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NBA 2K2

Score: 9.5/10

Fulfillment as sweet as a cold hand to a fevered brow, or cool mud to a bee sting can now be found in the digital realms. Surely a pain we have all felt, the lack of catharsis, the searing burning within our collective hearts, the anticipation of a quality basketball title for the Playstation 2.  O' the ways in which Visual Concepts whispers sweet nothings into mine ears, true beauty has been revealed in the form of NBA 2K2.

Often we attempt to look at video games as an object of review and criticism, however this "review" will be conducted under the trance of adoration generated by the title in question, so old methods die.  NBA 2K2 does have its flaws, as do  tulips- They wither in Autumn, and a mountain- It cannot walk, however the pluses more than cancel out the minuses on this derby of a Tuesday.

 

- Playstation 2 Game Reviews - Sports Game Reviews - Reviews of Games Developed by Visual Concepts - Reviews of Games Published by Sega

The big question that NBA 2K2 raises is "What should a basketball game be"? The deep philosophical roots of this question require much introspection and research, and this is not such a forum.  However, graphically NBA 2K2 begs NBA Live 2002 to "eat my shorts" (this I overheard while lunching at Nobu).  It could be argued that the character models could use some sprucing up, and maybe Shaq's head resembles a turnip, but otherwise flawless is the descriptive term to 

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use.  Smooth, deeply animated, expressive players run around slick, shiny, perfectly rendered stadiums.  With the proper camera tweaking and sound options this game rivals NBC broadcast stuff.

As far as gameplay goes, wasn't it Kikergaard who stated "fluid controls do happiness bring"?  There is not much to complain about here.  Standard stuff the control layout, a beauty of a job transferring it from the Dreamcast controller to the dual shock.  The dual analog sticks replace the triggers as far as free-throw shooting goes, and actually improve the system.  When running down court flicking the right analog stick will bring up a play calling menu allowing for four play options. These plays are preset to individual buttons in the coaches option menu.  The L2 button calls for a screen, which is then delivered by a teammate promptly and properly.  The combination of these three improvements over the Dreamcast control scheme put the PS2 iteration head and shoulders about its counterpart, and light years beyond any competitor.

For those human cloning advocates, NBA 2K2 boasts the best create-a-player mode ever.  I tell you it has been a trial getting my dumbo sized sound receivers onto my digital Tolkiemingways in the past, yet no longer is this an issue.  There are a huge amount of options and accessories to be mapped onto your players in NBA 2K2, rivaling THPS3 as the best character customizer ever.

Finally we arrive at sound, that phonic blanket that either coddles you with downy softness or pokes you with burlap bristlyness.  The commentators are the same as those that we found long ago on NBA2K, anonymous yet capable.  It does seem at times that the stadiums are vacant, though there is the constant rumble of a crowd, fight songs and player comments are few and far between.  This isn't much of an issue, the emotional roller coaster that your play wreaks on the crowd is the highlight here.  Dunks induce wild applause and roars or boos depending on the players affiliation, and ultimately, towards the end of the game (assuming it's a close one) a cheery crescendo rises and peaks with volcanic explosiveness.  Whew.. Great stuff.

Not much more can be said, language limits the extent of my praise, purchase it and take ten steps towards utopia.  (Sega owes me royalties for this one)

- Tolkiemingway

(January 26, 2002)

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