NBA 2K3

"The next best thing to actually playing basketball..."

...or going to an actual NBA game...

I originally went out to get Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, but when I found out it was sold out I decided to get something else instead. That something else ended up being NBA 2k3, which may have been a better choice...

Now back to the game...

NBA 2k3 has great game play, easy crossovers (yet hard to do in real life....), you can use mid-air adjustments and pivots to create better plays and ways to score, a great intro video, and the graphics are superb. Sometimes you can even see players glistening with sweat (and in the Xbox version there is a heat wave option, but this is PS2...) NBA 2k3 was made so that it is pressure sensitive so that if your pressing harder you will go faster. With season, franchise, playoff, tournament, practice, network, street, exhibition modes the game just gets better.
The Sega Sports Challenge is a cool way to keep track of how you do and compare yourself online on a ranking board.
I also like the ESPN style of this game with the ''hot at the half player'' and ''player of the game.''
The commentary can get a little repetitive but you can always turn that off if/when you want to.
The statistics are also a pro in NBA 2k3, nicely done.

A few issues I have with this game are...
-sometimes in the replays the steals don't exactly look like steals
-I can't tell what crossover is coming next when I do it which sometimes takes me out of bounds
-Loading time
But no real major issues to me, not too hard to manage with...

NBA 2k3 also comes with an online feature, if you have the modem/adapter to play online with 2-10 players. Once I get the money I will try out this feature. The online feature gives the game more replay value. It is also compatible with the multi-tap so you can have eight people playing at once.


Ratings
Graphics: 9/10
Audio (Music & Sound): 10/10
Control: 9/10
Fun Factor: 10/10
Replay Value: 9/10
Reviewer's Tilt: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Buy or rent?: Buy This game has many different modes and challenges, and once you master the game (or have a modem/adapter) you can go online and show your skillz.

(As always I say you should rent any game before you buy it; you might not have the same opinions as the reviewer)

Final Note: Very fun game, worth a try for all basketball fans.
Final Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/10/02, Updated 02/03/03