NBA 2K2

"Maybe I expected too much..."

When I played NBA 2K2 for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Not much was changed from one of my favorite Dreamcast games, NBA 2K. Seeing as how Sega Sports had two years to make some changes to the series and even had a powerful new system to work with, the Playstation 2, I had reason to expect something downright amazing. What I got in return was merely a good game, albeit one that wasn’t much different from its predecessors.

NBA 2K2 offers the same modes of play as past games. You’ve got the standard exhibition mode, which is good for those times when you just want to pick up and play a quick game. If you’re new to the series, there’s a helpful practice mode that will show you how to play. There are also the self-explanatory tournament, playoffs, and fantasy draft modes. The traditional season mode is also offered, but it’s pretty much a waste of space since there is a much-needed franchise mode...

The franchise mode is excellent. It works much like other sports games. The idea behind the franchise is to pick a team and play through multiple seasons while attempting to create a NBA dynasty. You are allowed to act as the general manager and coach at the same time. You are the man (or woman) in charge of signing, releasing, and trading players, drafting rookies, setting your lineup, as well as every other aspect of running the team. You have total control over your team. It’s up to you whether your franchise turns out to be the laughingstock of the NBA (i.e. Los Angeles Clippers) or a powerhouse (Los Angeles Lakers).

One interesting feature in NBA 2K2 is the addition of a “street” mode. As the name suggests, this is just like a game of street ball. You choose whether to play from 2-on-2 to 5-on-5, pick a street court (various gyms and outside courts around the U.S.), and then choose how many points you wish to go up to (21 is highest). Playing this mode single player is a bore, but multiplayer is pretty fun. It’s more fun to school your friend in a real game of 1-on-1, but multiplayer NBA 2K2 street ball holds its own.

NBA 2K2 is loaded with options when you’re on the court. Every button on the PS2 controller has a purpose. Aside from the obvious moves such as shooting, passing, and jumping, there are several other techniques to use. For example, using the L1 button allows you to back down your defender. This is particularly useful for when you dump the ball to your big man by the basket. Backing down the defender is crucial to scoring in the post. One of my favorite features is calling for a screen. By pressing the L2 button, you can have your nearest teammate run up to you and screen your defender, allowing you the chance to break away and get an open shot. If you can do it in real life, you can probably do it on the court in NBA 2K2.

One thing that really made me frustrated about NBA 2K2, other than the fact that it hasn’t changed much since the series’ debut, is the computer AI (artificial intelligence). Just thinking about it makes me shake my head in disappointment. The AI is an absolute nuisance. When playing against the CPU, expect their team to make at least 60% of their shots. Nearly every shot they take makes it through the basket. It doesn’t matter if you jump in their face because most of the time their shot will be dead-on. It’s a bit crazy when a CPU-controlled player makes 15 out of 16 baskets every night!

The computer AI is also a problem on your side of the ball, too. Words of advice: don’t ever let the CPU control your timeouts. It will call a timeout at the most inopportune times. It seemed that at least once a game the fool would call a timeout just as I was beginning a fast break that was a surefire two points. The AI will also make strange substitution calls at times, too. Let’s say your starting PG has been struggling, so you decide to bring in someone off the bench to try to heat things up. More often than not, the computer will immediately sub the player you took out and put him right back in the game. It’s enough to drive you nuts! Granted, these AI errors can be corrected by turning off the CPU coach, but they are still problems nonetheless.

Visually, NBA 2K2 fares very well. While not noticeably improved from the Dreamcast games, the game still manages to look groovy. The players are well animated and loaded with detail. Ben Wallace has the ’fro look going, and Allen Iverson has his trademark cornrows and tattoos. What impressed me most about the graphics though were the fantastic-looking courts. The courts are so well polished and clean that you can see a player’s reflections on the floor. The logos on the center of the courts also look particularly great. NBA 2K2 is definitely a nice-looking game.

Unfortunately, the audio doesn’t stack up to the visual side of the game. The commentary is decent overall, but it can get very repetitive at times. The commentators also make some moronic remarks at times. For example, let’s say Patrick Ewing just had his shot blocked. A typical comment from the announcers about such a play would be “Ewing misses the basket entirely!”. Gee, do you think maybe the reason that he missed the shot was because it was BLOCKED?? Stuff like that drives me insane. Other than that, the sound is fine. The music never gets tiring to listen to, and the crowd sounds amazing. It can get quite loud when you’re playing at home and you just went on an 11-0 run. The redundant and idiotic commentary is what brings down the sound.

All in all, I enjoyed NBA 2K2, but I felt it could have been so much better. With more changes made to the series and improved computer AI, I would have definitely given the game a higher score. As it stands though, I can’t really give it higher than a seven. It’s a decent buy for the $20 or so it runs at now, but keep in mind that it has some potentially maddening flaws.

7

Best Feature - Franchise mode is great.
Worst Feature - Not much different from 2K, lame computer AI.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/13/03, Updated 04/13/03