NBA 2K3

"Wally-World or Whelkman-World. Which would you rather vacation in?"

Now Whelkman is a lot easier to spell than Wally Szczerbiak. So Whelkman-World would be more convenient, but it wouldn’t be considered family friendly unless you are the Osbornes. So the vast majority of the population will be selecting Wally-World. It’s a good choice. Wally-World is what we have in Minnesota, at the Target Center, and Wally-World is what you will find in NBA 2K3.

Yes, Szczerbiak and the rest of the gang are all here. NBA 2K3 has the full NBA license and is ready for action. The Hornets are in New Orleans and the Grizzlies are in Memphis. However, the rosters are a bit outdated. Kendall Gill and Rod Strickland aren’t on the Timberwolves roster, despite these moves taking place well before the season started. Sega simply got lazy with the roster updates and that laziness prevented a good game from becoming a defining one.

But before we can talk about laziness, we have to talk about the one big new feature in NBA 2K3. Sega has been talking about their “rim-physics” for a while now. Luckily for all of us, they do not disappoint. In most basketball games, the ball either doesn’t touch the rim and swishes, or else it bounces off the rim and misses. Not so in NBA 2K3. It is now possible for the ball to hit the rim and still go in. This may not sound like much, but it is pretty revolutionary in basketball games.

That may be the only really new aspect of NBA 2K3’s gameplay, but there is plenty of other good stuff included. The defense seems to be more polished this year. Stealing and blocking still seems to be a matter of luck, but there is a bit more timing involved. The AI also does a much better job playing defense themselves. It’s a lot harder to penetrate into the lane. (In Whelkman-World, that statement would have an entirely different meaning. That’s why we’re in Wally-World.) Players like Ben Wallace, Theo Ratliff, and Dikembe Mutumbo have much more impact on games this season. Sure, they still are offensively inept, but blocking shots is far more important now.

For simulation junkies, there is plenty to get excited over. You can now set defensive and offensive plays to your hearts content. The zone defense may still be new in the NBA, but it feels right at home in NBA 2K3. I do have problems with no 1-4 zone being featured, though. 2-3 and 3-2 aren’t enough against teams like the Spurs. A 1-4 zone would dominate the twin towers of San Antonio. And in another impressive display of realism, European players don’t play defense in the video game world either.

Offensive plays are now worthwhile to call. I’ve never called offensives plays in a video game before, but now I’m calling isos and picks to free up my three-point shooters all the time. The biggest flaw that I could see a diehard basketball fan having with the realism in NBA 2K3 is the difficulty to get an inside game going, and the difficulty to defend against the computer’s inside game. I play a half-court trap defense and go for the steal, because once the computer gets in the lane it is an automatic two points. However, with Kevin Garnett anchoring my inside game, I only average twenty to twenty-five points a game in the paint. Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Curry, and Troy Hudson consistently lead my team in scoring with their three-point shooting. That shouldn’t really be how it is. But those sim fans shouldn’t fret; the depth of the statistical engine should more than make up for it. I doubt even the most diehard fan could give a damn about how many fouls Chris Childs averages a game.

That doesn’t mean that all is good in NBA 2K3. I have a huge problem with the referees. They are incredibly inconsistent. In the first half of a game, they’ll be extremely lenient. My players will get knocked over without a blocking foul called. Then they suddenly start calling every little bump and push. Speaking of blocking fouls, someone should probably go inform Visual Concepts that a blocking foul doesn’t get you free throws. I mean, what the hell? My player ran into yours at midcourt, time for you to go get an easy two points!

Then, of course, there is the bigger problem with the fouls. NBA 2K3 has the worst free throw shooting engine on the face of the earth. I have yet to successfully lineup both analog sticks and press square simultaneously and make a free throw. I’m rather embarrassed to admit this, but I turn on free throw assist. It’s the only way I can get the points that would be automatic in any other basketball game. NBA 2K3’s free throw engine is essentially the same as field goal kicking in NFL 2K3. It is extremely out of place in a basketball game. Sega should be using something along the lines of EA Sports’ NBA Live free throw engine.

I also have a problem with another lapse in logic. Since when did Shaquille O’Neal become God? I randomly throw three-pointers at the hoop with him and he ends up with a higher three-point shooting percentage than Paul Pierce. Shaq also has more zip on his passes than Jason Kidd and has a meaner crossover than Tracy McGrady. Can you say “Payoff?” I suppose I can’t make such baseless accusations though. If Shaq HAD paid Sega off, he would have made sure that he dunked the ball when he was down in the lane instead of doing a Mookie Blaylock-esque lay-in.

Sega and ESPN clearly had a payoff thing going. The entire game is one giant advertisement for SportsCenter. SportsCenter on the menus, SportsCenter at half-time, SportsCenter plugs during time-outs. It just doesn’t end!

You’d think with all this ESPN aura something useful would come about of the license. Sure, they’ve got the patented SportsCenter text, and the ESPN theme music, but what does that really mean? What good is it all when the biggest commentary name is Ron West? When you’ve got the ESPN license and don’t use personalities like Rich Eisen, Linda Coen, Dan Patrick, and Chris Berman, you are wasting the license. Imagine it. Dick Vitale could have done draft class analysis in Franchise Mode. David Aldridge could have a weekly NBA review. Stuart Scott could host the half-time show, just like he does in real life. Sega simply wasted the license.

At least they didn’t waste the NBA License. They captured the intricacies of players and arenas with amazing accuracy. You can clearly see the differences in the direction of the wood in the Omni Center and in the Target Center. The Fleet Center’s famed parquet floor looks just like it did when Bill Russell and Bob Cousy strolled across it in the fifties and sixties. The interesting paint jobs at the Continental Airlines Arena are still present. Indiana’s home court exudes the classic feel of old time floors. I was extremely impressed with the level of detail on the arenas, especially considering that they have no real affect on the gameplay in basketball.

Perhaps I was even more impressed with how the crowds reacted in these beautiful arenas. NBA 2K3 has a crowd with extremely fluid animation and extremely realistic behavior. You can hear the crowd’s activity pick up when the home team puts a run together and you can hear it silence when the Jalen Rose hits a three pointer at the Bradley Center to put the Bulls up by five with seven seconds left. You can see the fans in the Staples Center wave inflatables back and forth when Chris Webber is shooting free throws. The crowds at the MCI Center and Madison Square Garden start chants to motivate their team. “Defense! Defense! Defense!”

Familiar coaches roam the sidelines. Pat Riley’s hair is as amazing as ever in Miami. Isaiah Thomas is still more flammable than an Amaco station. You can see the differences in personality between a Flip Saunders and a Larry Brown. Phil Jackson will calmly address his players in time-outs. Rick Adelman will blow a gasket trying to get through to them. All of the licensed coaches are here in full glory. My only problem with this inclusion is an error with the inclusion of coaches career records. Instead of the records of their full careers being included, their 2001 record is listed as their career record. It’s nitpicking, yes, but it’s another sign of Sega’s laziness.

Sega’s laziness is the real kicker when it comes to creating players and teams. Compared with games like WWE: Smackdown and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, NBA 2K3 is light-years behind. There are very few facial options. There are only five skin tones. You’re not given much creativity at all. Plus, when you go back and edit a player’s appearance, they still look like they originally did when the created player appears in games.

Creating teams manages to be worse. You’re presented with only about ten choices for your teams. You can edit their city and name, but not much else. You cannot create your own logos, you can’t create your own color schemes, and you can’t design your own uniforms. Also, you don’t have to deal with the salary cap when adding players to your roster. It’s another aspect of Sega being lazy.

At least Sega put a little bit of effort in when doing the player models. The players look fantastic. You can easily see Lartrell Sprewell and Allen Iverson’s cornrows. Steve Nash looks as shaggy as ever. Yao Ming is easily distinguished from the diminutive Steve Francis. Player’s faces are especially detailed. Sega’s got the mouth down, something that EA hasn’t been able to master yet. Even the lesser players have plenty of detail. If you are a big enough basketball nut to know what Felipe Lopez and Vitaly Potepinko look like in real life, you will be able to recognize them in the game.

Recognizing players is good. Perhaps when you can realize that you’re going up against Vince Carter and Michael Jordan it will strike a little fear in your heart. Fear is good. It makes the game mean something. It makes it more challenging. NBA 2K3’s difficulty levels are something like Goldilocks. Rookie is way too easy. All-Pro is too difficult. But Pro is JUST right. Pro presents enough of a challenge to keep games close, but not so much that I feel flustered and lost.

Of course, if you want a real challenge, simply sign online and have at some real players. NBA 2K3 is fully online capable. You can square off against players from around the country with either dial-up or broadband access. If you’re feeling a bit noncompetitive you can play against the computer with a standard set of rules. NBA 2K3 will spew out a few passwords, and those passwords can be entered in tables at Sega to see how you rank with other players from around North America.

That’s not saying that you have to play online. NBA 2K3 has plenty to offer without the internet. The Street Mode is a bit boring, but it’s a toss-in mode, you can’t really complain. If you wanted good street basketball you would be playing NBA Street. Franchise Mode and Tournament Mode is where 2K3 really shines. There is incredible depth in each of these modes, with statistical analysis and awards. I’m especially fond of the Rookie Watch in Franchise Mode. Also, if you choose to do the fantasy draft in either of these modes, beware. The computer drafts with plenty of strategy. You won’t be able to pull a fast one. The best players will be taken by the computer; and keep in mind that the computer doesn’t follow the overall ratings to the book. There’s some judgment in these fantasy drafts. Season, Exhibition, and Practice Modes round out the lineup. Sega’s got an impressive roster of modes to keep you interested.

Just because NBA 2K3 is on top of the basketball heap is no excuse for Sega to sit on their laurels. Don’t get me wrong, we’re talking about a great basketball game here. But it could have been so much better. If Sega had some competition, NBA 2K3 could be one of the games that impacts the industry for years to come. I hope EA Sports picks it up next year. I’d like NBA 2K5 to be everything that 2K3 should have been.

PROS
*Very accurate player models.
*Great statistical analysis.
*Rim physics allow for a more realistic game.

CONS
*What a waste of the ESPN license.
*The free-throw interface is still the worst on the planet.
*Inconsistent refereeing. Something are supposed to be better than in real life.

SCORE SUMMARY

GAMEPLAY--8
GRAPHICS--9
MUSIC--5
SOUND--8
CONTROL--7
FUN--7
CHALLENGE--MEDIUM
REPLAY VALUE--MEDIUM

OVERALL--8

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/22/02, Updated 12/22/02