Customer Reviews

NFL 2K2

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is still pretty early but NFL:2K2 looks to be a majior hit. This game includes...True-to-life quarterback logic - QBs act like they do in the pros. Want a guy who stands and delivers? Need a scrambler?

Enhanced passing and catching system - Pass play timing and execution is more intelligent and accurate than ever before!

Updated online functionality - Play head-to-head with up to 8 people nationwide and track your win/loss record to see how you rank amongst gamers online!

New player models with extreme detail - You'll recognize all your favorite players!

More player animations - New QB rollouts, improved RB spinning and stiff-arm moves, better grasping and tackling on D, and realistic stumbling for all players.

All new commentary - With more lines of dialogue than any NFL sim, NFL 2K2 delivers an unmatched variety of situation-specific dialogue.

Updated rosters, stadiums and team uniforms for the 2001 season.

Overall, NFL2k2 is a step down from its predecessor.

The improvements:
1) The secondary now knows how to play zone defense. This means there are a lot more blocked passes and INTs, and a lot fewer money plays.
2) Improved animations for tackling, passing, running, etc. Most animations are improved.
3) A more useful spin move.
4) More commentary.
5) Scrambling is now much more effective.

The Problems:
1) Player-controlled O-lines are ineffectual. Even the best linemen will often (not always, not even most of the time, but still too often to be realistic) just sit back and watch pass rushers come on in. They will also occasionally forget whether the play is a pass or run, causing major sack/run problems.
2) Receivers simply drop easily catchable passes far too often. How many flat out drops do you see in a real NFL game? Watching the Rams I generally see about 3 or 4 per game.
3) Fumbles happen too often. Even the best RBs will fumble. I have had a season where Faulk fumbled TWENTY-THREE times.
4) If a receiver is hit within a full second of catching a pass, the ball will be dropped (I've observed roughly a 90% chance).
5) Receivers jog routes instead of running them. This means it takes a LONG time for them to get open. When they do get open, you throw to them, and defenders have a lot of time to get there because the receiver is STILL jogging.
6) Low rated receivers (such as tight ends) catch the ball roughly 35%-50% of the time. Possibly less.

People are calling this more realistic because it makes the game harder on offense. A harder offense would definitely be more realistic than in NFL2k1, but Isaac Bruce dropping 7 passes in a row while wide open is NOT REALISTIC. Difficulty should arise from good defense, not from good, wide open receivers dropping easy passes. Pocket passers should not have to scramble as often as they do in this game (ineffectual o-lines). Do you really think Peyton Manning or Kurt Warner throw on the run more than half of their passing plays? Do you think the Rams' receivers are dangerous because they can jog?

NFL 2K2, as much as I hate to say it, is not a worthy successor to 2K1. While the graphical and defensive improvements are great, the passing game has suffered a torn ACL and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Maybe its backup on the XBox will be able to come in and play, but otherwise...

I own NFL 2k and never did buy 2k1, I picked up 2k2 this weekend and I have had a hard time putting it down, this is the best football game I have ever played, it is nearly perfect, it is nice to have to really think and gameplan to win at this game. Running the ball is a ton of fun and the passing game is vastly improved, Improving on what I thought was a great 2k game seemed to me nearly impossible. The more realistic moves by the players and the qb's rolling out is very cool. I can't understand anyone who has had that much trouble completing passes, you have to think quickly and anticipate the routes just like a real qb. It is refreshing to have the computer play you tough, blowing out the computer time after time is boring, I wanted tough hard fought football with the occasional blowout, and I found that here. Also the stats are so much more realistic and the franchise mode is unbelievable. This game will keep you up nights literally. I highly recommend this game to anyone who loves the NFL and wants realism in their gameplay this game is the bomb. I highly recommend it to real football fans.

Ok, i'd like to start out by saying that any of you who think that the passing is too hard for you just need to stop whining. Have you ever thought that the problem may be you? I spent months mastering NFL2K1 and i consider NFL2K2 a major step up. It is much more realistic and there's nothing wrong with the passing at all. If you ave problems with interceptions, you should just stop trying to through 40 yard passes into triple coverage. The game is much more realistic by their interceptions, and you have to go short to tight ends. I go long maybe 5 times a game tops, because it's not a safe thing to do. The oonly defaults i have found in the game are running to the outside is near impossible unless you have a perfect line, and some passes where the receiver is hit and should be an incomplete pass, are ruled as fumbles. Also, i was eagerly awaiting the addition of a coaches challenge, but failed to see it. All in all it is a great game, well worthy of your attention. All of you who are whining about it's too hard (...) need to just learn how to play and stop whining about it. GREAT GAME

NFL2K2 is a great game. Fairly similar to NFL2K1, the graphics have been enhanced by a little bit in every aspect. Quarterback Behavior is much better and makes the Offense much more realistc than in the previous versions of NFL2KX. Stumbling, Tackles, and other moves makes the game enhance it to a more realistic level of enjoyment. Commentary has been greatly improved; yet the AI for the commentary needs to learn what a turnover is and what an incomplete pass is. Otherwise, Commentary is excellent. Plays updated a bit for each NFL Team. Player and Team Customizations only effect Season, Exhibition, Custom Seasons or Tourns. They will not enter effect for the Franchise Option though, a disappointing factor.

The only other disappointing factor of the game is that when it was pressed, made, and shipped to merchants ... it was the roster for the last Preseason Game for NFL2K2. A big disappointment if you are looking for some of the players you had expected, probably won't be there, unless an online updated is made available.

Overall the game get's five stars even with the minor problems. Hopefully, an update patch for the rosters does become available soon!

I had such high hopes for NFL2K2. I think the game designers must never watch football. Rookie level is too easy and Pro level is too difficult.
If you try to pass alot you will be sacked and picked off all the time. The receivers drop way too many passes. If they get hit just after cathing a pass they will almost always drop it. I've had Marving Harrison drop five passes in one game alone. Just try and use deep routes or any routes across the middle. Good luck.
You get sacked way too frequently, no matter how good your o-line is. The AI rarely blitzes so he's got plenty of coverage on passing, on every play. Heck with invincible defensive takles/ends he doesn't need to blitz. I assembled a top notch offensive line only to watch the AI consistently blow right by the tackles and guards.
The AI defense is psycic, of course. He's always got the pass defense ready whenever you pass. His receivers drop passes far less than yours. It's a crack up watching the AI QB's have 60% to 70% completion rates using Tony Banks, and Kordell Stewart. Meanwhile you will have 30% to 40% using Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning. His o-line is always good and you'll rarely sack him. His running backs break tackles almost every play, no matter who's running. Let's not forget his always perfect punts. On and on and on.
On the positive side, the graphics are great. The running game is fantastic. It is the only way your going to consistently move the ball down field. The franchise mode is good, but not on par with Madden. The player stats seem well thought out.
Overall, though, I regret buying this game. I have NFL2K1 and I love it. I consider myself very good at this game, especially at passing (maximum). So, I know what I'm talking about with my complaints about the passing in NFL2K2.
So, if you love seeing dropped passes, getting sacked and intercepted, this game is for you.

Look, all I know is that during the last two seasons Marshall Faulk and Fred Taylor had over 2000 yards and my favorite receiver (myself) had over 5000 yards receiving in both seasons. This was done on pro mode exclusively using 10 minute quarters. All team and player averages were in line with other teams at the end of the year, so there wasn't any excessive amount of plays etc. Passing and running are just like anything else, you've got to develop the right timing and know when to throw and what plays to call and what routes to use. So far as dropping pases, have you watched an NFL game lately? Need I say more? The graphics on this game are second to none. The players are a little too buff, but proportionate. As for defense, when calling the right plays you can shut down just about any offense. I routinely hold teams to under 75 yard rushing and get about 2 to 3 sacks per game no matter who I'm playing against. AI seems to account for hurried passing also and passes are sometimes over and underthrown. I have noticed that AI will punish you for bad decision making, such as dropping the hammer on you with a big yardage play or score after a failed 4th down attempt, but that's pretty easy to overcome, make better decisions. The game is all that! My only dissapointment is that Sega, for whatever reason is no longer going to provide new software for Dreamcast. I think that is a BAD move! I don't like the graphics or prices of the other platforms, so I don't know what I'll do from here.

So Visual Concepts hasn't give the Dreamcast gamers as much love as we had expected. So what? True, most of the game is virtually the same (some old bugs still exist from NFL2K1), albeit the updates, new animations, new interface, more appropriate music, internet "win/lost" and "dropped games" tracking, a little more commentary, a more realistic running game, and a completely revamped passing game(as if that isn't enough to keep one happy). The game still rocks as you can see!

Oh, and about the running game again, you'll have a more challenging time running outside the tackles than inside even with an agile, wiley speedster such as Warrick Dunn or Marshall Faulk. There should be better balance there. I've often tried reasoning away why Visual Concepts did this and came to the opinionated conclusion that they are just strung thin right now with Sega going multiplatform. Most of the bugs and glitches are small, and overall, I'm being nitpicky. So keep that in mind.

So give Visual Concepts some props by giving us very playable, fun games up there with the likes of EA and usually better gameplay and more appropriate proportional player models. (See EA's "fatty" football player models vs. VC's "realistic" football models and tell me who's player models look more realistically proportional?) EA's Madden series has one thing that VC's NFL2K series doesn't have yet, and that is a load of playing modes, more challenging franchise mode, and little extras (such as changing jersey colors). But, I'll take gameplay over extras anyday!

Forgive my review that has turned into the VC vs. EA comparison towards the end. I kinda got off in a tangent. The point is, I recommend buying it, if you still love playing last year's NFL2K1, you'll have love for playing the new, improved NFL2K2. And you can't coach that!

This is an awesome game here! There has never been a better football simulation than this. It's very challenging, you gotta bring your A+ game if you want to win. The graphics are spectacular, and so is the gameplay. The commentating is right on the money 99% of the time, and they are funny as hell! Anyone who has ever touched a football in their life should get this game. I'm not kiddin, it's most definitely worth your prescious moola.

A lot of people complain about the difficulty of passing in NFL2K2. A lot of people think that Pro level is too hard. I think all of these people are not true gamers. NFL 2K2 is one of the best football games I have ever played. It's a game you have to own and master. You don't jump to the pros without first being a rookie. It's a game you take step by step to get better with. It took me about 3 weeks to get really good at playing this game. You just have to be very smart in your decisions as a coach mixing up run plays with passing plays. As quaterback, don't go throwing to players on double coverage. Neither should you test the ability of all pro cornerbacks. This game is very realistic and in my opinion has one of the best graphics of all football games. If you can play this game, Madden will be a piece of cake.
The only weakness in this game is the franchise mode. I think it would be much cooler if you could create players and use them in franchise mode. Apart from this, this game is one of the best yet.