NBA 2K3

"Sega Does a Great Job on This Great Basketball Simulation."

As a huge Sega fan, I own all the NBA and NFL2k's. When I heard that Dreamcast was no longer coming out with any more games, I switched to PS2. I was also hoping that NBA2k3 would improve off 2k2. Well, it did. It turned out to be a totally different game, starting from the graphics to the great gameplay. Even the commentary has improved, and I thought there was no way it could. There are only a couple of flaws that kept me from giving this game a perfect score.
As many of you know, NBA2k3 is mainly a simulation game. Well, many times they are not as fun as an arcade-revolved game. That is exactly what NBA Live 2003 is. It is a lot of fun, but disappointed many fans for a realistic NBA game. But NBA2k3 is exactly where to go. I prefer it slightly over NBA Live 2003, for the fact that it has a good combination of graphics, gameplay, and sound wanting you to stay for more!
One mode that has improved greatly is the Franchise Mode. I felt like the trades were usually reasonable, no flaws at all that I could see. The only things that I was upset with were some of the players’ ratings. Many were over rated, such as Ray Allen, who was rated the same as Allen Iverson, but many underrated, such as Tony Parker and Steve Francis.
There is something else that will make you want this game. It is the roster update. You hook up online, and if there is a trade going on in the NBA, your game will have the trade on it. For example, Gary Payton traded to the Bucks. Well, when you first buy the game, he is on the Supersonics. But when you roster update, he will be traded to the bucks, as Ray Allen goes to the Supersonics.
The free throw system works great, too. The idea of using both analogs was a great improvement, beating the idea of using the L and R buttons.
Here is how I rate this game:

Gameplay:9/10
Almost flawless. Best NBA game in this category I have seen in a while. The free throw system definitely helped on this game, and multiplayer is fun, too. The only thing I question is how the computer can just hit three pointers whenever they need them. But even with that, the computer is very smart, making the game very challenging. The intro is nice, too.

Graphics:10/10
Stunning. Easily improved off NBA2k2, and some of the best face designs I have ever seen. If I didn’t know it was a game, I would have almost thought it was absolutely real! From the crowd to the cheerleaders, you can tell Sega worked very hard on this category.

Controls: 8/10
Nice controls. Sega kept it simple, which was a key part of this game. There were advanced controls for advanced moves, but a newbie can easily get the hang of this game.

Sound: 9/10
The commentary is great. They continue saying new comments....it does not repeat itself over and over again. It will keep you listening to here the different things they say. Just like ESPN.

Replay Value:9/10
It will be hard to turn this game off...the game is very addictive. Whether you want to start a new season or play 1v1 versus a friend, you can’t help but play 2-3 games at a time. I don’t think I will ever get tired of this game!

This game is definitely worth a try. If you are an NBA fan, don’t even rent it. Buy it. This game is great, and I don’t know anyone that was disappointed with it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/23/03, Updated 07/23/03