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Review: NFL 2K
When word got out that we wouldn't be seeing the Madden series on the Dreamcast, everyone panicked, and wondered what would happen with the DC's sport scene. Sure, NFL 2K was announced, but without the Madden pedigree, what could we expect from this title? Well, on 9/9/99, all the pundits were ready to eat their own words when they fired up NFL 2K. This game simply offers the best football experience since the old Genesis days of yore. Everything about NFL 2K is top-notch.

NFL 2K features some of the most jaw-dropping graphics found on the Dreamcast. Every player consists of thousands of polygons, and when 22 of these guys take the field, it can be very impressive. The stadiums are also outstanding, and are all individually modeled, right down to the color of the seats in the arena. NFL 2K's animation is also wonderful. The Visual Concepts team has motion-captured over 1,500 moves for this game, which means you'll see a plethora of hard-hitting tackles and spectacular catches. Speaking of catches, this is the first football game where you'll actually see the players reach out to catch the ball with their hands, intead of having it magically clip through their back. I could go on and on about the graphics, but it's not until you see this game running at 60fps glory that you realize how stunningly beautiful NFL 2K really is.

Not surprisingly, NFL 2K also plays like a dream. There are a ton of plays to choose from, and each of them is actually useful. There are no money plays here, which is great news for anyone who's sick of last minute Hail Mary's from Madden. You also have a variety of running moves like stiff-arms, hurdles, spins, and dives. Unfortunately, even with all those moves, the running game is just not there. It's extremely difficult to run the ball, and even if you do break away from your defender, the CPU gets a really unfair speed boost that has you down on the astro-turf before you can say, "Hey, that's cheating!" Once in a while, you may break out for 10, maybe 20 yards, but I've never actually had a play where I ran the ball for more than 30 yards.

When playing NFL 2K, you really get the feeling of being on the field thanks to some really wonderful sound. The crowd violently cheers on, the tackling sounds almost make you feel the hit, and the commentary is extremely dynamic. The two commentators, "Dan Stevens" and "Peter O'Keefe" are a riot, not only offering the most accurate play-by-play in any football game, but also because they continually bite at each other's throats. There's even a down-on-the field weather and half-time reporter, but all too often she says the same crap over and over.

As good as NFL 2K is, it's not perfect. There are numerous bugs that make you wish the game was kept in development just another week or so. For example, you can't call a timeout as player 2, 3, or 4 if you use the d-pad, and there is an audio bug that sometimes plays the same sound repeatedly. Also, the transition between difficulty levels is horrendous. Rookie mode is just too easy, while Pro mode is unforgiveable (until you get the hang of things). I remember beating the CPU by at least 20 points playing my second game, after which I promptly changed it to Pro, only to be beat to a bloody pulp in the ground. After a while, though, you'll begin to appreciate the difficulty.

The bottom line is that this is the best football game to grace God's green Earth. If you can put up with a few bugs, an underplayed running game, and vicious AI, this is your game. 9 out of 10 sports fans will cite NFL 2K as the reason they bought a Dreamcast. To tell the truth, I wasn't even a sports games fan until this game came along, but if it converted me, just imagine what it would do to a rabid football fan? If your personality should apply to the last three words in the previous sentence, then run, don't walk, and buy this game. Now.

--- ElDuderino