NBA Inside Drive (1 Viewer)

[Chad Ferguson]

I read some reviews that gave this game positives ratings, but I'm curious if this is going to be another NFL Fever which recieved very high reviews but was a very flawed game. Anyone play it yet?

 

[Nathan Patrick]

I picked this up today....I let you know what I think in a few days.

 

[Kip]

Nathan,

I'll be real interested to get your feedback, especially if you have experience with the NBA2K series. The Dreamcast games were the best NBA games ever. I've been holding off on picking up NBA2K2 for the PS2 until I saw the word on this game. The few reviews have been mixed, and surprisingly Videogamespot still hasn't reviewed it at all. Not usually a good sign when reviews are late and scarce.

Anyone else with experience with both games please jump in. I'm ready for some NBA gaming.

Kip

 

[Chad Ferguson]

Please be sure to talk about the AI. One problem I have with the 2k series was that if you were doubled teamed outside the 3 point line and you throw the ball to the other sire for an open 3 they could run faster then you could throw the ball.

 

[Ryan Peter]

It sounds like a 2K2 killer, especially since the advent of the invisible wall defense and the player who stops in his tracks on fast breaks.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=177366

 

[Nathan Patrick]

Well I wouldn't call it a NBA2K2 Killer yet.

Here are my initial impressions on the game. I've played three exhibition games, one of those against a friend the other against the computer. I also played two playoff games but I haven't done anything in season mode. My experience with the NBA2K series is with NBA2k for Dreamcast, not NBA2K1 or NBA2k2. I also haven't played NBA2K in a long time so any comparisons I make are from memory. With that being said I will get to the game.

Gameplay: 8.5/10

The gameplay is pretty good overall, the first game I played was with the Cavs in Rookie mode and I got blown out by the Kings. My initial impression during the game was that the game seemed kind of slow (I am using the action camera, and can't comment on the others....this is the same view in NBA2K) compared to NBA2K. After playing my first game I switched to Veteran mode and noticed a pretty big difference. The game was quicker, a lot more similar to NBA2k. I played as the Lakers and quickly noticed that the overall team rating makes a big difference in the ease of the game. The Cavs are rated very low and missed a lot of shots in Rookie mode, where the Lakers made a lot of shots in Veteran mode. I ended up blowing out the Philadelphia sixers.

So how is the AI? Well there are two ways of looking at this. The ease of making shots and the overall basketball knowledge of the AI. Even in Veteran mode it is easy to make shots if you are open and it is not that difficult to get open. If you take the mentality that you want your star player to score 50 points it will be a little tougher because the computer does do a decent job of guarding guys and denying you access to the lane. So what I am saying is you have to play a smart game to score, so as long as you don't do stupid stuff you should have no problems winning by more than 20 points on the Veteran mode.

Specific things I like about the AI. They generally move the ball around well, if you leave a man and double team somewhere else, the computer will find the open man. Another thing I like is that passing is not as simple as pressing a button. If you try and throw a cross-court pass (from one three point line to the same three point line on the other side of the basket) 7 times out of 10 they will steal it. One thing I noticed about passing is that you can make a congested pass if the defensive player is not looking at the ball or has his back turned, but if he is facing the ball and sees the pass he will steal it. On Veteran mode the computer player does not normally come up to you and steal the ball, but steals passes instead. If you make a quick pass, and the player you throw the ball too makes a quick move right when he catches the ball (changes direction, shoots) and is being covered the computer opponent often strips the ball. All in all I think the game physics are pretty real. For example, when you rebound the ball and you want to make a quick pass...you have to wait until you land to make that pass, so fast breaks don't happen nearly as often as in NBA2K.

One of the features I didn't like about the game on offense was the backdown. In real life, Shaq gets the ball and backs his player underneath the hoop. Here, the backdown button just leans your offensive player against the defender but doesn't really back in on him.

Defense in this game can be kind of challenging, if the computer opponent would make more shots (I assume in Allstar mode he will) things would be a lot closer. Unless you are right up on an offensive player, guarding him with your hands out, they generally will be able to get around you.....if you leave a guy to double team it is very hard to stop a drive if the guy left open gets the ball. It is hard to get back into position in a sense.

Rebounding is also kind of cool as it is all about positioning and timing the jump, in NBA2K I used to have three guys a game in double digits in rebounding. This game requires the user to really focus on it.

Blocking shots is all about being in the right place at the right time as well. It almost requires anticipating the shot.

Another cool feature of the game is that dunking is not an automatic thing. If you are in a crowd, and you go up for a dunk you will probably miss about 25% of them...a little bit more realistic than in past basketball games.

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics are nice. The only real thing is that I think the players are a little bit smaller than NBA2k counterparts. Sometimes it is a little hard to distinguish specific guys in a crowd. The movements of the players are very realistic looking. Blocking shots sidways towards the announcer's table is sweet looking because the ball doesn't just fly straight all the time....it is like when someone gets a piece of a ball and puts spin on it as well as blocking it. Also when you are taking a shot and you have momentum going towards the hoop, when you jump your jump carries you towards the hoop unless you specifically set and pull-up....Overall I would say the only thing I didn't like was the smaller players, other than that it beats every game out there graphically.

Sound: 6/10

There are some problems here. The play by play callings isn't always smooth and perfect. They often pause when saying basket by......then the players name. It is about a 1/2 second delay, but is enough to be distracting. Some of the things the announcers say is just plain stupid. I have a surround system but sit too close to the TV to comment on rear channel effects and stuff. The music and sound effects outside of the announcing is pretty cool though.

Lasting Appeal: 9/10

When I first played it. I was thinking well it's not great, but at least I have a game until NBA2K2 comes out. This game grows on you though, once you realize that this game has realistic gameplay you will understand why it is not as exciting as playing NBA2K2. This game is also good for both simulation and arcade type style. The playbook is pretty extensive and you have control over all the defensive schemes if you want. Or you can just leave all that stuff on Auto and just play the game without strategy.

Overall: Not an average.....just an overall score I think it deserves. 8.7/10

I am going to play an Allstar game tonight so I will comment on the difficulty of the game then.

If there are any specific questions, let me know and I will try and answer them.

 

[Nathan Patrick]

In regards to the double teaming behind the three point line, they won't run faster than the pass but if there is another defender somewhere in-between and is paying attention it will be stolen most of the time.

 

[Chris Rock]

While I won't betray my favorite NBA-game franchise (NBA2K series), I will say that this game is FUN. That's all that matters to me.

The graphics are great, the gameplay is balanced, and the players move realistically (or at least in our warped version of reality, where teams can score 100+ points in a game with 5 minute quarters), and the sound and commentary are bearable. I dislike the commentary personally, but it's not so bad you have to turn it off.

When NBA2K2 comes out for the XBox, I will probably get it, too, because I love the Sega Sports games.