NFL - 2K1
Graphics - 10
Sound - 9
Control - 10
Replay - 9.5
This is definately the best football game ever made. Last year's version was the best when it came out, and now it's sequel has taken that role. This game provides everything a die-hard sports fan could ever want in a sports game. It's got a great and in-depth create-a-player (it's identical to NFL 2k's though), a new franchise mode, practice mode, season mode... it's got it all. I believe it has more than enough to beat Madden 2001 for the PS2, and this could very well be the game that makes people say "Visual Concepts is equal to EA Sports now." The frachise mode lets you take any team through multiple seasons, with retirements, trades, free agent signings, and drafts. There are also salary caps, and with all of this, really makes you feel like a GM. Players stats may change every 1-3 games, and you may just find one of your draft picks could be the next superstar running back.
Graphically, it's nothing less than amazing. The player animations are perfect, the tackles look extremely realistic, and there is little to no clipping. When a receiver catches a pass, you can tell he caught the pass. The ball won't go through his head and magically appear in his hands. There aren't any major improvements over last year's game, but when you got a game that looks as good as this, you don't need any. The new shiny helmets are nice, especially during night games.
The sounds category of NFL 2K1 is exactly where it should be. The commentators are again on target, and don't babble like Madden does. After a while, they do get repetitive, but it's so well done you won't notice it if you're playing the game. Also, there is slightly less talk than last season, but there are better sounds for the actual game this time around. Most noticeable would be the taunts from the players on defense. They sometimes even call out the actual name of the QB, which adds a nice sense of realism.
The control in this game is again, amazing. Personally, I don't use the Maximum Control passing because I find you gotta think about too many things to concentrate on already, like watching out for the sack, and open receivers. The passes already go where you want them to about 95% of the time, and that's good enough for me. I tried Maximum Passing for a bit, and I know that if you decide to use it, and perfect it, you could have an awesome passing game going on. When it comes to the running, they made a huge update from last year's. I found myself constantly using a wide right/left run though, and with the proper blocking, I could pull out 10-20 yard runs on almost every run. Since there is stamina though, I couldn't keep on doing runs though, since the chance of my RB fumbling would greatly increase, and his speed would decrease, making me do a pass play or 2. The use of blockers, when mastered, is the key to great runs. Leading defenders into your blockers with a juke, then leaping over a defensive back on your tail into the endzone is controlled with great ease. If you should get hit while doing a special manouver though, you may just see the ball in the wrong endzone, carried by the opposing team.
I have not played online, as I don't want to downgrade to a shitty 56k modem and pay for an extra ISP. I'm waiting for a bandwidth connection. From what I've heard however, if you play on SegaNet, you're gonna have a fun time. Any other ISP, and it lags like shit. Us Canucks can't get SegaNet, so you probably won't find any Canadians on NFL 2K1's online games, or if you do, will probably be ready for a lagfest.
All in all, NFL 2K1 is a masterpiece. If you love football, and don't currently own a DC, then go out and get one! If you do own a DC, then go out and buy NFL 2K1 right now, if you don't already own it... that's what I did.
- The Drop