Introduction
Sega Sports brings its successful football franchise to the PS2, putting it head to head with worthy competition for the first time. Missing is it’s best feature, network play. A strange mix of realistic animations and defense and a Blitz-like arcade offense, Sega and developers Visual Concepts are hoping NFL2K2 will be the change of pace gamers will want and buy after years of Madden.
Presentation
One of NFL2K2s problems on Dreamcast was the menu. While it’s entirely workable and not bad really, it hasnt changed in 3 years. If you owned all 3 DC versions, don’t expect any new menus. The opening movie is about it as far as change goes, it’s entirely new. In-game presentation is far better than the Dreamcast version. Dan Stevens and Peter O Keefe return as commentators. They now analyze entire teams before the game, letting you know what your opponent excels in and what they lack. The playcalling menu, another thing that hasnt changed in 3 years, has got to go. They need to implement a system that doesnt let your opponent know the play you’re calling.
While not bad, the menus and presentation of NFL2K2 is just old. It’s better on the PS2 than DC because of a few new additions, but overall it is just rehashed from the Dreamcast version.
Graphics & Sound
On Dreamcast, VC struggled on the graphics. NFL2K looked great, but the series went downhill in graphics from there. Horrible looking fields, players with tiny heads, players with arms bigger and longer than their legs, there were tons of graphical glitches in 2k1-2k2. On the PS2, VC has fixed alot of the problems. The fields are crisp and clean, as are the player models. The arms are still too big, but nowhere near as bad as on DC. The gameplay is fast and smooth. Compared to Madden, NFL2K2 looks like a launch title, but the graphics are still good, just not great. The player models seem a little flat sometimes, like GameDay on the PSX.
Gameplay
Because of the hybrid of styles I mentioned above, NFL2K2 has a gameplay all its own. Fans of Blitz will be right at home on offense. The QBs can scramble one direction and bullet and bomb the opposite direction. Players can turn on a dime and run free of any momentum whatsoever. Those used to the DC versions will need some time to get used to the PS2 version. It’s a little more sim like in the physics, but Madden freaks will still gock at its gameplay. On offense, the game plays great. Finding the hole with your RB and hitting it full speed is key to gaining yards. It’s a little hard to gain yards outside though. Passing wise, the game is great until you get raped by bad AI more than a few times a game. Countless times I would find a wide open WR, only to have him turn away from the ball and dive the wrong way for a ball coming at his chest, among other bad bugs.
On defense, NFL2K2 is the best game on the market. Far more responsive and executed than Madden, you can actually read offenses and adjust yourself, or make big plays yourself in NFL2K2. Defensive plays are a little confusing, but easy to read once you play the game some. Run defense is especially awesome, move defenders to stuff the hole and watch your opponent struggle to gain yards. Against the pass, it’s a little easy to block passes or force drops, but its still pretty good. However, just as on offense, there are defensive bugs that can cost you a game. Defenders get caught up on each other alot, the AI isnt good enough for them to just avoid running into each other. Also, defenders are too aggresive, going for too many INTs, and missing most of the time. Sometimes a defender will just jump into the air to swat down a ball, when its either nowhere near them or barely above their head, in range to swap without jumping. Thankfully the bugs are far less frequent or costly as they are in the Dreamcast version, but they are still frustrating.
Lasting Appeal
Obviously, the PS2 version doesnt have the longevity of the Dreamcast version. Maybe next year with an online mode. As far as offline goes, everything is identical to the DC version, complete with uninspired franchise mode. A huge flaw in the PS2 versions franchise mode: you can’t see how long a player has been in the league. You have to either guess or write down when you draft someone, very lame. Trading away, you need to know how many years the player you want has left, and you can’t do that in the PS2 version, pretty much ruining the best offline mode. For multiplayer, NFL2K2 is second only to Madden. The games are usually close, unless your opponent just sucks. There are also fantasy drafts and season mode to mess with. About as much replay value as the average football title. Nowhere near Maddens range, but a good franchise mode would help greatly.
Conclusion
With 5 NFL titles to choose from on PS2, NFL2K2 comes a close second behind Madden. With another year, maybe two developing on the system, VC should be able to create a much better looking game, free of the bugs that take away from the gameplay. It’s unique in the gameplay area, maybe the change of pace football fans will embrace. A solid title, more polish couldve put it at top.
