NBA 2K

Wow! If there was any doubt about Visual Concepts being able to back up their tremendously successful NFL 2K GD-ROM with an equivalent basketball title, all of that concern is gone now. NBA 2K is an astonishing piece of work that will mean great things for the developers, the Dreamcast and the videogame industry in general.

The first thing about NBA 2K that smacks you in the face is that the game's visuals are so realistic VC was able to create a killer intro movie using in-game graphics in place of the usual full motion video. This is a sports videogame that doesn't stop at animated texture maps of actual NBA pro faces (the calling card of several b-ball games this season). In NBA 2K, the realism has been advanced to the point where the players' eyes actually dart back and forth during gameplay, scanning the court for fast break opportunities or charging power forwards to get in the way of. This is the best looking console basketball game ever!

The animated fans in the stadium get up out of their seats on great plays. Conversely, you can see them sitting back and crossing their legs when the pace slows down. Look over at the team benches and you'll see players exchanging dialogue or reaching down to tie their shoes. The coaches (that are introduced along with the players before every game!) frantically pace back and forth, stand with arms crossed or shuffle their feet like moping schoolchildren. Meanwhile, the animation of the players busting it down the court to sink buckets or rattle home dunks will send chills down the spine of anyone who's ever had a good time watching an NBA game.

I was a little concerned over the extended length of the players' arms and the resulting weird physicality that this presents but really the game moves so fast and the gameplay is so aggressive, I just bit my tongue through a blissed-out grin.

In many respects, considering the capable competition that's out there (and this is always an allusion to EA Sports' product), NBA 2K is a no-frills affair. There is no Michael Jordan, there is no 1-on-1 game, no All Stars from the past, no 25-year franchise mode. The stats-package is pretty straightforward (where's the shot chart?) and I'm not crazy about that circular menu interface on this game either. You do get nifties like a cool insta-morph custom-player editor and some incredible "better than TV" replay cameras. But what this game delivers, better than any other, is a ferociously tactile basketball experience.

The energy of this game is incomparable. When you get those fast break plays going and you're all over the alley-oop slams and volley put backs, there's just nothing better. I preferred the subtleties of Live 2000 on the PC (not to mention all of that game's goodies--like online play!) but I have to admit I have never been more engaged by a basketball videogame then I was when I got knee deep into my Lakers season in NBA 2K.

I noticed some strange anomalies, like invisible barriers around the players that would sometimes appear to knock the ball away for no apparent reason. This oddity made it relatively easy to figure out when to jump in front of passes or block shots. I also found it much too easy to throw the ball out of bounds by turbo-passing and more than once I caught computer-controlled players dozing away when they should have been filling a lane or moving towards the ball. Also, for those purists, you'll discover that because of the superior pacing and visceral bravura of the title, your offense and defense will be much more effective than reality. Not only can players make more shots per period, they can also get up and stuff dunks relatively easily. This translates into an action-packed game with tons of activity at each basket. High scores combined with plenty of defensive glory. Every game is a highlight film, which is definitely not true simulation.

Once again, Visual Concepts and Sega Sports have outdone themselves with the audio work in their game. The play-by-play announcers in this title are as polished and energized as the NFL 2K team. Their commentary never gets repetitive or annoying. Sega's decision to continue using polished voice actors instead of high priced TV commentators is paying off for them big time. In addition to the various announcers in the game another huge treat is the crowd noise and the constant calls from the players and coaches on the court. This game sounds as good as it looks, even the funky music kicks butt.

Hey, it's not quite perfect! But so what? NBA 2K is as perfect as it gets on the Dreamcast and it's the console game of choice for diehard basketball fans. It's so much fun you can look past any quibbling flaws or missing features. This game is going to make a lot of hoops fans stark raving joyous this Christmas. I'm one of them. Get it now!

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