NBA 2K2

"Funny, I love the game, but not a big fan of Basketball"

NBA 2k2 finally gave me a reason to play a video game of the sport basketball.

Introduction: I am a big sports gamer. Basketball was basically the only sport genre game I had not owned, since I had not seen anything that appealed to me extremely. Until one Saturday afternoon, I saw Iverson's mug on a Toys R Us shelf. I was reading really good things about this, and I needed a sporting fix, so I picked it up instead of Monster Rancher Advance. When I got home, I un-wrapped the cellophane, and I was astounded. I had played basketball games in the 16 and 32 bit era, but this overwhelmed me. The fluidness, the simulation/arcade mix made it very enjoyable, and the challenge it gave was a pleasant perk for a sub-par gamer like myself, not too hard, but not too easy. So, here is the review.

Eye Candy (Visuals):9
Definitely some of the most realistic models I have seen in a sports game. Sure, most games get the basic and standout features right, but this game pays attention to detail. Armbands to tape, Headbands to hair, basically all you could ask for. Basic gameplay is also above par in a sports game. The replay angles, for the most part are really nice. When you hit a 3-pointer, you see if you bounced off the rim multiple times, or if you swished it. When you make a dunk, it doesn't give one view, it gives a few views for you to admire. It is really nice that I don't have to laugh at the replays. The arenas look great, and if you are at home, you feel you are at home. (At least in the player intros). The fans wave their foam like things at the free-throw line, the cheerleaders can be seen, and are not stick figures or still figures. The coaches are shown giving time-outs. Plenty of cameramen around. Not much to complain about here. I also like the little ticker at the bottom of the screen during franchise with the top player, adds to realism.

Need to bring the hearing aid (Sound): 8
The announcing could be improved, but is much better than many. They keep track of what a player is doing in the game. Such as ''Walker scores his 26th'' or ''Finley can get his 10th point this time down''. It does get repetitive, hearing the same slang, over and over. I don't have to hear about what Abdur-Rahim did last year, or Ewing's history, I get to hear what happened in the last 5 minutes. As usual, the announcers in a sports game are repetitive, but much more up-to-date than others.
On the other hand, all the other music and PA announcing is exactly on par. I love what they have done with the PA announcing. The PA announcer is always in the game, announcing who got the point, but never intrudes on the game, distracting the gameplay. The player introductions. sound wise, are right on par. The crowd cheers with much more intensity for the home team than for the away team. You hear slight cheers for the away team, while rolling thunder comes out for even the worst home team player. Very impressive.

Is the controller going to get a workout (Gameplay): 10
The heart and soul of a video game, is its game play. In this case. If cotton candy were video games, this would be made with the best sugar, and it would be pure sugar. Let me get all of the cons out of the way. Free-Throws are a *****, having the change the coach settings, the menus. Yep, there we go, all I can complain about. Meanwhile, the rest is great. Shooting is near perfection. I like how it is difficult to hit the 3 pointers, although still easily possible. I like, even with the perfect jump, you will still miss long shots, just like in real-life. Fouling prevents most shots from getting in, like it should. I like how Lay-ups can be missed, while they are usually hit. In most games, you can have an 80 rating, and still live like one with 100, where in this game, it matters. Having a lot of threats while using a fancy crossover move prevents it from being abused, which is very good. Fake shots can be fumbled, limiting the fakes, which is great. It is at least partially difficult to steal and block unless you are focusing on it. I love the fact you can't sit on a 15 point lead. It is great the mix they have of realism and arcade.

Modes and Extras: 8
Franchise mode is what every sports gamer loves, control over his or her own team throughout many years. I have not gotten that far in franchise, but I love the other team sending a counter-offer, it is a very good features. Season, is well, seasons. A stripped down franchise it seems. Street is very interesting, mix NBA Street style of graphics, with 2k2 play, and odd uniforms, you got street, decent. Practice is great, helping with the Free Throws, Timing, and having a nice Scrimmage mode, helping with the coaching aspect. Exhibition mode with just a few games of practice. Options are good, the difficulty gaps are annoying, I do beginner with ease, but lose by a decent amount in pro, so that is a small gripe. Fantasy is good. The rest is also solid.

Addicting, ya? (Replay): 9
All I can say it will keep you coming back. I don't have much else I could say.

Overall: 9
This is a great game. Very solid, and it should be a base for all developers of basketball for the PS2. (That means you EA and 989) Very strong.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/25/02, Updated 02/25/02