Every player is also faithfully rendered, right down to his tattoos and some rather dubious facial hair. They also have their own characteristics of movement, like the lumbering white guy who is only in the team because he happens to be nearly eight feet tall. You'll hear their shoes squeaking on the shiny wooden floors, they call to each other across the court, and coaches and crowd alike give plenty of tactical advice.

The TV-style presentation is capped off by the best commentary we've heard in a sports game. The two-man team has an amazingly varied repertoire, keeping perfect pace with the frenzied action, and throwing in some real gems (our favourite: "He's getting beaten like he's stolen something"). On most sport titles you'll turn the commentary off after a few games, but NBA2K's will entertain you for as long as you keep playing and really adds to the great atmosphere. And, as with most sports games, up to four players can join in. Being able to see most of the playing area at any time is also a great help.

Like most American sports, in the end it all boils down to stats, and boy, does NBA2K deliver. Every conceivable statistic about every game is available (some are presented on-screen during the game to add to the TV feel), but if you want to play a season (between 14 and 82 games), you'll need a complete VMU to store the data.

Put simply, NBA2K is the finest sports sim available yet on Dreamcast, and is a strong contender for the title on any platform. Buy it now. Even if you hate basketball.