Even die-hard hoop haters will find it impossible to fault Sega's latest masterpiece.
Andy Ashwin

Oh come on - basketball is dump! A goal every five seconds...
The real skill in basketball is being able to stop the other team scoring. Just try watching it some time: those fellas are as graceful as antelopes, even though they're (nearly) all giants. And if you never get to see Michael Jordan in action then you'll have missed out on possibly the greatest athlete of all time. Don't bother watching the crappy UK stuff, though. To be honest, you don't even have to like basketball to appreciate this game.

It's that good?
In terms of all-round, next generation quality, it's right up there alongside Soul Calibur. That's alongside and not even slightly below. The graphics are the most realistic ever seen on a console - the players in particular are actually quite spooky, with instantly recognisable faces and a range of expressions. Their eyes dart back and forth, they grin when they're being introduced and they even 'roar' when dunking. And if a player has got tattoos in real-life, you can bet that they're painstakingly recreated in NBA2K.

All well and good, but how does it play?
Anyone with a basic knowledge of the sport will pick this up in no time. The controls are instinctive, with your standard pass and shoot buttons, as well as spin, boost and stick-yer-arse-out.

What?
It's where you crouch down with your back to the basket, shielding the ball from your opponent. It all works beautifully, thanks in part to some excellent team-mate AI. We've played it extensively and are still amazed by some of the little touches that make onlookers think they're watching a real game on TV.