Visual Concepts is really making a name for themselves this day
and age. I remember them when they created NBA Action '98 for
the Sega Saturn. I would truly say it was the best basketball
game for the Saturn. I played it for hours on end. As soon as I
heard and saw the amazing NFL 2K by Visual Concepts, I knew that
their basketball offering would be just as good. Well, is it good?
I have one thing to say about that. Though not totally perfect,
it's still easily one of the best basketball games out there.
Boy I hope Visual Concepts will stay on track with their sports
offerings, cause they sure seem to be building a sports empire.
Half Man, Half Amazing
One word. Holy crap. Wait that's two. Oh well. One word can't
serve this game justice. This game struts it's game graphics
right in your face. I mean Karl Malone looks like Karl and Larry
Hughes look like Larry Hughes, although minus the corn rows and
head band, but who cares? The player models are superb, but not
as good as NFL 2K's. The players in NBA 2K seem to run a little
stiff and stilted at first glance. But it soon passes you as you
get to see the players faces as they show every emotion known.
You see them sad after they miss a free-throw, you see them look
vicious after a thunder dunk, and see them smile after they made
a key 3-pointer. It's all here. Heck you even get to see Allen Iverson's
shoes. The basketball stadiums are also done very well. They
really look huge and massive and makes every one have a different
look to them. I went to the Bulls United Center and even saw each
of their championship banners hanging on the ceiling. Plus there
is an active audience. But this is no ordinary audience. They will
move by themselves as if they were an individual person. Too bad
they're cardboard cutout. The teams bench and coach are also
active. You'll see the players clap if your team made a basket,
look away if the opposing team makes a basket and stand up if
you make a clutch shot to give your team the lead. The coaches
are impressive too. He'll show emotions like anger and you'll
see him stamp his feet, and point to a player if he made a good
bucket. Talk about detail. The floor is great too. You'll be
able to see the shine and the lights reflecting on the surface.
Although I have to admit when I first played NBA, it was kind of
a step down from VC's NFL offering graphics wise, but given that
the NBA doesn't wear helmets and you can't really see their expressions
all that much, I'll let this one go. It is very difficult to do
every NBA players' face.
He Drives Down The Lane
The sound in the game is great. One of the commentators sounds
like Bob Fitzgerald from KNBR radio. But he calls himself Bob
Steele. Anyways the in game announcers are great, but not as
good as NFL 2K's. Listening to it for the first time is great,
but gets repetitive after awhile. They have many things to say.
But I really prefer the oncourt sounds. The players will talk
smack to each other and you can see their lips move while they
talk. But you really need to replay to see that. The coaches
talk too, but not as much as the players. And their commentary
is lame compared to the players. All the basics in sound are
all here. You have sneaker sqeaks, whistles, ball bounces, rim
sounds, the crowd, everything a b-ball game needs. It's all
here man. If you have speakers for Dolby or surround sound, use
em. It feels like you're at the game.
Gimme The Ball!
The gameplay here takes a while to get used to. The controls were different from all the other basketball games I've played before. But now I can really kick some ass playing against the computer and my friends. This detracted me from the game at first, but not for long. The controls are pretty satisfactory. But they could be improved. The on court actions can be very frustrating to a gamer who wants to just dunk and shoot 3-pointers all the time. This is a basketball simulation after all, with a little bit of arcadeyness to it. There are gripes I have with the game though. The first one I have are the passes. It's hard to connect with a really long pass and when you see a guy wide open, the player throws it over his head. This can get very frustrating in a tight game. Plus also when you pass to a player and the other teams player is like holding him into position, the player won't get the ball and the ball will go right over his head. UGH! My other nit-pick is the ball physics. One time I inbounded the ball and the ball just flew across the court for no apparent reason. Another time I tried to pass to a teammate and it hit an opponents head and the ball went up like 40 feet in the air. Other times the ball goes straight up to the top of the ceiling. It's really weird. It's kinda funny, but not good in tight situations. Good thing it only happens rarely. So basically the controls are adequate, the physics of the ball are just way off sometimes.
Overall
Despite the games obvious gameplay flaws it's still the best basketball game out there. It's great to play with your friends and clown on each other. It's really a good multi-player game. I recommend this game highly. Go out and buy it!
--Alvin
Graphics: 9.1
Sound: 8.1
Gameplay: 8.0
Satisfaction: 9.2
Overall: 9.1
