The sequel to the best basketball game on the Dreamcast has been
highly anticipated. Mainly because gamers wanted to see if last years
problems would be fixed. Well the answer to that question is, yes.
All those long passes to no one have been fixed and also the
excessive shot blocking. But Visual Concepts have not only just fixed
last years bugs. They totally revamped the game to make it more
playable. It's like a totally new game.
Graphics
The graphics in terms of player models haven't really changed. But
with the plethora of animations added, this game looks sweet and
more natural. The dunks look more amazing and the new layups are a
sight to behold. Reminds me of the old Jordan days. The player models
do seem to have added more detail. Players now have corn rows as opposed
to last year where Iverson was the only one. The arms now look a part of
the body where last year the arms look like they could be pulled off.
The players just look more realistic this time around. There's even
instances of hair on the players arms. Freaky. Now all programmers
have to do is do real time sweating off players foreheads.
Sound
The sound is almost the same as last year with a few additions.
The crowd now seems more into the game. They scream louder when the
team just took the lead and stop screaming when it's a blow out. The
sneaker squeaks sound the same but the dunking sounds seem more thunderous.
The broadcasters are still a little off, but their commentary is more
varied now. The street courts sound like your urban courts. There
are nice sounding cars passing by, birds chirping and traffic noises all over
the place. Sounds loud but it's really mild.
Gameplay
This is where the game shines. The new dribble moves work well
to get past defenders and the spin move is now very effective. Finally
I can get to see Grant Hill spin past some weary defender like in real
life. The passing is right on most of the time. The only time the ball
goes into the audience is when a pass is too long. Just like in real
life. The problems that have been fixed has made the gameplay play
smoother and the additions to the gameplay have also made things a lot
smoother. The blocking is cool too. Now you have to time when the
shooter is to release the ball to block the ball. Plus the swat blocking
animations are top notch. Just wish the ball didn't hit an invisble wall
as soon as the ball goes out of bounds.
Overall
This game is a must-buy. There are a few nitpicks still to do with
the defense, but the fixed bugs make this a playable game. Also the
shooting seems a little more difficult. I can't tell you how many times
I've clanged off the rim. But hey, practice makes perfect. I clang
no more.
--Alvin
Graphics: 9.7
Sound: 8.4
Gameplay: 9.1
Satisfaction: 9.5
Overall: 9.3
