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NBA 2K (DC) By WILL BARKER NBA2k is here to answer all the questions that punters have asked. Where the hell is a realistic basketball game? Where the hell is a five-on-five basketball game? Where the hell is a basketball game capable of humiliating EA's NBA Live series? Here, here and here. This game is sheer entertainment scorched on to one almighty GD-ROM. The first things that hit me about NBA2K from Visual Concepts and Sega were the easy to navigate menus and intuitive interface. Sure, EA has more options and manages to be more anal about their statistics, but what we have here is a fundamentally more playable and thus more enjoyable game. Getting around the pre-game guff is child's play plus there is still lots to tinker with. The player creation alone will keep genetic scientists going into the thick of the night, with some truly in-depth parameters available to those who have the time and inclination. Game modes include exhibition, which is good for a quick frolic and then practice which, quite frankly, is the best training mode I've ever come across in a sports game. Bravo, Visual Concepts. You simply get to meander around the court and shoot. However, every time you shoot, the CPU displays whether your shot was too early or too late, and whether it was bad, good or excellent. Considering the difficulty involved with timing your shots, this is a godsend and will definitely help newbies out. The place where most gamers will get their jollies, however, will be the season, where you can play up to a demanding 83 games. All of the NBA teams are in there from the 1999/2000 season including all the players. This brings us to visuals which, for lack of a better word, are smashing. For the first time in history, the crowd actually looks good - and the sound they make is simply fantastic - especially when you take a free throw and they want you to miss! The ball has to be made up from hundreds of polygons as it is so smooth and the way it spins through the air in the slow-mo replays is sublime. Each player is based on their real-life counterpart and you can tell them apart for once. They all convey emotion via their facial expression, which is especially cool when they go for big dunks. Each character moves with the fluidity not even seen in arcade machines. 1300 motion-captured moves contribute to the realistic ambience, along with 29 different stadia and a smooth 60 frames per second refresh rate. This speed also contributes to a smoother style of play, meaning that at no time you'll be muddled because of a choppy frame rate. The high-resolution graphics put this game head and shoulders above any other b-ball game out there, no questions asked. Gameplay is as realistic and fancy as any NBA fan could wish for. The thing that impressed me most, during my initial stages of play, was the terrific collision detection. As a result the game plays much more like a real game of basketball, not a game of ping-pong. If you get close to an opposing player you don't simply slide past them - like a clever felon around the local plod. You have time to think out your plays, and initiate them, as well as approaching any given situation with at least an inkling of forethought. Each team has its own set of plays and the developers assert that these were compiled in conjunction with NBA coaches. Move over EA! There is a three-point game to be had if you can time your shots well and most open players will get an advantage too. But dunks and field goals will take up the bulk of scoring - talk about classy dunks! There are so many variations when it comes to dunks and lay-ups, it is always a boon to pull them off. Blocks and rejections also come into play and lend another level of realism to an already excellent game. Multiplayer is rock solid too, with up to four players able to play via the Dreamcast's quad controller ports. It is rumoured that NBA2k1, the sequel, will even support online play. The sound deserves a big wrap too, as mentioned earlier the crowd noises are the best yet, changing and adapting to the action on the court. Commentary has always been a bit of an unpleasant aspect when it comes to sports game, but since playing NBA2k we can have renewed faith in this area. The commentary is so good and so accurate, that some friends asked if this was for real. The game callers comment on individual players, the team as a whole, coaches - it is next-gen gaming at its best. NBA2k is one hell of a sports title, easily the best sports game released thus far. If you own a Dreamcast and you're in need of some hoopin' action, which is sure to impress your friends and last you well into next year, you simply can't go past this spectacular game. The Dreamcast is without EA, who have pledged their support for Sony, but really, with titles like this there is little need for them.
ORIGINALITY 75% |
The only basketball game available on the Dreamcast at present is NBA
on NBC which, for all intents and purposes, is a two-on-two NBA
Jam remake. Until now this game has been a hoops fan's only choice
and considering the DCs potential in terms of fancy-techno wizardry, a
much more complete and less arcade-orientated game should be fashioned
for the system. 
