Sports Reviews

Don't pay a penny for this, folks. Move on to an EA game. There is very little in the way of actual physics calculations between players in this game, every interaction is merely a scripted animation. RBs are stopped in full stride by shoestring tackles. WRs run their routes at half speed while the DBs shadow them *IN FRONT* of their routes. Offensive line programming is horrible. Guards and tackles blow assignments on EVERY play, doubling up on a DT and allowing LBs to come free and tackle the RB at the handoff. There is no player momentum, a flaw I've noticed in a number of Sega Sports games, meaning any player can stop in mid-stride and immediately run full stride in the opposite direction. Sit back and watch the computer play: 3and out, 3 and out, 3 and out... This was an incomplete game that should not have been released. So what if it looks pretty? It plays like crap.

Before getting to the gameplay, I have to mention the graphics. I've stood in a game store with NFL2K playing on a monitor in the window, and watched people give NFL2K the ultimate compliment: after casually watching the screen for a few seconds, they suddenly do a double-take, realizing that they're watching a computer game and not a televised football broadcast.

The gameplay doesn't quite live up to the graphics, but it makes a gallant attempt. There's a broad, well-organized inventory of plays to select from; and a special VMU playcalling mode allows you to select plays from your controller's screen, denying your human opponent any chance to spy on your play calls. (However, unlike the normal mode, which shows a full diagram of the players' routes for the available plays, the VMU only displays the play names. So if you're not enough of a football fan to recognize plays by their names alone, VMU playcalling won't work well for you.)

The AI puts up a ferocious defense against the run; it's certainly possible to effectively use the running game, but it requires a great deal of practice. So if you're like most players, you'll find yourself mounting a largely aerial attack, mixing in a few running plays to keep the defense honest. A good mixture of play calls is critical--the computer will shut you down unmercifully if you use a particular pass pattern too often. One potential snag: There are only three difficulty levels (Rookie, Pro and All-Pro), and the differences between them are severe; you may find that Pro is too easy but All-Pro is too unmercifully hard. But this is a solvable problem; for example, you can play on All-Pro for the first half of the game, then switch to Pro for the second half and see if you can mount a John Elway-style comeback.

This game certainly isn't perfect; it could use more difficulty levels, and the audio commentary gets repetitious quickly. But make no mistake about it: it's a great game, and (along with Soul Calibur) the best showcase of the Dreamcast's power. It's well worth the money.

This game has the best graphics of any sports game I've ever seen, and it's extremely fun to play against a friend one on one. When playing in cold weather, each player's breath can be seen, which is just one of the awesome things you'll see here. A drawback is that you can't play a franchise mode like on Madden 2000, and this is a must now for die-hard football gamers. NFL 2K is better than Madden 2000 despite having less features because it simply feels more real. In Madden 2000, use the instant replay on pass receptions to see just how comical it looks when a pass just drops into a receiver's body without his hands moving, or his eyes focused on the ball. It looks as though you will not find this type of blocky and sometimes unrealistic gameplay on the Dreamcast. On NFL 2K, instant replays reveal true one-handed catches, balls going right through a receiver's outstretched hands, and other types of situations that look real. The running game in NFL 2K could use a little improvement, but overall this game is just pure fun and reality for anyone who enjoys playing football video games.

NBA Street is an awesome game, Joe "The Show" Jackson is the announcer in all games. You get to play in Pacific Boulevard in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, South Beach in Miami, Florida, Route 66 in Phoenix, Arizona, Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachuttsets (if you beat Biggs (Lewis Barker) in the circuit), Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pennslyvania (if you beat Bonafide (Carlito Vargas) in the circuit), The Loop in Chicago, Illinois, Fort Point in San Fransisco, California, Yakatomi Plaza in Los Angleles, California (if you beat Takashi Sato in the circuit), Rucker Park (if you beat Stretch or MJ in the circuit) and The Cage in New York City, The Yard in Detroit, Michigan (if you beat Drake Evans in the circuit), and Venice Beach in California (if you beat Donovan Jones in the circuit)!

This is the best basketball game out for the PS2. I didn't even buy NBA Live after playing it a few times, but this game is a keeper.

As soon as you play this disc, you'll see great graphics and smooth control play that made EA Sports Big's other game, SSX, such a great hit. This game allows you to do the funkiest moves and plays that you only would see on tv. You know that Nike commercial with the montage of mad dribbling skills? Reproduce those moves with the players in NBA Street.

You get to play on great courts with cool characters in addition to NBA players. There are many things to discover in this game on your own. Multiplayer is even better as you try to outfake your opponent. Don't expect realism in this game. It wouldn't be fun if it was. Just expect doing major things you only wish you could do on the court. Overall, a game worth buying and playing over and over. Well worth the money.

The only other basketball video game that I can remember I really liked was the original NBA Live for the Genesis of years ago. Well, leave it to Electronic Arts to come up with a basketball game that manages to be fun in a sea of simulation game madness. Similar to the old NBA Jam games, NBA Street is three on three street basketball featuring the NBA teams, legend teams, and tons of secrets. The graphics are nicely done, aside from some frame rate problems here and there, but the sound is only average featuring a generic sounding music soundtrack and a more than annoying commentator. Control is pretty much dead on, and getting to unlock other NBA players, secret characters, Street legends, and all kinds of in game codes, plus the game's addicting gameplay, will keep you playing NBA Street for a while. All in all, this is one of the best third party PS2 Greatest Hits, and if you like basketball or basketball video games then you should definitely pick this up.

Current Wrestlers)Al Snow
2)Albert
3)Big Show
4)The Big Valbowshi
5)Billy Gunn
6)Billy Kidman
7)Booker T
8)Bradshaw
9)Brock Lesnar
10)Bubba Ray Dudley
11)Chris Benoit
12)Chris Jericho
13)Christian
14)Chuck Palumbo
15)Diamond Dallas Page
16)D-Von Dudley
17)Eddie Guerrero
18)Edge
19)Faarooq
20)Goldust
21)Hardcore Holly
22)Hollywood Hulk Hogan
23)The Hurricane
24)Ivory
25)Jazz
26)Jeff Hardy
27)Kane
28)Kevin Nash
29)Kurt Angle
30)Lance Storm
31)Lita
32)Mark Henry

33)Matt Hardy
34)Maven
35)Molly Holly
36)Randy Orton
37)Raven
38)Rhyno
39)Ric Flair
40)Rico
41)Rikishi
42)Rob Van Dam
43)The Rock
44)Scotty 2 Hotty
45)Shawn Michaels
46)Shawn Stasiak
47)Spike Dudley
48)Stacy Keibler
49)Stephanie McMahon
50)Stone Cold Steve Austin
51)Tajiri
52)Tazz
53)Test
54)Torrie Wilson
55)Triple H
56)Trish Stratus
57)Undertaker
58)Vince McMahon
59)William Regal
60)X-Pac
There is new elimination matches.

WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth is amazing. First of all, it has 60 superstars:
1)Al Snow
2)Albert
3)Big Show
4)The Big Valbowshi
5)Billy Gunn
6)Billy Kidman
7)Booker T
8)Bradshaw
9)Brock Lesnar
10)Bubba Ray Dudley
11)Chris Benoit
12)Chris Jericho
13)Christian
14)Chuck Palumbo
15)Diamond Dallas Page
16)D-Von Dudley
17)Eddie Guerrero
18)Edge
19)Faarooq
20)Goldust
21)Hardcore Holly
22)Hollywood Hulk Hogan
23)The Hurricane
24)Ivory
25)Jazz
26)Jeff Hardy
27)Kane
28)Kevin Nash
29)Kurt Angle
30)Lance Storm
31)Lita
32)Mark Henry
33)Matt Hardy
34)Maven
35)Molly Holly
36)Randy Orton
37)Raven
38)Rhyno
39)Ric Flair
40)Rico
41)Rikishi
42)Rob Van Dam
43)The Rock
44)Scotty 2 Hotty
45)Shawn Michaels
46)Shawn Stasiak
47)Spike Dudley
48)Stacy Keibler
49)Stephanie McMahon
50)Stone Cold Steve Austin
51)Tajiri
52)Tazz
53)Test
54)Torrie Wilson
55)Triple H
56)Trish Stratus
57)Undertaker
58)Vince McMahon
59)William Regal
60)X-Pac
There are plenty of match types:
Single, Tag Six-Man Tag, Handicap, Royal Rumble, King of the Ring, Survival Match, Cage, Elimination, Hell in a Cell, I Quit, Ironman, LadderLast Man Standing, Lumberjack, Slobberknocker, Special Referee, Street Fight, Submission, Table, TLC, and Three Stages of Hell. Plus there are variations on most of these matches.
The create a superstar mode is pretty good. You can create Rey Mysterio, D'Lo Brown, Bret Hart, Road Dogg pretty easily.
The storylines are great! Kissing butts, 18-wheelers driving into ambulances, cheap shots, interviews, nWo spraypainted on backs, and a lot more. And of course, the draft between McMahon and Flair. I suggest you buy this game. It's great!

I'd had SmackDown! 2 for a few months before I got my PS2, and once I did get it, this was the first game on my list. It wasn't easy finding it, but I eventually found the last copy at Future Shop!

The game is amazing! The graphics are alot better then on SmackDown! 2. There are 60 superstars to choose from, and ALOT of match types to choose in Exhibition mode. Single, tag team, six-man tag (yes, six people), handicap, Royal Rumble, King of the Ring, Hardcore, survival, and special. The special matches include Cage, Elimination, Hell in the Cell, I Quit, Ironman, Ladder, Last Man Standing, Lumber Jack, Slobber Knocker, Special Referee, Street Fight, Submission, Table, TLC, and Three Stages of Hell. As you can see, that's ALOT of matches! The controls are just as easy to get used to as SmackDown! 2, even though there are some newer controls. One downfall is that there are no title defenses in Exhibition, something I enjoyed alot. But that was only because it was affect Season mode, which I understand.

Season mode is SO much better! Everything about it is better. You go through 2 years in the WWE as one superstar, and try to get to the top of the business, and keep that spot throughout the rest of season, which isn't always easy! After you beat a match at a pay-per-view, you get the choice to unlock one item, which can include create parts, ability points, signs, moves, and more!

You can also unlock movies in Season which you can watch in Movie mode. It's a pretty pointless addition, but okay if you're bored.

Ah. Create mode! Now, it's been toned down a bit since SmackDown! 2. There's no Create a PPV or Create a Stable, but Create a Superstar more then makes up for that! It's amazing. You have control over pretty much everything on your superstar! I spend hours creating sometime, and it never gets boring. Also, you can now change moves of default superstars in the Moves mode. And then there's Create an Animation. Just as pointless as before, but with the addition of Fighting, Walking, Running, Winning, and of course, Taunt.

So that's pretty much all of the game. All in all, one of the best games that I own. If you have a PS2, buy this game!

I never thought I'd say it, but a skateboarding game might actually be one of the best video games for the Playstation console ever. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is loaded with tricks that are easy enough to learn, but devastating to your opponent when you learn to land 'em perfect. The graphics are about as good as you can get them for this system, and the replay value is amazing. You can choose from 12 different skaters and over 10 locations. There are tons of things to do at each place, and you can make your skater better by earning money throughout the game. Throw that in with awesome multiplayer games, and you got something that you could only dream about.

But wait...there's more. You can also create your own skater in this game, unlock hidden characters, cheats, and things to make the game a little strange, but fresh so you don't lose interest. Think that that's the end? You're wrong. If you happen to grow bored with the game, (which isn't very likely), you can take some time out of your day to create your own skate park.

This game, though maybe not the best game for the system, (that star belongs to Medal of Honor), may have the best replay value for your money ever! (Second to Perfect Dark, which is for N64.) (...)

Graphics, shmaphics. As the Playstation is a 32-bit system, the graphics on this game aren't perfect, but let me tell you, the gameplay is unbeeleevable!! I must admit at first I was overwhelmed by the number of tricks, many more than the original THPS, but after a few hours, I was in love with the smooth flow and huge palette of tricks and grind options Even if you've never thought of picking up a skateboard, you'll probably find this is one of the most fun and rewarding gaming experiences ever. Tons of cool special tricks, lots of secret/hidden parts to the game, and the skater and skatepark create option guarantees you may never get bored with this game- it essentially provides for an infinite number of levels to skate which can be tailored to your own personal taste. Even the uninitiated will find that after a few hours (which fly by alarmingly fast!) the controls are easily masterable. Before you know it, you'll be pulling off physics defying, humanly impossible trick combos, and be hopelessly addicted, just like me!

Tony hawk 2 roks man. The graphics are great, the levels are huge an theres loads of cheats. If you dont hav this game then go and spend some damn money on tony hawk 2!

Activision finally got it right this time around...after the 2 previous Tony Hawk handheld titles I guess they had no choice. Tony Hawk 2 for the Advance makes good use of the system's impressive abilities. The graphics and speed of the game are similar to the bigger consoles, as is the detail. All the skaters and moves are here including bluntslides and tail/noseslides, as well as those innovative special moves. I believe there are 7 levels in all, including a Boston rooftops bonus board which is extremley difficult to skate for very long without falling off.

On the downside, the sound suffers somewhat---you'll find no licensed music from real artists on this version, only your typical gameboy stuff. I just turned the music off, no big deal. Also, in certain areas on almost every board you will probably find it difficult to determine where your skater is in relation to his/her surroundings i.e. ramps, decks, corners, etc. For example you think you are in line to ollie onto a ledge from a certain ramp and in realiy you miss it entirely and slam. This type of thing you will get used to, so don't let it deter you from buying this game. Just look for shadows to help you out.

One other thing, despite what you may hear, there is NOT a create-a-skater feature.

To start off with, THPS2(Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2)duh) has excellent graphics. I'm not saying they're anywhere near the consoles like all the other peeps say but it does in fact have great graphics. The people also actually look like people not Pepper from Lego Island 2. (GBC) To start off with 13 players, cool boards, upgrade them and collect the letters S k a t e to get the skateboarding tapes.

The game is from an overhead diagonal view and you're just going to have to deal with that. The colors are amazing and nothing is blocky. The pixels that they used are smooth and nicely rendered. The places are really cool too, like a schoolyard. The game is hard to learn but that's not really a flaw. No multiplayer. Well racing was stupid anyway but this one you can really concentrate on some grinds. Sound is okay I guess. All in all I would get this game because I frankly think it's the coolest launch game for the Game Boy Advance.

Tony Hawk hit the jackpot when he and Activision Software Company came out with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The sequel to the game was an even bigger hit, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. The second game was different in some ways. There are more objectives to accomplish in order to get to the next level. The game has new features like new skaters and Park Editor. I played the game and beat within a couple of days. Every time I play the game I figure out something new, like hidden areas, different tricks, and how to score more points. It helped me when I was skateboarding in real life. I learned new tricks through seeing how they perform them. I would recommend this game to anyone who is a skateboarder or is thinking about skateboarding. If your just looking for a cool game, this is it.

It is the best game I ever played, I will never by any better game I would rocomend this to all college football fans.

I was an avid NCAA Gamebreaker fan for PS1. Then came the days of Madden 2001. I have always been a little skeptical about NCAA Football from EA sports, because the PS1 games were awful. However, NCAA 2002 takes Madden 2001 to the next level. New features including Dynasty mode (where you can control a team for season after season) and then when you players graduate or get drafted, you can save them and import them into Madden 2002. The gameplay is smooth and the Heisman level difficulty setting is pretty tough. I'm really glad that EA improved the passing AI in this game, because there were a couple plays in Madden 2001 that were simply unstoppable. If you're looking for a REALISTIC college football game, this is the game to get. Hopefully in the future EA can get Gamebreaker's announcer Keith Jackson, because the lines for the announcers in this game get old quick. The mascot addition is a great new feature though. Check it out...I promise you won't be disappointed.

I just purchased a PS2 last week and the first thing I did was get this game. As soon as I played this game I fell in love with it from the start. The college atmosphere is like the real thing.

> The Running Option is the best feature on this game.
The option allows you to have 3 options on where to run the football, up the middle, down the side by yourself, or on the side pitching it to the funning back right as your falling down gaining a bunch of yards.
This is the reason this game is so good.

You can choose from and exibition, season, DYNASTY, and many other things.

The Dynasty is the coolest thing about this game, because you can take your team to the championship every year, going through the recruting process and cutting players and another cool thing is you can add some of the players names in and they will actually say their names.

This game is undescribable of how great it is!

Only one flaw.
When your on defense playing on Varsity, it is almost impossible to stop the pass.
I am Nebraska and I almost lossed to Troy State, because they threw for 300 yards passing on me. Not very realistic.
But overall this game is the best!!!!!!!!!!!

I have two words for you wrestling fans: No Mercy! WWF No Mercy, the latest installment in the WWF Ninendo 64 series, this game has all the latest features. This is a great game for a while, with only a few set-backs.

1 of those is the fact that for new players to WWF Wrestling games on the 64 it may be difficult to control. But when you master the control of the game, it is very addicting.

A great feature is the ability to create your own characters. When you create your own wrestlers (Man OR Woman) you can use them or the original wrestlers like The Rock, Chris Jericho or Lita to go after the titles, be it the Hardcore Title, Womens Title or the coveted WWF World Heavyweight Title.

You can also create a Pay-Per-Veiw of your own, with as many as 16 matches, including the new matches like Ladder, Handicapped (1 against 2), Iron Man and have a special Guest Referee, and have old favorites like cage matches or the Roayl Rumble, where as many as 30 wrestlers and try to eliminate each other untill there is only 1 man left standing victorios.

There is also a new sort of shopping area called "SmackDown Mall" where you can "buy" such things as moves, new wrestlers, arenas, weapons & props, and clothes for your game. To get money for them you have to compete in either Championship mode or Survival, where you must eliminate other men to get points, and you only get points for men YOU eliminate. So in short Survival is pretty much the ENTIRE Federation roster is against you with 4 men in the ring at 1 time, and it is only over when you are eliminated. A helpful hint is to attack only 1 person at a time so there is less to worry about, and eliminate them quickly. When another man comes down to replace the eliminated man, they will be focused on you. They can attack each other, as it is not a 1-on-3 handicapped match where when a new, fully reested man comes down to beat you to the mat, as that would be get too hard eventually. The more men you eliminate (which you can do by pinning, submission, or knocking them over the top rope) the more points, and the more points, the more money you get to buy out the Smackdown Mall shopping zone. The most expensive thing is the Ho, which is 500,000 WWF$, which is alot compared to what they give you, so start saving.

There are many other features like the old games such as WWF WrestleMania 2000, like normal 1-on-1, Tag Team, Triple Threat (1-on-1-on-1) and Cage Matches, or even the fabled legendary King Of The Ring, where as many as 16 men compete in matches (in either tag format or 1-on-1 format) to determine who is the best of the best.

1 more thing i would like to quickly cover is the fact that now you can travel backstage to rooms like the parking lot, locker room, sports lounge, and the (gasp) Boiler room. There is also the hallway, the stage, and maybe a few more little areas.

To me there could be only 2 other new features, with a couple of handy things along with it, that could make this game truely amazing... #1.Table Matches! and #2.Hell in a Cell Matches! #1.If you may have heard this game has Table matches, you herd wrong. I can safely tell you there are NO Table Matches, only tables in a few different areas, like the Commentators Table at Ringside, a Pool Table in the Sports Lounge, and a table in the Locker Room, but they no matches directly involving needing to put others through tables. Though in Championship mode there are requirements involving tables, putting men on tables and doing such things as Powerbomb them through it is as close as you can currently get, but I here THQ is working on a new game that has table matches! As that is only a rumor, let us all pray that this kind of new hardcore gameplay comes to the 64. #2.And as for the Hell in a Cell, it is no ordinary Cage Match, as you are COMPLETELY locked in the cell because the cage has a roof on it. It is like an extreme singles match with the bar raised to another level, since I have seen screenshots of Playstaion WWF games with Hell in a Cell, I can tell you if a new game were to have it, you can get on TOP of the cage itself, creating for an extreme atmosphere.

That is about all there is in No Mercy. A great game, awesome gameplay, pretty good handling in the 3D world in which they wrestle, but when there are 4 men on the screen in seperate areas of the ringside zone, gameplay begins to slow down quite a bit. Hook up a Memory Card and save wrestlers to the Card to play on someone else's game and challange them with your greatest wrestler to see who is the better man. I rate this game 9/10 out of my personal opinion, and I know there are others that don't agree with that, but that's just me. A game that is worth a try, WWF No Mercy is, I think, the best wrestling game in stores yet. But because with time comes upgrades that, simply put, outdate older games, there will be better games in the future, in which I await in a world where technology has no limit, only setbacksand current computing capabilities that can't handle such things later games may have. And as such great technology such as GameBoy Advance looms closer for better gameplay, I shall continue on the everlasting path commonly called... Life.....

This this the best video game ever. Let me just get right to the point.

PRO'S
1. All the favorites; Undertaker, Stone Cold, Rock, Triple H...
2. A bunch of others guys; the Dudleys, Hardys, divas...
3. Lots of matches like Cage, Latter, Handicap, Triple Threat, Battle Royal.
4. Special ref- Be the ref. You can call rope break early, DQ somebody, count them out too fast, do 3 count just as long as you want, just don't be the target.
5. Create mode- Make 18 different people, with the moves YOU want them to have (you can't change the regular guys moves)
6. Real storylines. Remember when HHH retires Foley. That's in here!
7. All the belts
8. Story changes depending on what you do.
9. It might take some experimenting to get the controls right, but once you have them, it's easy.
10. Earn money to buy moves, characters, weapons.
11. Graphics decent for that time in history (2000)

CON'S
Well what do you know, there aren't any...

Okay this is tied for the best wrestling game ever. It is tied with here comes the pain. This game has more superstars than any other WWF/WWE game. Okay, everybody is talking about their data being erased for no reason and the game slowing down when 4 people are going at it. Well, niether of these has ever happened to me. There are only 2 matches that are missing that people really like. Hell in a cell, and table. There is every superstar you could think of that is in the wwf is in this game. You can even unlock Andre the Giant, Earl Hebner (ref), and Shawn Michaels. There is also a create a wrestler mode. But the weird thing is, when you create a superstar, no matter how light they are, when you face them YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PICK THEM UP. I have no idea why. But you could be Andre and try to pick up a 150 pounder and it would not work. The graphics and sound are good, but the titantron videos don't look very good. Me and my friend always play a tornado tag no count out match forever. And it never slows down. Overall, this game is awesome.

I am a convert to the Madden football series dating back to 1998. Prior to that I was a Sega Genesis owner, who eschewed the hype surrounding the Madden opting instead for the lesser-hyped, yet fundamentally-sound, 'College Football's National Championship' (which, incidentally, I still consider to be one of the best football games ever created for a console). When I switched over to the Playstation in 1996, I was an NFL Gameday fan. But in 1998, I converted over to the Madden series and have been hooked since

So how does this latest edition of Madden translate to the new generation of consoles?

GRAPHICS - 9 I couldn't tell you the difference between a framerate and an interest rate, but I can tell you this: the graphics for this game are absolutely incredible. I just cannot do them justice in written format. Although a cliché, you really do have to see them to believe them. The auto replays are astonishing. Details such as a player's breath in cold weather and the glare of the stadium lights on a player's helmet augment the experience. Why not a 10? Occasionally, the picture becomes slightly choppy. And those demon-like eyes! Don't stare directly into them! :)

GAMEPLAY - 9 The realistic gameplay is unmatched. One thing I noticed immediately was that the juke and spin moves are not as responsive as those found in the PSX version. (The juke move is supposedly touch-sensitive; I've not noticed this.) In the PSX version, the juke move was a wild swiping move, almost like a player skating across a frozen pond. It was highly effective, but not entirely realistic. Same with the spin move. These moves in the PS2 version are not nearly as arcade-ish as their PSX counterparts. This took me a while to get used to. However, the fact is that these moves in the PS2 version are much more realistic than those in the PSX.

The Madden series has built its reputation through a detailed franchise mode, where you control an extensive off-season of trades, signings and a 7-round draft. Veterans of the Madden series will be glad to know that the franchise mode is in place and deeper than ever. I have found it more challenging to negotiate with players than in the PSX version. Agents for more highly-valued players are not likely to deviate from their original salary requests. Again, a little more frustrating, but much more realistic. (One quick sidenote: I truly wish EA Sports could take this franchise mode and translate it into a similar mode for its NBA Live, NHL and Triple Play series.)

The Create-A-Player mode is incredible. The amount of detail you can adjust is simply overwhelming, but in a great way.

A couple of negatives in the gameplay: 1) Kicking in M2K1 has been a challenge so far, as the kicking meter is a faint red and is difficult to see. Hopefully this will be fixed in the 2K2 version.

2) Sacking the QB thus far has been an impossible task for me. On M2K1-PSX I could work through blocks and get to the QB a couple times a game. So far this has not been the case with the PS2 version. Even controlling a defensive tackle with an overall rating of 90 I struggle breaking free from a guard or center rated in the low 70s.

3) WR Patterns - This is really the one aspect of the Madden series which has always frustrated me. For as long as I can remember, receivers in the Madden series have not always run full patterns. This is no exception in the PS2 version. Simply put, you can't throw timing patterns in this game. In order for a QB to throw an adequate 10 yard out, he must throw the ball *before* the receiver makes his cut. If you do this in Madden, the receiver, who's supposed to run an out-pattern, changes his route most often to a fly pattern. You're supposed to be able to press the L2 in order to lead the receiver. A couple of problems: (a) most of the time this does not work, and (b) the concept is that QBs are *supposed* to lead the receivers, so why should I have to press a special button? The aforementioned 'College Football's National Championship' for the Genesis was hands-down the most accurate football game in this regard. If I threw an out, the receiver ran an out. This is a detail that, although very frustrating to me, does not detract from my overall enjoyment of the game.

AUDIO - 6 Summerall and Madden are exhaustingly repetitive. It's time for EA take advantage of the full power of the PS2 and jazz up the play-by-play. And one more question: Is Leslie Visser really necessary? The environmental sounds, the hits on the field and all of the other noises that come along with the football game are in here and are well-done.

REPLAY VALUE - 9 The in-depth franchise mode means that it's not likely you'll get bored with this game too quickly. I didn't think I would, but I miss the 2 Minute Warning play mode and the fantasy draft mode that was available in Madden 2001 for the PSX. Hopefully they will add these features in the 2002 version.

Furthermore, for those who prefer more arcade-like play, there are Madden Cards which unlike special codes. You collect these by accomplishing certain tasks. I've not used these, but people I know say that they truly enhance their overall enjoyment of the game.

OVERALL - 9 This is the best football game ever created for a console. The audio can be maddening at times (no pun intended), but it's not enough to take away from the overall enjoyment of the game. As the PS2 enters its second year and programmers become more familiar with it, I hope that some of these little quirks can be fixed. But this is definitely a must-own for football fans.

Best football game I've ever played.

GRAPHICS - almost perfect. Collision detection is a little off sometimes (player falls before graphics show the collision), and occasional glitches (player's helmet goes through another player) but overall amazing

SOUND - very bad! John Madden and Pat Summerall are terrible announcers - no emotion in Pat's voice and Madden's phrases are repeated far too often. One time Madden repeated the same phrase on 3 straight plays

GAMEPLAY - perfect. The game is a little slower than the PS1 version, which actually makes it better. More time to read blocks and really appreciate the graphics

OVERALL - great game. Great replayability with Franchise Mode and Madden cards (earn them by accomplishing various challenges, then trade with friends). Just fix the commentary and graphics glitches and this is a perfect game.

this game looks great, plus its fun even for me and I only moderatly like football GO DOLPHINS but if you are going to spend the money get 2002, or 2003

Wow. This game is the greatest basketball game to ever grace the Earth. Remember all those other basketball games with the shoddy graphics and horrible framerates? Well, forget 'em. This game has great graphics with amazing detail, from the holes in the characters uniforms to the tattoos on Jason Williams arms to the facial hair on Shaq's face. The characters also correspond to their real-life counter-parts. From Patrick Ewing's slow run to Jason Williams' famous fancey foot work. Oh, it also runs at a steady 60 fps. The game also plays grrreeaattt! Pulling off a perfect play, alley-oop, dunk, 3-pointer, whatever feels great! The game does have some flaws that keep it from being perfect. Some strange calls from thee ref really get annoying, and sometimes people on your team will catch the ball with one foot out of bounds. Why? There is also some strange missed passes, but thos are actually kind of realistic. The last flaw is that during a season game you can't check stats from other games, just the one your playing. Oh well, a great game non-the-less. Definetely on worth buying. It just never seems to get old. Peace.

This game is simply the best game out there right now. I haven't played NBA Live 2000 on PS2 because well... it's pretty... hard to get your hands on one of those things. One thing that is really great about this game is the computer AI. Man, the computer is challenging to beat. When I first popped it in, and trying to figure out the controls, the rookie level was pretty tough for awhile, except for the fact that the computer always bites on pump fakes. So, I moved it up to the Pro level, ...,I've got a fight on my hands. And I'm glad the makers reduced the amount of blocks on layups and dunks that plagued NBA2k. They made it more realistic if there is a block by making the player swat the ball out of bounds which really happens in the game today. Graphics are a lot better and there are a whole bunch of dunks, they even included Rider's between the legs dunk... yes that's right, I called it Rider's dunk because he did it first. So if you are a hoops fan and are looking for a great game, this is the one to get, ....

My tittle says it all. Hands down, no comp., aint nothin' else coming close to the classis, the very first NBA 2K. The BEST sports graphics I've ever seen. This is a true story, no lie. Alright, I was playing NBA 2K on Dreamcast and my father walked past the room and saw only the TV screen and said to me, "There're still playing NBA games? I thought the season was over". It's crazy how technology drastically change, and that game was out over 4 years ago and nothing since has been even able to come close (except ofcourse the other NBA 2K's).NBA Live is just getting up to par with Live 2004. NBA 2K has surpass all other basketball video games and reached a whole new plateau. Not only the graphics are the best but the game play was too real. The moves were so detail. I can't say enough about the game. My Dreamcast is inop. because I think I played it to much but I would buy a whole new system just to play this game.It's a shame the whole Dreamcast system went out of business. I think people were runnin' with playstation just off name alone. If you ask me, If they would have made all games for playstation and Dreamcast, Playstation would have been the one out of business. Anyway, Three words to describe NBA 2K. OFF THE CHAIN!

Wow. This game is the greatest basketball game to ever grace the Earth. Remember all those other basketball games with the shoddy graphics and horrible framerates? Well, forget 'em. This game has great graphics with amazing detail, from the holes in the characters uniforms to the tattoos on Jason Williams arms to the facial hair on Shaq's face. The characters also correspond to their real-life counter-parts. From Patrick Ewing's slow run to Jason Williams' famous fancey foot work. Oh, it also runs at a steady 60 fps. The game also plays grrreeaattt! Pulling off a perfect play, alley-oop, dunk, 3-pointer, whatever feels great! The game does have some flaws that keep it from being perfect. Some strange calls from thee ref really get annoying, and sometimes people on your team will catch the ball with one foot out of bounds. Why? There is also some strange missed passes, but thos are actually kind of realistic. The last flaw is that during a season game you can't check stats from other games, just the one your playing. Oh well, a great game non-the-less. Definetely on worth buying. It just never seems to get old. Peace.

This game is simply the best game out there right now. I haven't played NBA Live 2000 on PS2 because well... it's pretty... hard to get your hands on one of those things. One thing that is really great about this game is the computer AI. Man, the computer is challenging to beat. When I first popped it in, and trying to figure out the controls, the rookie level was pretty tough for awhile, except for the fact that the computer always bites on pump fakes. So, I moved it up to the Pro level, ...,I've got a fight on my hands. And I'm glad the makers reduced the amount of blocks on layups and dunks that plagued NBA2k. They made it more realistic if there is a block by making the player swat the ball out of bounds which really happens in the game today. Graphics are a lot better and there are a whole bunch of dunks, they even included Rider's between the legs dunk... yes that's right, I called it Rider's dunk because he did it first. So if you are a hoops fan and are looking for a great game, this is the one to get, ....

My tittle says it all. Hands down, no comp., aint nothin' else coming close to the classis, the very first NBA 2K. The BEST sports graphics I've ever seen. This is a true story, no lie. Alright, I was playing NBA 2K on Dreamcast and my father walked past the room and saw only the TV screen and said to me, "There're still playing NBA games? I thought the season was over". It's crazy how technology drastically change, and that game was out over 4 years ago and nothing since has been even able to come close (except ofcourse the other NBA 2K's).NBA Live is just getting up to par with Live 2004. NBA 2K has surpass all other basketball video games and reached a whole new plateau. Not only the graphics are the best but the game play was too real. The moves were so detail. I can't say enough about the game. My Dreamcast is inop. because I think I played it to much but I would buy a whole new system just to play this game.It's a shame the whole Dreamcast system went out of business. I think people were runnin' with playstation just off name alone. If you ask me, If they would have made all games for playstation and Dreamcast, Playstation would have been the one out of business. Anyway, Three words to describe NBA 2K. OFF THE CHAIN!