NBA 2K2

"An almost perfect game!"

Rarely does a game come along and make me want to go and replay the campaign/season again with a different team/character, but NBA 2k2 is one of those games that you really want to replay. I like the way it’s great graphics just add to the excitement, instead of just making it a “You must play this, because our graphics are great” game. This game will also throw you a curve in it’s easy to learn/hard to master controls.

Graphics- 10 out of 10
This game has possibly some of the best graphics for a sports game, and it’s realistic player graphics set the standard, especially for basketball games. As with all games since the NES, the 2D people are still there, but in this game they produce a great amount of the atmosphere for the game. If you are a visiting team and you take a free throw, the crowd will wave thin balloon things, like what a clown uses, behind the backboard. Depending upon the arena, you will see the people in different color shirts. Also the have spent a good many bits of the Gamecube’s processing power on the team members, who will wipe their forehead and take a break realistically. There is not a game with better and bigger graphics (for the Gamecube) out there, except for Resident Evil, and it barely misses the best graphics award.

Sound- 9 out of 10
The sound effects are great; you can even hear the ‘swoosh’ sound of the ball going through the net on replays. The only thing that keep it from getting a ten is the fact that if you use a certain playing style (like all three’s or you always go for the dunk) you hear the same stuff every time. But it still beats the competition in number of different sound clips.

Control-10 out of 10
This has the best control of any sports game I have played for Gamecube, and I also feel that it has the best controls for NBA 2K2 out of the 3 big systems. The controls are second nature to anyone that owns a Gamecube, and doesn’t take a lot of getting used to. The one thing I found funny about the controls (funny, not bad) was that it would take you a lot of time to ‘be shooting free throws like Reggie Miller’. The controls are simple for shooting free throws, all that you have to do is press the L and R buttons at the same pressure, and it hardly takes getting used to. The first thing I did in NBA 2K2 was play a season, and I only missed 1 free throw all season (with my center, halfway through the season and halfway through the night).

Gameplay- 10 out of 10
Like I said earlier, NBA 2K2 has the most addicting gameplay of any sports game out in the market for the Gamecube. It’s nice defensive system, plus it’s funny menus and imaginative create a player mode all add to it’s low price of $30. One note about it, though. Although it only costs $30, you will need to spend $20 (or more) for a Memory Card 4X, because you can’t put all of the save types on a Memory Card 59 (4 blocks for options, 46 for seasons, 46 for created team). But overall, this is one of the best games in my library, and I am going to give it a ten in gameplay for exactly that reason.

Overall 10 out of 10
If you have an extra $50 (or even an extra $30) give NBA 2K2 a run. I promise, you won’t feel longing for another basketball game, at least until NBA 2K3 comes out…

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/11/02, Updated 07/11/02