The item that NBA 2K3 does best is it simulates the NBA game better than any game to date. What I mean by this is there isn’t a huge disparity between the superstar players and the good players, making the playing field much more level. Also three pointers don’t just rain from the sky every game and you don’t make too many if you are not open. Defense is a key factor as well, the defensive AI is much smarter and the computer players don’t just watch other players score just because it is not their defensive assignment. The default pace of the game is a little slow, but thanks to the gameplay sliders that VC added in this season, you can adjust the game to feel much more like the pace that is played at the pro level. Graphically NBA 2K3 looks a lot like 2K2 with a few added animations, at times it seems like the added animations happen a bit too much (I’m talking about the juggling catching animations specifically.), but the new dunks along with the ability to go tabletop to save a ball from going out of bounds is a great animation, as well as, a great feature.

The true heart and soul of this game lies within its franchise mode, NBA 2K3 offers a busload of options for the gamer trying to start a new NBA dynasty. One of the newest options implemented in this game was the ability to hire and fire your team’s coach. True NBA 2K3 is not the first console sports where you can hire and fire coaches, but it is the first console basketball to do it. Also, the end of the season activies is put together extremely well, giving you the options to re-sign your own players and to explore the free-agent market. Of course budget is a factor and as with the NFL there is a salary cap in place in the NBA, but unlike the NFL you can go over budget when you are re-signing your own players; so watching your team’s budget is an on going project for the couch GMs of the world. That leaves us to the draft, the way NBA 2K3 handles the draft is serious fun for the casual gamer and the hardcore GM wannabes. NBA 2K3 allows you to have personal workouts with your future NBA hopeful; these workouts give you vital information about the player’s abilities and who their playing style is most compared to in the NBA. Also NBA 2K3 gives you the option to go through a rebuilding phase with your team, giving you the flexibility to assign budget to the drafting process, allowing you to prioritize the importance of the draft to your team’s current situation.

Even with the expectations set from last year’s shining success, the gang from Visual Concepts created an even more realistic basketball experience then their last installment. It is truly rare these days to say that a game has almost no flaws in it, but Sega’s NBA 2K3 is one of those rare and precious titles. The bottom line is a basketball game that has almost airtight controls, wonderful graphics, along with the most immersed franchise mode you can find, (outside of working for your local team’s front office) can only described as a finely tune and polished basketball game worth buying no matter what system you own.