"The best basketball game I've ever played"

Ever since an early age, being from Indiana, I've always loved basketball. I never back away from a basketball videogame when I can find a good one, and I tried out NBA 2K3. So far, it's the only basketball game I've played to 25 games through a season (NBA Courtside 2 on N64 grabs second honors, when I made it about 20 games into a season). This game provides a good challenge too, which I really enjoy on a sports game.

Control: 9/10 (31.5pts)
The controls of NBA2K3 are really good. You can use the C-Stick to dribble your own way, and players who aren't good at dribbling will actually lose the ball. There's so much you can do in the game that you can't do in other games. You can break ankles with mad crossovers, toss it up for an alley-oop, and much more. The only thing I don't like is when I press B to jump for a rebound, but one of the other players has gotten the ball already (somehow) and they launch it from fullcourt. It actually went in once.

Realism: 9/10 (13.5pts)
This is definitely the most realistic basketball game I've ever seen. Players actually show some emotion (getting pissed at the ref for a crappy call or getting up and at it when a clutch 3-pointer is made) and the rim physics are about as real as you can get. Unlike on other games, if you have the game on the hardest difficulty setting, it truly is difficult. I put NBA Courtside 2 on the hardest setting and 6 minutes and I still kicked ass, usually like 118-75 or so. The biggest lack of realism in this game is how easy it is to block shots. For the last 6 games or so, my created center has averaged about 7 blocks per game, and my point guard (6'5'' and about 200) averaged close to 5 blocks per game for about the first 8 games. I also like how you never know what to expect in the game. I was getting torched by the Clippers (69-49 going into the 4th quarter), but then I came back and won 87-84. It's fun as hell when you're down by 20 or so and you come back and win. You don't have to try to get down by that much.. sometimes it just happens.

Graphics: 9/10 (18pts)
The graphics in this game are pretty top-notch. The basketball courts are all done as should be, most of the players, with some exceptions, very closely resemble the real-life players, and for the most part, you can make your own players that can closely compare with yourself. The crowds of NBA type games are mediocre as usual, and that's that.

Sounds: 7/10 (14pts)
Unless you like rap, you'll find yourself turning off the actual music in the game. I kept the sounds on, because the sounds are halfway decent (like the shot-clock violation, ball hitting rim, dunks, swishes, etc.), but I dislike rap music so I just turned the music off. The crowds are pretty decent, and will ''ooh'' and ''aah'' at a missed buzzer-beater and the such.

Dynamics: 9/10 (9pts)
Like most sports games these days, you have the ability to create your own player. If you want to boot an entire NBA team like the Grizzlies or the Warriors or even the Lakers, you can and then, if you've made enough, create your own team. I like the ability to have 15 players (I only have 10 though, because I don't use more), and the franchise mode is engrossing. It's fun to try and balance the budget when trying to market big-time players.

Buy or Rent?
If you like just sports games in general, rent. If you like basketball games, buy. Otherwise, rent.

Final Rating: 86/100 (9)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/15/04