NBA 2k

Visual Concepts has done it again. Following up on the success of NFL 2K comes NBA 2K, A 5-5 hoops fest which features crisp visuals and smooth game-play. Granted, it doesn't have the overall graphic impact that its NFL cousin did, but it is NICE, very nice. Players are modeled accurately down to the laces on their shoes. Spree's corn rows? They're in there. Shaq's tatoo? Right there. On the gameplay side there are some problems. First off, there is some poor Al concerning defensive assignments. Also, after every made basket, one of the team's big men will come back to help take the ball out. It doesn't matter if he's hanging around half court, the computer will run his slow ass back so he can take it out. Never mind that big men are usually first down the floor, leaving the guards and forwards to bring the ball up. It's ridiculous. Also, the innovative new free-throw meter blows. You have to "massage" the trigger buttons into a halfway position before shooting. Something more basic, which makes it harder or easier based on the player's true tendencies, would have sufficed. Finally, the one-player mode is pretty boring, but that's common among the console hoops Sims. NBA 2K is great multiplayer fun, featuring high-octane offense and fantastic trash-talking opportunities, lust ask Ricciardi...

As the DC's first "real" b-ball game, I think it's pretty safe to say that NBA 2K is a must-own. If you're an everyday fan of the sport, you'll be more than happy with the game's awesome visuals and solid gameplay. If you're more of a hardcore hoops fan, you might be turned off by some of NBA's annoying little quirks (such as centers who insist on Abounding no matter where they are, or the totally lame free-throw system), but overall it still delivers.

OK, the graphics are great but NBA 2K also has fluid gameplay and a lot of good, useable special moves as well. But wait, where are the lean-in jumpers? And why are steals so hard to pull off? Also, the two-player Al defense is kind of weak. Even with these problems NBA 2K is still a great game for the DC but for old-school b-ball fans (like myself), EA's Live 2000 is still king. That won't stop me from playing the heck out of this one however.

I've been patiently waiting for a basketball game to wow me since Double Dribble, and it has finally happened. NBA 2K is astounding graphically, the sounds are impeccable and I felt like I was playing in the NBA. The only negatives are a lack of franchise mode (though the fantasy draft softens that blow) and the fact that the center almost always inbounds the ball. While NFL 2K did some solid things for football, NBA succeeds on all levels for hoops.