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Dreamcast | Sports | NBA 2K1 | Review

There is no Boxart for - NBA 2K1
  • GRAPHICS: 5.0
  • SOUND: 4.5
  • CONTROL: 4.5
  • FUN FACTOR 4.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 5.0
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.7
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Review: NBA 2K1

Review by KILOWATT | 11/24/2000 | 14:47:41 PM PST

Last year, Sega's basketball outing was number one by default. With some actual competition this year, can Sega keep up the full court press?

Last year, Sega's basketball outing was number one by default. With some actual competition this year, can Sega keep up the full court press?

Features stacked upon features
The annual tradition of updating sports games usually hits relatively the same general areas like more stats, play modes, and tweaks in graphics. NBA 2K1 doesn't deviate too much from this accepted standard, but it does throw in something console gamers have yet to see or experience - fast online basketball play.

The graphics have definitely been pumped up with beefier player models and more detailed courts. The commentary this year gets a big A for effort. There's a ton of individualized commentary that must have taken countless extra hours to input. Unfortunately, with so much variety, the play-by-play gets out of sync at times and there are instances where the action being described is totally inaccurate. Overall, it gets well over a passing grade. In terms of gameplay, many of those annoying little AI problems have been fixed, but all new ones seem to have popped up for the sequel. Most seem to be random bugs that couldn't be fixed in time, like the screen stuttering every now and then, and some players will freeze at very odd times.

Hoop Dreams
The game is not perfect, but at the end of the day it's still a very satisfying experience. The franchise mode is fantastic, and the inclusion of the all-time greats, special uniforms, and street courts really pushes NBA 2K1 into primetime territory. The online play has its own nuances that just have to be accepted, but the fact that it works as well as it does is pretty impressive. The DC hoop crown looks to be firmly in the hands of Sega Sports right now.