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	NBA Inside Drive 2002
	Developer: Microsoft Publisher: Microsoft Genre: Sports Players: 1-4 Similar To: NBA Live Rating: Teen Published: 12 :13 : 02 Reviewed By: Ryan Newman Overall: 7.5 = Good

Screenshots

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Intro
Following up NFL Fever 2002, Microsoft launches its foray into the basketball realm with NBA Inside Drive 2002. Was Microsoft able to one-up the NBA Live franchise, or is this nothing more than a lackluster attempt to satisfy sports-hungry Xbox owners?

Gameplay: 8/10
While not the biggest sports fan, I can always appreciate a solid gaming title. NBA Inside Drive 2002 might lack some extra polish, but it is a strong introduction into what could be a big franchise for Microsoft. Mixing the action on the court and off, gamers can go for a fantasy draft, trade players, sign free agents, or dunk on your opponents. All of these options are combined in a nice, seamless menu system that is easy to navigate and offers fairly quick access to just about any option.

I chose to use most of my game time on the court as opposed to being a general manager, but I found those options more than adequate for my uses. Sporting season and playoff modes, gamers can take their favored team all the way to the top. If the need for a quick game or two arises, there is also the Exhibition mode. However, aside from those options, there are no more extra features like a create-a-player mode or the ability to play as a fantasy team, both of which are features that are found in NFL Fever 2002. These features are more noticeable prior to gameplay rather than after; it soon becomes apparent that while they would have been nice additions, they aren’t needed for the game to be enjoyable for a long period of time.

The ability to have custom playbooks is a nice touch, as is the ability to call plays during game time. Watching the players get into position and hearing someone yell for the ball is satisfying, and it is even more so when a long thought-out play comes together and results in a nice replay. The camera angles make it hard to appreciate the action and to see what all is going on, as there isn’t one solid view that shows the plays clearly enough to get a positive grasp of the situation. There are a few that are more than functional, but even these result in times when the ball just seems to disappear in a mass of people, or the player that you are controlling seems to pop out of nowhere.

Overall, I had a good time with NBA Inside Drive 2002. The abundant choices such as the various drafting and tweaking options were nice, but it was the spot-on calls, the great controls, and the overall polish that made this title so enjoyable.

Graphics: 8/10
While the characters look crisp and nicely detailed, they are often hard to appreciate as the various camera angles either provide a nice view or solid functionality, but never both at once. The characters’ faces are also nicely done with face gestures matching certain situations. Aside from their appearance, the players animate smoothly, with only sluggish dunk animations to detract from the otherwise silky presentation of someone pushing back against an opponent and breaking away for a fall-away jump shot.

The stadiums look nice as well, and come complete with the appropriately cardboard-ish crowds -- who happen to look better than in most other titles, but still come across as flat-looking -- and exceptional lighting. The only major flaw is that, when in an up-close view, the ball is never really in the player’s hands; there is always a small space between the player and the ball, as though the ball has an invisible barrier around it. Although this is nothing too dramatic, it is a glaring flaw, and combined with the slow-motion dunks, the end result, while good, still falls short on what the Xbox can deliver.

Sound: 7.5/10
Aside from some corny sound bits of rap songs in the menu system, the game’s audio consists primarily of sounds from the crowd, announcers, and various taunts from the players. The crowd is as one would expect: they cheer, boo, and so on, and while they never do anything nothing drastic, they do serve their purpose in creating a good sense of atmosphere. The players’ taunts and sayings also help out, ranging from random shouts of someone wanting the ball to someone bragging how the other team’s defense is lacking.

The main draw in this category would have to be the announcers. They tend to offer up mixed results; on one hand, their commentary is nicely done and is often uniquely appropriate to the various situations. On the other hand, general comments will be repeated to an aggravating degree. For example, while playing as the Houston Rockets, I made a very nice three-pointer, to which the announcer says, “Rice is nice!”, to which I thought, “Cool!”. But when about five shots were missed between both teams and I heard, “You just can’t make that kind of shot, you need to pass it around more” for the third or so time, I was reaching for the mute button. Their voices are of a good quality and are crisply presented, and there were only a few times where their comments a few seconds behind. There are also some humorous anecdotes as well; during half-time, I was fiddling with the options and an announcement came over the PA system saying that a car was on fire in the parking lot, which the commentators followed up with some random banter – nice touch.

Control: 9/10
From the player’s perspective, the controls are responsive, and aside from mangling plays due to the button layout, the only real problem was that shooting didn’t feel as satisfying as it is in other titles. Sure, no shot is guaranteed, but there were several times when a situation could have been a carbon copy of another, and one shot would slam off the backboard while the other would go straight in. When I go for a shot in a basketball title, I want to have that intuitive feeling that, when I let a good shot go, I know it’s going in. The shooting system is generic and there is nothing overly complex about it; there was just that sense that was missing.

The game handles the coaching aspect very well. Numerous plays can be made simply by pressing an arrow on the directional pad. The urge to press up and down to select the correct play soon passes as the ease of use sinks in, leaving this little feature to save a good deal of time.

All the other details are handled nicely. Fake passes, juking opponents, spins, calling for passes, and intentional fouls are all a button press away. There really is a good deal of complexity that has been streamlined; for instance, offensive and defensive situations both have varying schemes, but they are also intuitive. So fear not beginners, even those who don’t play basketball games regularly or even follow the sport much will still have fun calling the shots and sinking some threes.

Overall: 7.5/10
It has been a number of years since I stopped following basketball and since then very few titles have been able to hold my attention long enough to keep with them. With NBA Inside Drive 2002, I found myself going back and attempting to take the Rockets to victory and that is most likely the game’s strongest factor: even those who don’t like or aren’t up to date with the sport will find this offering a hard title to put down. With many of the positives coming from the controls, it is also a stylish and somewhat simplified approach at encompassing the action and managing aspects. If you already own one of the newer next-generation basketball titles, then there might not be much here to win you over; however, if you plunked down for an Xbox, NBA Inside Drive 2002 certainly won’t disappoint.

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