NBA 2K3 Review (Xbox)

Aaron
I liked NBA 2k2 but I thought sports gamers cut it too much slack because it was the first year that Sega was making the game for other platforms. Last years game had many glaring bugs and it caused the user to have to make several changes to the game just so it could be playable. So before 2k3 was released, I knew I was gonna be much harder on this years version now that Sega and VC have had a year to work on and improve this game. Lets see how it turned out

GAMEPLAY
Jim
Where do I begin? Well let’s start with one of the most crucial elements of a basketball game: collision detection. In past years it seemed that the NBA 2k series did a fairly decent job in this area, but it really felt like there where a few actual defined lanes to the hoop. This year you really get a sense of what routes become available and also there is quite a variance depending on player location in relation to the hoop. The whole “force field” feeling of past version is dramatically reduced here. There still is an ample amount of defensive basketball here, but interactions between players has never been this realistic. The low post battles that ensue are incredible, with multiple misses, deflections, blocks all possible in any single progression to the hoop. A lot of dynamic game play is here as it is incredible the amount of animations that can now occur while driving to the rack. It’s not near as repetitive in past games as a player will alter his shot in a variety of ways all dependant on how he is defended. The whole hang time feel is evident as players twist bodies, alter shots, shoot runners, hook shots, lay-ups, and dunks, depending on who they are and how they are guarded.

Aaron
The force field is gone which is a good thing. I hated being held back by an invisible force every time I tried to drive. In 2k3, an actual player will step in front of you preventing you from driving. One issue I have is the power of the low post battles. If I have Shaq and he is posting up Alonzo Mourning, it should take a while for him to move him back and the game does a good job of that. Still, if on a switch Shaq ends up with Mike Bibby guarding him, he should move Bibby back within a matter of seconds. In that situation in NBA2k3, Shaq will still have some trouble moving Bibby back and that is just unrealistic. I have tried working with the sliders to fix that and I still haven’t been successful.

Players changing their shots in mid air is a great addition to the game and adds some depth to it. This is one of the reasons why 2k3’s attention to detail is much better than the other two major games on the market.

Jim
An added bonus is the occasional ability to dive out of bounds and save a possession. It doesn’t happen all of the time, but if button manipulation is properly executed, you can do things like dive out of bounds and deflect the ball off the opposition thus causing the turnover. The one existing flaw regarding the out of bounds play is still the ability to bum rush your opponent and force his to step out. It’s a small issue that’s better than past years but it still exists. Two major bugs that existed in last year’s game have been irradiated. Both goaltending and shooting percentages have been toned down to more realistic levels. Goaltending seems very much spot on, and CPU shooting percentages now can be kept in check if you play smart defense. The CPU may still light you up with certain teams on given nights; however, I was able to cause a few teams to shoot as low as in the 20’s in some quarters.

Aaron
The diving feature is another small but needed addition to the game. It just makes the game more in depth. Its not a feature that should make you run out and buy the game but it is nice to see when it happens. I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who noticed the out of bounds bug. This is a big bug because it prevents the player from using a high-pressure full court press. Anytime I call a full court press, I can guarantee that the CPU will turn over the ball at least once every three possessions due to stepping out of bounds or passing the ball to someone out of bounds. This bug is not a game breaker but it is annoying.

Thank god VC fixed the field goal percentage bug from 2k2. The days of having to work your butt off on defense to prevent the CPU from shooting 60% is over. Now the way they did this was by allowing for more misses close to the basket. I’ve heard a lot of complaints in the Operation Sports forum and other sites about this. All I have to say to this is actually watch an NBA game and see how many close shots they miss. I watch close to a hundred games a year and attend maybe 20 and the greatest players on the planet constantly miss shots that are gimmies. First, most of the missed close shots are contested shots. If someone is playing tight defense on another player, there is a chance they will miss the shot no matter how close they are to the basket. Second, there is a close shot percentage slider. So if any one has a problem with the missed shots just increase the slider and your problem is fixed. So every time someone complains about missing a contested layup with Vince Carter in 2k3, just tell them to watch a Raptors game and watch Vince miss 2 of those a game. Now missed dunks are a different issue. There are probably 20 (just a number I pulled out of the air) missed dunks in the NBA a year. However, I have had some games where I have had as many as four missed dunks. Still, this problem can be fixed with the sliders.

Jim
Ball handling and shooting once again are skills that depend on execution and getting that important separation on the court. The cross over is back but this time there are triple threat moves that can help some players get the space they need. With the Xbox version you hold down the white button while executing different stutter steps, fakes, etc. It’s a nice addition to the offensive arsenal although it’s not as smooth or intuitive as NBA Live’s Freestyle Control system. Here’s hoping that Visual Concepts gets the right joystick interface going next year.

Aaron
You are right that the ball handling isn’t as smooth as NBA Live’s but it matters what kind of game you are looking for. 2k3 is trying to be as close to a simulation of the NBA as possible while Live is just looking to be a fun pick up and go game. In the NBA players aren’t doing crossovers every time they have the ball and they aren’t crossing the ball over multiple times to drive toward the lane. Players make simple moves to get to the hole in the NBA and I think 2k3 does a great job at doing that. They aren’t any really fancy crossovers but the addition of feint and deke moves also add to the realism. I love the fact that you can face up a player on offense, fake to a side and pull up for a jumper just like Iverson does in the NBA. The freestyle control system may be one improvement that would help the 2k series but I’m cautious that it would start pushing the series toward a more arcade style.

Jim
Marquee players really distance themselves from the average players this year. You’re going to notice that the distance between the have and have not teams can be extreme this year. The utilization of role players is very much a key to success on the court. Not everyone can be a scorer. You’ll need to learn the strengths/weakness of each player. For example I really felt the loss of Jalen Rose for a month in my Franchise season. I was stuck depending on Jay Williams as my go to guy and didn’t get much help from my supporting cast on the offensive side.

Aaron
The AI does a great job of using the marquee players also. One thing I have hated about past basketball games is that when playing against the Magic Tracy McGrady would have 10 shots at the end of the game while Horace Grant would have 30. The game recognizes who the stars are and it gets them the ball. McGrady and Iverson will shoot 25+ shots a game no matter what and the AI will get them the ball with the game on the line.

One concern that I have is with the AI is their decision making on Defense. There is no way that I should have 50 points with Kobe Bryant and not see a double team the entire game. I didn’t notice it until it was mentioned in the forums but the AI doesn’t double-team a hot player. The double team setting will be set to auto and the AI will double-team Kwame Brown when he has 6 points but leave Jordan, who has 25 points, open. It just seems random to me and VC needs to fine tune that part of the game. Switching to the other team and changing their settings can fix this problem but I don’t feel that I should have to control the other team to help them to make correct decisions on the court.

Another complaint was the speed of the passes. On default, players throw too many lob passes, which slows the game down considerably and leads to more turnovers. There are a number of solutions for this. Playing on the fast game speed and using maximum passing allows you to pass faster and to do a better variety of them. Bounce pass and chest passes are possible with maximum passing.

My last complaint is one that I have had about the 2k series since the beginning. It’s the lack of fouls. No matter what I do there is no way to get a realistic amount of fouls or foul shots in this game. Increasing the foul sliders, raising the difficulty, and increasing the defensive pressure does absolutely nothing in causing more fouls. I would love to see a 2k game where Shaq goes to the line 10+ times.

Jim
The three’s don’t seem to rain as friendly on All-pro level as compared to Pro level. I guess that is appropriate, but I would be remiss on not pointing out the incredible game play sliders in NBA 2k3. Not happy with your three point shooting? No problem! Just refer to your trusty game play sliders where you will be able to adjust a plethora of items to custom design the game to handle how you want it to. They really threw in the proverbial kitchen sink here as the amount of adjustable game play options is staggering.

Aaron
I am a fan of sliders. I know a few of you out there think that sliders allow the programmers to be lazy but I disagree. The game has three difficulty levels but these levels don’t cover the different skill levels of players. I am too good for pro but not good enough for all-pro. Without sliders, I would either have to constantly dominate the CPU at pro or get destroyed at all-pro. The sliders give me a balance. I can play a game and feel like there is an equal chance that I will win or lose depending on the team. If this game didn’t have sliders I would give it a lower score.

Jim
The transition game is also improved for the most part. There are some nice one on one steals that lead to open lay-ups/dunks. However, there are still occurrences where you will pass to the open man in transition and he will stop for some reason. Overall, the pace of this game may seem slow to some people at first glance, but once you spend a little time playing this puppy, you should be rewarded with a realistic immersive experience.

Aaron
Fast breaks are another thing I have heard complaints about. There are times in the game when you can get out on a fast break but it doesn’t happen enough for me. Also most of the breaks don’t resemble anything like real basketball. There aren’t any 3 on 1or 3 on 2 breaks with players running on the wing or filling the lane. This is a small issue but its something that VC should work on.

GRAPHICS
Jim
The first thing that separates NBA2K3 from the pack is their stadiums. None feel as spacious and detailed as NBA 2K3’s. When you pop a trey from the top of the key, it really looks like you are taking a longer shot. The light sourcing is beautiful; the people in the stands are more detailed, and display a few varied movements this year. I wouldn’t go as far as saying the fans look good as they are blocky and there are only a few varied movements every few seats or so, but they are improved over last year.

Aaron
VC is the best at accurately recreating the stadiums and the atmosphere of an NBA game. I never liked that in other games (Live) the arena was always the same. I love the fact that I can play a game at Madison Square Garden and it looks exactly like the real arena. The lighting is darker in the Garden then it is at Staples Center in the game just like it is in real life.

Jim
The player models are better than ever, and truthfully I don’t think any other developer has even come close to their accuracy or detail of their real life counterparts. They’ve even gone as far as adding a glistening “sweaty” look this year. As seems that the sweaty look heightens as each players puts in more minutes on the court. The replays have a new element to them, namely the use of various colors and backgrounds. Sometimes the player is in color while the rest of the picture is in black and white or vice versa. It’s a pretty cool concept for replay presentation although some of the colored backgrounds actually can be taxing on the eyes. Facial expressions are even more detailed this year, and the texture-mapped jerseys are a great touch. Mascots are even in full view during free throws. It’s the kind of pain staking attention to detail that Visual Concepts continues to set the standard for the rest of the industry that we’ve become accustomed to.

Aaron
The “sweaty” look was done well and looks especially good on the Xbox. The player faces are the best in the business. They took a great effort in recreating the actual facial look and structure of the players. Great job by VC.

FEATURES
Jim
Probably the most improved feature this year involves the Franchise mode. One big addition is the ability to now use a created player in a Franchise season. With all the late signings of free agents and rookies it always seems that a lot of players are missed in videogames, so the ability to add these players is a big plus. There is finally an ability to custom set the length of a Franchise Season for those who don’t have time to play 82 games. Balancing your team’s budget is much more involved this year. Most teams don’t have a lot of latitude with the salary cap, and it requires some real wheeling and dealing to get anyone decent. It’s not a matter of trading marginal players for high draft picks any more. If your players cost more against the cap then what your ‘re getting it handcuffs the other team and vice versa. Thankfully the trading block feature helps get you past the confusion as the CPU will propose offers on it’s own.

Coaching changes are also here and they reflect the same type of structure that was offered in World Series Baseball. Coaches have their particular strengths and weaknesses and it’s crucial to get the right guy that will help your team the most. Handling the draft is also a much deeper affair this time around. Scouting is now an integral part of getting to know which players are primed to be drafted. There is now an ability to assign a number of workouts to each player, which gives you hints to how a player’s stock is raising and falling. If your team doesn’t make the playoffs you get the added suspense of watching the cards turn during the draft lottery and finding out where your team gets to pick.

Aaron
The Draft is extremely fun. I spent hours just scouting players and looking at their results after workouts. Once you really get into it you will enjoy drafting players and watching them become stars or busts. One thing missing is the lack of a multiplayer franchise. This is a big omission and I ask that VC adds this to next years game.

PRESENTATION
Jim
Now that ESPN licensing has kicked in, there are some obvious upgrades to NBA 2K3’s presentation. First off, we get the same type of cool half time and post game reporting that is featured in NFL 2K3. It just makes it that much more fun to have someone discussing the results of your player’s stats during each game. There are also nightly wrap-ups and a plethora of post-season awards in NBA 2k3. My boy Jay Williams managed to snare Rookie of the Year honors. The only element I would have liked to see was the highlight reel play of the week that was utilized in NFL 2K3.

As far as game time presentation goes, I really like the rotating numbers on the scoreboard ala a real ESPN broadcast. The stadium sound seems even better this year with livelier crowds and more ambient public address announcers. The TV commentary is more accurate this year, but I wouldn’t say it’s dramatically different from last year. Maybe it’s time for Visual Concepts to look at three-man announcing crews, as those seem to shine in sports games.

Aaron
VC needs to put some more work in their play by play commentary. I heard way too many phrases in 2k3 that I heard in 2k2. For some reason, I just don’t enjoy hearing the announcers in NBA 2k3 as much as I do in NFL 2k3. I hope that VC hires an ESPN crew to handle next years game and that they put some time into it.

BOTTOM LINE
Jim
It all boils down to personal preference in this multi-horse basketball gaming race. If you’re into a lightning fast game play that result in frenzied dunkfests then this game may not be for you. This game does the overall best job at encapsulating the environment of the real NBA and wraps it up into a neat little package. NBA 2K3 is the best simulation of videogame basketball bar none.

Aaron
2k3 is a much improved basketball effort by Sega. Many of the things that people complained about in 2k2 were fixed and they added many features also. I agree with what Jim said above. You can’t go wrong with this game if you are a basketball fan. If you want a sim, pick up NBA 2k3.