NBA 2K1 Hands-On

Visual Concepts is broadening its scope with NBA 2K1, a bigger, more refined version of last year's breakthrough basketball game. Because it had already laid the groundwork with NBA 2K, Visual Concepts has been able to put more effort into advancing and improving the gameplay. This extra effort definitely shows in NBA 2K1, which looks like it could be a perfect example of how a second-generation sports title should improve upon the first.

NBA 2K1 boasts a whopping nine modes. Though every mode sports new features and enhanced gameplay, the exhibition, tournament, season, create-a-player, practice, and playoff modes should be familiar to NBA 2K fans. The biggest changes to these modes are found in the playoff and practice modes. Unlike last year, where the playoff mode simply simulated a season and allowed you to play as the teams that actually made it to the simulated playoffs, you can now construct your own playoff tree from scratch. So if you actually think the Grizzlies deserve a shot at the championship, you can make that happen. The practice mode has been enhanced by the ability to practice free throws, a feature that will no doubt come in handy for those who had a difficult time with NBA 2K's dual-analog system. But it's the three new modes - franchise, street, and network - that really make NBA 2K1 the most comprehensive basketball game yet.

The franchise mode allows aspiring basketball managers to control every aspect of the team of their choice. Managers must sign players, assign starting lineups, control salaries, deal with trades and draft picks, and, if you chose, actually play the season as your managed team. The create-a-player mode is being enhanced to include several new bodies, faces, and hairstyles, as well a few new surprise stats. The street mode eliminates the large crowds and flashing lights of a stadium game and simulates an everyday blacktop pick-up game. You can choose the size of your game - from a simple two-on-two challenge to a full-fledged five-on-five game - and battle it out on one of four famous courts realistically modeled after their real-life counterparts. Visual Concepts picked New York's Goat Park, The Cage, Rucker, and Chicago's famous Franklin Park as their street courts. I was also informed that Visual Concepts might include a fifth street court, and it's rumored that it may be a certain Oakland court famous for Gary Payton's patronage. The scenery is absolutely beautiful in the street mode. All of the courts have been realistically modeled with painstaking amounts of detail. From a Chicago Bulls sticker that Visual Concepts claims was actually stuck to one of the backboards to the subway entrances and buildings across the street, every detail of each court has been translated into the digital version. The street mode is not only different in appearance, but also in actual gameplay. The rules are a little more flexible, and the action is much faster paced. Easily the most requested new feature of NBA 2K1 is the network mode, which will allow Dreamcast owners to play each other over the Internet. Not surprisingly, NBA 2K1 will build upon the foundation laid by NFL 2K1's network mode. While the basics of network play will not change, NBA 2K1's network mode is getting a major face-lift. To make information more readily available to every player, NBA 2K1's network mode will not only display opponents' ping, but also whether they have a keyboard and their tagline, which they enter manually when they log on. This information will also be displayed when you are challenged, so you can now check the ping of the challenger before you accept the game. Visual Concepts is planning to cut down on the meaningless chatter by eliminating player enter and exit messages, and it's also toying with the idea of making a chat-only lobby. Other network goodies - such as the ability to program up to 12 chat macros and save them to your VMU, the option to set filters for what types of challenges can be proposed to you, and the ability to save your personalized network settings - might also make it into the final game, but they weren't present in the build we saw. Visual Concepts is also expanding the network mode by allowing you to play both exhibition and street challenges online. We were able to play both types online, and they run much smoother than NFL 2K1's action. Not only was there almost no noticeable lag, but the game also never stops for play calling - making the action fast-paced and quite intense. And while the game zips along in a five-on-five exhibition match, it simply roars in a three-on-three street game.

The actual gameplay has been greatly improved from last year's game. While icon passing still exists, there's almost no need to use it, as the passing has been simplified and improved. Passes now go to the players they were intended for, and while the ball can still be intercepted and stolen, it never simply goes to a dead space as it often did in NBA 2K. Little things have been added, like tons of new dunk and shot animations, including niceties like passing out of layups and shots, running jump shots, and even granny-style free throws. Additionally, Visual Concepts admitted that it's trying to make playing the defensive game more fun by focusing on defensive moves. As such, NBA 2K1 will be the first basketball game to feature defensive action replays - if there's a particularly good steal or block, the game will highlight it for you. Additionally, there is a new steal system that encourages you to actually follow the ball and pick your opportunity, instead of simply moving about and swatting wildly. When a character makes a fumbling move such as a failed pump fake or a slow spin, his control icon will flash, signifying an opportunity for a clean steal. The game also features brand-new offensive and defensive post moves. Now, when you post up in the paint, you can spin left and right, as well as perform the casual fadeaway jumper and the hook shot found in the last game. The defense is encouraged to try to read the offense and react accordingly. A defensive player in the post can move both left and right to discourage or block a spin in that direction, but choosing the wrong direction will leave the offense wide open for an easy bucket. There are new finesse moves, such as the spin and crossover, whose speed and usefulness depends on the actual player performing these moves. On the flip side, there are new defensive moves that allow you to counter the finesse moves. Visual Concepts is indeed thickening the gameplay and bringing a balance to offensive and defensive interaction.

Another amazing aspect of the game is simply how realistic it is. The graphics have been completely redone and look spectacular. Whereas most characters shared a set of textures in last year's game, each character has unique textures in NBA 2K1. This allows for not only amazingly realistic facial features, but also body styles and pigmentation. For example, Bryan Grant's crazy dreadlocked head has been completely modeled in 3D, the top of Larry Johnson's jockstrap is indeed peeking from his shorts, and the odd light spot on Terry Cumming's left shoulder is in the game. Additionally, all the tattoos have been completely redone for this year's game, and they're much easier to make out. Not only do the characters look realistic, but they also behave realistically. There are several new post-bucket animations, including new celebrations, taunts, and multiple-character interactions. If a defensive player is knocked down, a helpful teammate will lend him a hand. If you sink a crucial free throw, a friend from the line might slip you some skin while the ref retrieves the ball. Another barely noticeable but very impressive visual treat is the fact that players relax between plays. If a whistle is blown or the play is stopped, players will relax and slip into a more casual street stance. It's details like these that really make NBA 2K1 such an awesome visual package and add so much believability to the game.

From what we've seen, NBA 2K1 not only improves upon its predecessor, but it also looks like it will improve the whole genre. With tons of modes, rock-solid gameplay, stunning visuals, and the ability to play the game over the Internet, NBA 2K1 is going to be tough to beat.