NBA 2K - Sega Dreamcast

The clean graphics show some extremely well-detailed players, stadiums, fans and even coaches. While the player animations aren't quite smooth as glass (there are quite a few speed-ups and slowdowns), the players do move in a fairly realistic manner. When you see the instant replay of your favourite power forward delivering a massive dunk, you'll cheer. To complement the visuals, Sega has added play-by-play and colour commentary to document the on-screen action. While this does get a little repetitive, this feature ultimately adds to the atmosphere of realism.

NBA 2K shows some trouble with controls. This is most apparent in handling loose balls. You'll cringe as you occasionally watch long passes sail out of the court, resulting in mindless turnovers. This is especially painful to watch when the Dreamcast can't complete passes to computer-controlled players. These stupid turnovers can, will and do affect a game's final score--and have even caused a few games to be restarted in disgust. On the positive side, NBA 2K contains a new finesse-based method of hitting foul shots that requires you to squeeze the control triggers in near perfect synch.

The create-a-player and coaching options make it relatively easy to lead your team from post-season TV watchers to championship ring owners.

While the 2000 season's prettiest basketball game offers more than just the most delicious eye candy, there is still a lingering feeling that NBA 2K could've been much better with a little more fine-tuning. At the very least, while NBA 2K is recommended, it is anticipated that the successor NBA 2K1 will offer even more backboard-breaking fun. --Mark Brooks

Pros: Spectacular graphics that show plenty of detail Play-by-play and colour commentary add to the fun Easy to play, but different from most console roundball games Foul shots are a highlight Cons: Graphics suffer from occasional slowdown for no apparent reason Controls could be stronger