NBA 2K2 Feature Preview

As Sega begins to spread its wings on other platforms, it's nice to see that the internal development teams are doing more than just porting Dreamcast code over to other platforms. Case in point, NBA 2K2 from developer Visual Concepts. Rather than port the DC game over to the PlayStation 2 as is, VC has opted to revisit the game and build on it to best take advantage of what the PS2 has to offer. While early showings of the game were a bit rough, we were able to sit down with a more complete build of the game that gave us a better idea of what VC is aiming to accomplish on the PS2.

Gamers familiar with Visual Concepts' excellent Dreamcast version of NBA 2K2 should have no problem diving into the PlayStation 2 version, because one of Visual Concepts' priorities was to make sure all the functionality of the DC version was brought over. Development on the game began in May once VC received its development kits. The past six months have been challenging, according to Producer Rob Jones, due to the different strengths and weaknesses of each platform. As a result, while NBA 2K2 is preserving the look and feel of the DC version, the way it does so is very different. Graphically the game features a higher polygon count overall than the DC version and additional sideline characters such as cheerleaders and cameramen. Lighting is being tweaked to recreate the specific lighting found in each of the various locations you'll be able to play in- a detail not included in the Dreamcast game. Animation in the game will also be smoothed out, and VC is adding more than 500 new moves of animation. New moves such as a player specific crossovers will add a good deal of freedom to the game. In addition, the developers are revisiting the motion capture from the DC version and are reshooting bits they felt could be better. Further, the team is focusing on finer bits of animation to make the game more immersive: Players will now have facial animations that reflect the action in the game much more closely than before. Players will scowl at rivals and smile at their team members during the game. You will also be pleased to see that VC intends to offer all of the above at the standard frame rate for the series: a constant 60fps.

The game's audio will be beefed up thanks to music from Jermaine Dupri and expanded in-game sound. NBA 2K2 on the PS2 will feature improved audio above and beyond all the ambient sound and intelligent commentary found in previous versions of the game. VC intends to make the commentary more intelligent, providing useful information and stat tracking during the game.

Gameplay will also be tweaked to improve the game's feel. The game's control scheme has been adapted to the PS2 controller with one tweak. While the button layout is exactly the same, free throws will be done by using the PS2's analog sticks.

All the game modes from the DC version will be brought over and will feature some enhancements as well. The game will incorporate all the new NBA rules, such as zone defense. The training mode will now feature a "scrimmage" option in addition to standard and free throw options. The new option will walk you through plays, prompting you on how and when to dribble and pass via onscreen icons. The game will also feature specific playbooks for the number of people playing, ranging from one-on-one to four-on-four plays. The AI in the game will also offer a better challenge in the single-player modes than the DC version. Coaches will call time-outs to protect their team, and the offensive system will present more of a challenge to players. Player statistics will play a larger part in the game as well, having greater influence on the outcome of player confrontations on the court. The street mode will feature some new tweaks and additions in the PlayStation 2 version. The mode will offer four new courts--Hank Gathers Rec Centerin Philadelphia, Run N Shoot in Atlanta, Venice Beach in California, Fonde Rec Center in Houston--and will feature a new scoring system. You will also be able to configure game conditions to your liking.

Our time with the latest build of the game showed us that VC is clearly on the right track. The game's graphics nearly match those in the DC version already, although there's still some work to be done with textures. The game handles very well and moves at a much more stable frame rate than the last time we saw it. While the facial animations hadn't been implemented yet, we were able to see how they're going to look, and we were pleased by the way they're turning out. So far NBA 2K2 is looking very promising on the PS2. Given what VC has been able to achieve so far, fans of the series should definitely check out the game when it ships January 2002 for the PlayStation 2.