Introduction

Lets face it, in its short life time, the Dreamcast hasn’t had many successful game series. None that you’d wait for and consider the system great simply for those game. The 2k football series is one of those series. The only series of that type, if you ask me. First it blew games away with its graphics are awesome passing game in NFL2K. Then it brought pigskin fans everywhere together online in NFL2K1. Now VC tries to do football fans right for a 3rd year in a row with NFL2K2.

Presentation

Presentation. While the 2k series interface has never really been BAD, it’s just always needed to be redone, or revamped in some way. 2k2 does that to a certain extent, but its basically the same. Even worse, now you must pick the mode to play with the analog stick. It gets very annoying.

Playcalling menus have been the worst part of the 2k series since it began. What is the point of playing 2 player when your opponent can see your plays? Yea theres brrn VMU select options, but you need to have your plays memorized fully to be able to use it. A simple play name on the VMU screen doesnt show the routes or motions. This is an area where 2k2 has made a great change. You can now hide your play from your opponent, Blitz style. This makes multiplayer games way more fun.

As with the past 2k games, control in 2k2 is excellent. There are enough moves to utilize every button on the DC pad, and suprisingly it comes off very well. Not confusing but not shallow either.

Graphics & Sound

As with NCAA2k2, VC has done a poor job with the graphics. 2k1 looked better than 2k2 does. But that is the cost of faster gameplay, which 2k2 delivers. The stadiums are naturally great looking. Player models are another story. VC fanboys who bashed Madden2001 cause of its midget players are now biting their feet. Player models in 2k2 are hideous. They look nothing natural. Players arms look like tree trunks for crying out loud. The crowds and sideline models are still 2-D cutouts, lol. The graphics are of course playable, and most importantly gameplay is fasy and smooth. The dip in graphics is easier to stomach if you play online, cause it makes online play just that much smoother.

Sound wise, NFL2K2 is better than 2k1. But thats mostly cause anything you heard in 2k1 you’ll hear again in 2k2. Player chatter is the same with some additions, as is the commentary. Once again VC has made the game with the best commentary around. Sound effects are more rehashes from 2k1.

Gameplay

The main staple for any game, especially sports, is gameplay. And NFL2K2 delivers, bigtime. But one thing must be made clear: NFL2K2 plays almost identical to 2k1. There are only minor improvements, but they go a long way. First off is the AI. Simply put, the AI in 2k and 2k1 sucked bigtime. DBs swatted at balls 10 feet in the air, or jumped to swat the ball after the WR already caught it. Running wasnt any prettier. Player constantly got ’sucked’ into blocks. Blockers would totally ignore players closest to the runner and block guys away from the play. Well, 2k2 has much better AI. In fact, passing is so hard I’ve heard many 2k1 freaks saying they’ll stick to 2k1. But the AI is still useless in some situations. DBs still jump seconds early at times, and misjudge swats all the time. Theres less of the ’sucking’ effect on blocking, but it is definatly still there.

The passing game is insanely hard now. You must time your passes every down to be succesful. Outs are no longer a garaunteed gain. Blitzes are more successful this year, so QBs have less time to throw.

The running game is a mixed bag. Theres tons of cool animations, and thank god the spin move has been toned down. It made NFL2K1 seem more like NFL Blitz. But running up the middle, even on All Pro, nets you around 3-6 yards a pop.

Overall, the gameplay seems like more of the same at first, but I think that with the new passing game and better AI, it makes for a much deeper game.

Lasting Appeal

Well, the big mode is obviously online play. It adds months to the replay value. Its basically endless, or atleast until next years game comes out.

As for offline modes, theyre all the same as last year. I dont only mean the same types of modes, they’re all completely the same. No refinements to the Franchise mode or Draft mode. No Texans added after a year. Weak. This is where I find the only big fault with the game. If you played NFL2K1 to death offline, you’ll be bored quickly with this game, if you dont play online or have many friends to play.

Conclusion

Overall, a very worthy installement to the Dreamcasts best series. The Dreamcasts bow out may be ugly, but atleast the 2k series goes out with a bang. The gameplay is as good as ever and the rosters are fairly accurate. Online ranking gives you a chance to see if you are truly the best. Worth any DC gamers money, especially an online DC gamer.