NBA Inside Drive 2002 (XB)

Coming from the same people who recently released 'NFL FEVER' on the Xbox, this NBA title will be a force to reckon with. This game is made to appeal to even casual Basketball fans, and at the same time it shows off the impressive power of the XBox. Never before has this much attention been given to detail in a console Basketball game. Mind blowing details such as finger movement, texture and creases in clothing, and facial and muscle texture and contour as evident in the FEVER title. Attention down the the last spec has also been given to each arena down to the last seat, and even banners and retired jerseys that are actually displayed in the real life arenas. Similar to the crowd in NFL Fever, in Inside Drive the crowd is quite detailed and animated and reacts accordingly to the action on the court and if you are the home team and are facing an embarassing blowout, you will start to see the crowd eventually empty out of the arena in the 2nd half. Gameplay options are exhibition, season, and playoffs -- a simulation mode will not be added until next year, but you will have the ability to trade players and sign and release free agents as you would expect in any Basketball game. On the court the game gives you some impressive abilities such as high-flying dunks and "stop and pop" three-pointers, as well as a strong rebounding system on defense. For example, the left trigger can be used to box out, and players aggressively go for boards on command. This game features superstar Vince Carter of the Raptors on the cover and nice play by play commentary by Seattle Sonics announcers Kevin Calabro and Marcus Johnson. Overall this is an basketball title that no NBA fan should miss out on, in a competitive NBA video game market.