NBA Courtside 2 Featuring Kobe Bryant

"Overall a good effort, but just didn't live up to the media reviews."

Let me set something straight before I begin, I enjoyed this game. But I didn't think it was worth the $50 I spent on it, and I'll have to go into that in more detail. Left Field Studios made this game, as well as an original. The original was a lot worse, and they improved a bit on this (tons more options), but Left Field really should be complimented on Excitebike 64, their true gem. Anyways, let's get to the review.

Graphics: 7

Mixed bag in the graphics area. The framerate is good, and the camera angles are good, but blocky character models, very little detail, and jerky animations plague the game as well. The graphics are clear though, and they do the job.

Gameplay: 8

Hey, some fun! There are many different modes, such as season, practice, and arcade. Arcade mode is a really fun mode where there are 5,10, and 15 point shots, and huge, soaring dunks. This is where the game really shines, the fun factor. But if you are looking for a very realistic basketball game, even in normal mode, it doesn't deliver. I was hoping for something like NBA2K, but I didn't get it, or even like an NBA Live game. If you're looking for a deep basketball game, this won't be your thing, but if you're looking for some quick fun, you'll find it here.

Sound: 7

Average anouncer, but I don't even remember if there was music. The sound effects are good, but come on, why not some music? If there was any, I didn't really remember any, except at the title screen. An excellent job on some of the sounds like the sneakers against the floor, and the basketball, but the anouncer sometimes has this really monotonous voice which can get annoying.

Replay: 8

There's actually a lot to do in this game. With tons of modes, a good season roster, and a good fun factor, the game gets a lot of replay. But some people may not like this game, and then they aren't going to want to play any of the modes. I played this game a good 30 hours or so, but I wouldn't want to play anymore of it.

Overall: 7

A good effort on Left Field's part, but I think online sites overrated the game (IGN, for shame!). I for one am looking forward to what they'll put out on Nintendo's next console, GameCube, but I decided to give this to a friend. It's a great rent, and a good buy, but don't expect anything deep, complex, or masterpiece like. I'd reccomend NBA Live or NBA2K games over this, but I'd say this is the 3rd best basketball game out there. Give it a rent and see how you feel.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/12/01, Updated 04/12/01