PlayStation 2
Released in 2001 by Sega
Grade: C
NBA 2K2 is pretty much the same as NBA 2K1, which is pretty much the same as NBA 2K. It has all the same problems.
Where it falls in the series
This is the first on PS2, and it was the last on Dreamcast, where this series originated. I never found a Dreamcast copy for a dirt-cheap price in a store, but I did find it on PS2. The series got better somewhere in its PS2/Xbox run, but it really stepped its game up on the next generation. See my review of NBA 2K11 on PS3 for a more positive review than you’ll get here.
Praises and gripes
Actually, forget the praises. We’re doing just gripes this time. I don’t like this game.
Players stop suddenly whenever they come in contact with each other. The jukes don’t work well. The shooting animation is stiff. Set plays don’t help much. The best offensive strategy is to pass around for a dunk, but passing is troublesome; you constantly pass to the wrong guy.
There’s even a new annoying issue: on changes of possession, the camera sloooowwly rotates around. This seems to be the one notable gameplay change from previous versions. I guess Sega was too preoccupied making the lackluster NHL 2K2 and the pretty good NFL 2K2, which, at the time, was much more promising than its basketball series. This is ironic today. EA Sports snatched the NFL license away right after Sega/2K Sports released NFL ESPN 2K5, possibly the best football game ever, but 2K’s NBA games eventually became so good that EA basically gave up on competing in the basketball market.