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NFL 2K1 for Dreamcast
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NFL 2K1 for Dreamcast
166 reviews   4.6 of 5

Product Description

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Summary

The NFL 2k series is slowly becoming the premiere Football series in most gamer's heart. After the original NFL 2k hit the scene even with its flaws was still consider a great game and one of the best launch games ever. The following year Sega cranked out NFL 2k1 with harder AI and something no Madden game could come up with, which is a Running game. This game even with its flaws is still one of the best Football games on the market, and it surpassed expectations of those who hated and those who loved the original

First thing you will notice are the outstanding visuals player movements and the amount of moves, taunts and animations everyone possesses. Next you will listen to the south from the upbeat cool intro and menu themes to the announcers and the players on the field, this makes everything come alive. Then on to the game-play however the most flawed department one can easily overlook it for all sports games have some type of flaw in them. However the flaws are very minor and only those who spend weeks playing this game will catch on to.

However if you want a more realistic football game which is harder to play and not as smooth you should try Madden 2001. If you want a less expensive football game for Dreamcast try the original NFL 2k. However if you already purchased the original NFL 2k I would advise renting this first before buying it, just to see if the changes are enough to make you want to purchase it.

Sound

The audio on this game is remarkable when you first plug it in. From the upbeat intro music you are already psyched to pick your favorite team and rock the opposition. They didn't need any fancy bands or rappers just great video-game music to get you psyched, it just sounds like something you would hear on the opening of a pre-game show. The music travels which you and you won't get tired of it, or annoyed that it keeps playing. It's not something you would listen to 24/7 but it just belongs to this game and goes perfectly.

Big hits, realistic grunts of the lineman chugging along in the trenches only inspired you to get one more yard. The sound of 44 feet all moving at once and from different places of the field when the play starts, makes anybody who has ever suited-up relive sweet memories of the glory days. If you see helmets clashing you will hear helmets clashing and it sounds as real as it does on the field.

How about the realistic sound snot on the field? The Viking wailing, the Jaguar roaring, the Eagle calling. The crowd realistically chanting at the players and the crowd booing any calls against the home team and making their voices heard. Which causes opposing quarterbacks to 'Silent Count' because of the crowd noise. Now that's so true to life that you got sit-back and appreciate it. Little things like that is what makes this game great as a whole.

Players voices on the field, and not just the quarterback shouting his tired phrases. Defensive linemen who claim they will get sack, and the players' saying phrases that reflect what is said on every play. I couldn't even list the amount of funny and realistic things these players shout back and fourth to one another.

Their ludicrous claims about knocking you back for more yards, or it's going to be 3rd and long after the play. The quarterback taking command of the field waving his arms and ordering motions. All of this amps you up, you start taking what they are programmed to say seriously. There has been times when There has been plenty of times when I forget these guys aren't real and I start shouting things back on the television, that's what the intended you to do and I'll tell you they did it to perfection.

Now we take a hit, here comes the announcers 'Peter O'Keefe' & 'Dan Stevens'. These guys are good but they are not great. Give Summerall 5 cups of coffee and then age him 20 years and clone him and you have these two clowns. They are energetic and into the action but the shoddy play calling CAN NOT be overlooked. I injure a lineman on a touchdown play and every time I make a touchdown one of them thinks I keep injuring the same guy. That's just bad for business but that's not the worst. How about when the score is 35-3 late in the 4th and the other team 'still has a chance'.

There's more examples of them blundering of calls, how about when a guy catches a kick in the endzone and then he falls out of bounds without downing it, they pretend like he ran with it for a couple of yards and then went out of bounds. There are more examples of it but I don't care to list it. However in the defense of the game these guys they say a ton of different things, and although they are repetitive at times they have a 90% rate of getting calls right. There's also no slowdown in-between them with hard to time things like yardage and time left on the clock.

Overall the sound department does an excellent job besides the few mistakes made by the announcers. They will annoy you at time but you ca turn them off completely and listen to the stadium announcer which does a better job. They do add to the realism of the game and they help out the whole department when they do get things right. The sounds combined from the other aspects make it easier to appreciate the game.

Gameplay

This game is for 1-4 players. You have a huge list of modes to try and things you can do to make this game more enjoyable. For the most realism and if you have no one else Franchise mode is for you. Players retired, rookies are signed, and you have to work with a salary cap just like the guys in the front office. You can trade players like any other game, but the franchise trading mode is way more realistic than the one on say Madden. You can't keep trading or trying to sign a guy until you get it right. You have to play your rookies sometimes younger players retire unexpectedly especially after a key injury.

Realism is at it's finest here in Franchise mode players get better during the season, you don't have to wait to the end and see each statistic raise a few points and take years upon years to have anything good from your first draft. If you keep using the same guys over and over and they put up good statistics they get better, also the opposite if your good players don't do anything they get worst. However that's about as real as anything gets in the Game Play department.

You also have Practice mode, which is self explanatory, and a normal season for those who don't have weeks to play the game and don't care much about statistics. You have a fantasy draft as well, which I think moves too slowly. It takes about an hour to complete one without the computer completing it for you, this is really frustrating compared to other games when you usually can complete a 31 team draft in under 10 minutes.

You also have the exhibition mode for those who just want to play head to head against a friend or two. This game is even more fun when playing with someone else, and with the online-play it's pretty difficult to have a reason to play by yourself except for practice or season. Even if you don't want to play online this game will still provide a good week of fun and it's always enjoyable to go back to when you have nothing else to do.

On the field action is improved in some areas and it's worst in others. The running game is spectacular and improved over not only the original, but also every other football game on the market. You can barrel up the middle with the big guys like Alsott and Bettis, or you can take it to the outside with Dunn and James. Fullbacks and lineman produce realistic and useful blocks up field instead of staying in the backfield wasting away long after the play is over.

While running the Stiff Arm that had guys bouncing off of you like they were made of rubber is out the window. Now you have a juke move and a spin that can't be touched. Don't listen to people catches, are easy to make and so are interceptions. You just can't run and catch you have to stop moving then jump, if you master it you will always come down with a 'Ception.

Some things are just too easy on any level, Rookie to all-star if I have Simeon Rice playing Left End I'm bound to sack the quarterback 3-6 times a game. Quarterback fumbles are really easy as well, pop him while he reels back and the ball is loose. Interceptions on the other hand do take some skill like I mentioned above, master the interception technique and have a good DE and you shut down everybody's offense.

The special teams' game has vastly improved. Running up the middle with a mega-fast guy actually works just like in real life! It's amazing, formally you had to go to the sideline and pray you could beat everybody and make a touchdown, you can just speed up the middle before the defense even has a chance to know what went by them. It doesn't always work use it too much and somebody's bound to tackle you.

The new kicking meter will take some getting use to; it's also realistic on the harder modes. Since the arrow will move faster depending on the wind, however most kickers have super legs so anything under 61 yards can go in if you know how to kick. Punting into the coffin corners is another story, it's extremely hard to do and you have to be lucky to get it to work.

The game has several flaws that can't be over looked, for example the extreme cheapness of the computer on all-star mode. They don't get better they just cheaper, it's like NFL Blitz in a way where you can be up by a lot of points and then suddenly the computer needs to be competitive by making TDs from kick off returns, and making successful onside kicks. The game is also unrealistic if you're down by more than 14 points you should always pass, the computer finds it fun to run where there down by points throwing traditional rules and way of playing football completely out the window

The replay value on this game is high because of because of online play and multi-player play. There's always a challenge out there or nearby, and even the single player modes will have you hopping back for more.

The Fun factor on it is high as well, it's easy to get into and hard to put down. It's not too difficult to do anything and since the controls are very responsive you won't be frustrated too much. The games seem to go by much faster than any Madden did and you're sure to have a great time while playing it.
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Summary

First off, I used to be a die hard dc fan a year ago, but recieved PS2 for x-mas. i immiediatly noticed the madden 2001 had incredible graphics knocking out nfl 2k1 and all competitors. i also noticed faster, more realistic gameplay. madden had the perfect run game, and a great passing game. nfl 2k1 had a fair passing game but only a select number of plays work. nfl 2k1 has an extremely easy run game, and even when cranked up to all-pro, i blow away any team i play. the overall feel of madden is so realistic, u will not want to drop ur controller. nfl 2k1's kicking game is the biggest piece of crap as well. Both games have completely different feels and controls - maddens is better for both. now on to graphics. nfl 2k1 has ok graphics but w/ the same amount of bits, e.a. probably has two times as good graphics. nfl 2k1 has to have the ugliest looking face-masks ever. u can barely c them and they ruin wut would be nice graphics. also - wuts up w/ qbs arms being so big??? madden has perfect player models, great helmets and stadiums to die for. nfl 2k1 winds in 2 catagories - special feature and sound thats it.
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