBA 2K are unrivaled.

NBA 2K is also a wonderful sounding game. Featuring Bob Fitzgerald as the play-by-play guy and Rob Brooks as the color (commentary) announcer, the game's commentary is amazing. These guys work wonders as an announcing team, as they never get old or repetitive. The team's arenas are also full of life. Crowds cheer wildly when their team makes a big shot, the sound guy plays music to pump up the crowd, and players will make painful noises when they get hit hard. Just like the game itself, the sound is amazing.

It's safe to say that NBA 2K is one of the best sports games ever made. The only real problem I found with the game was the bothersome free throw shooting system. Other than that, NBA 2K is pure brilliance. Since the game is one of the easiest Dreamcast games to find (and one of the cheapest), I would whole-heartedly recommend shelling out the $9.99 or whatever it costs to get the game if you are a basketball fan. You won't regret it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/17/02, Updated 05/17/02