There is only one word to describe this game, amazing! No wait, ... fantastic! ... breathtaking! ... incredible! Okay so I lied, there is more than just one word to describe this year's effort. Finally the long awaited king of basketball franchises has made its way to the PS2. All I have to say is it's about time! This game is all that and a bag of chips with all the dip baby. For years we have been waiting, and now the wait is over. True basketball fans may now exhale and be happy PS2 owners.

First, I would like to applaud the graphics presented in this game. The presentation of this game that Sega Sports has put together is stellar. You can see that Visual Concepts have taken plenty of time, thought and effort to have this game come off as real as the NBA is. You are literally left speechless from the player introductions, to the in game replays and the character models are great eye candy. You can even see the players tattoos in real time as the game is being played. Leave it to Sega Sports to pay attention to immense detail. I love it!! From crossovers to post-up moves in the paint, and even players subtle actions at the free-throw line are all authentic to each superstar. These moves and character traits are not exaggerated. They feel and look real! The crowd in the game was also done very well. There is action going on the sidelines, cheerleaders (can't forget those hot babes to cheer you on!) cameramen, commentators, scorers table, and I dare you to try and shoot a free throw in the fourth quarter when you are down by one and home court advantage is not yours! The fans will make you sweat like obese people in steam rooms. The facial expressions really express emotion of the game as well. Players get upset with bad calls and celebrate accordingly. Trust me, this is bang for your buck on graphics. While it is not pixel perfect, keep in mind this is Sega's first run on the PS2 hardware with minimal development time. Expect NBA 2K3 to take it to another level next year.

Now graphics are not everything without solid gameplay, especially in a sports game. Gameplay I must say is very important to the sports genre. Careful attention was paid in full here as well. Let's just say, if you play this game on simulation, you better know how to hoop! I found myself down by 20 points at the half because I expected to run and gun all day. Warning, these teams will see what you are trying to do and stop you cold thanks to some intelligent A.I. algorithms. There are so many offensive and defensive plays in here to shake a stick at. Use them and more importantly learn what works for your team. All the buttons are used on the controller, the same formula is there from previous 2K games so it is very user friendly. However you must choose your moves to score or break ankles on the sick crossover dribble. I have never seen a basketball game that feels and plays so real. One change is the use of the analog sticks to shoot free throws. Players must line up the arrows with the pressure sensitive sticks to score. You really feel like you are at the line here. Excellent is all I have to say. The A.I. shines in free throw situations as well. It is not that easy to fake a shot and take a man off his feet. The opponents are smarter than that. The gameplay is solid and stays true to NBA offence and defense. This game is almost too smart for its own good.

The sound quality should also win awards because of the tight commentary. Visual Concepts seems to have this locked. People who were hearing the game as I was playing found themselves saying "I didn't know there was a game on tonight!" The game commentary follows every action on the floor. The commentators applaud great plays and even point out your blunders. They will even notice if you were hot in the first half and suck during the fourth quarter. Sega is really watching what you are doing. This can be seen even as you are critiqued in the replays. Even humor is tossed in throughout each game to completely round out the solid aural presentation.

There are a wide variety of modes to play in. You may customize your game, have tournaments, franchise mode is present (if you want to be the Mark Culan of the league) and lets not forget that Sega even lets you take it to the street. In the street mode, you get to play at the famous street ball courts across America (e.g. Ruckers Park N.Y.) and the players change their uniforms as well for that street feel. In case you did not know, this is where NBA Street come out of, except in NBA2K2 this is real, not all eye candy!

Overall, this game is well worth the purchase. Fans, I am sure would not mind paying for this game twice! I knew I would. Sega has done a brilliant job in bringing this title over to the PS2 and we love them for that. Thanks Bra! There is still some room for improvement, importable rosters and online play are a couple of examples. Regardless, NBA2K2 is the definitive hoops title and must have on the PS2 this year. Stop reading and get yours now!!