NBA Courtside 2 Featuring Kobe Bryant

"An excellent basketball sim that can compete with NBA2K."

This hoops sim is one of the best avalible. It is the sequel to the original NBA Courtside, also made by Left Field. If you have not tried this game yet, rent it now! Now for the scores...

Graphics: 8/10
This game is the only N64/PSX game I know that uses hi-res faces for all the players. Yes, that means you can actually tell who it is. However, some of them need a little polishing (Reggie Miller looks like a lady with makeup on.)Everything looks smooth in the one and multiplayer modes, but however, in the 2 player 3-point contest, it gets choppy. The crowd also needs better animation. The court looks very good; you can see the reflection of the light on the court!

Audio: 6/10
The legendary Lakers announcer Chick Hearn announces this game with Stu Lance. They have 3x as many quotes as other games with announcers such as NBA Live 2000. However, it still does get repetitious. Also, a little more crowd noises would of helped. The sound fx are perfect: the squeaky sneakers, swishes, etc.

Ingenuity: 7/10
The basketball genre has been overdone. This alone lowers the ''Ingenuity'' score. This game, however, does have a couple of points that seperate it from the rest. For example, the Practice mode is new, so is the detailed faces (Remember, this game came months before NBA 2K), and the Draft mode for the season is wonderful.

Gameplay: 10/10
This game has plenty of modes to keep you busy; Quick Play, Preseason, Season, Playoffs, 3 Point Contest, and a Practice mode. There are a huge assortment of dunks and layups you can do. The controls are easy to reach, and all make sense. It has updated rosters, and allows you to do a draft; one by one picking all the NBA players until there are 12 guys on each team. Then, play a season using these players in 13/14, 28, 56, or 82 games. Use these records to play a playoff until you become the champion! ALL AGAINST A STRONG AI! When you get bored, there is a fresh arcade mode, great with friends that have spaces that allow you to score 5, 10, or 15 points, and do massive dunks that can knock Shaq to the floor! Also, you can play a match against up to 3 friends, or enter the 3 point contest.

Replayabilty: 9/10
The bottom line: basketball games rarely grow stale. You can play season and playoffs all you want; then play a round against your buddies. The Arcade and Preseason modes are great! However, if you usually play your games alone, than this game may get old. Once you know all the secrets to easily beating the AI even on the hardest level, the game gets easy. But even then, the AI can pull some surprises at you.

Final Word: This game is a MUST buy if you are an avid or modest b-ball fan. Rent it of you hate or don't care about the sport; you may end up liking it.

Final Score (an average): 8.0

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/23/00, Updated 07/23/00