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Feature

Outstanding lifelike graphics and player animations
Excellent play-calling interface
Easy to learn and play, even for novices
Saved games take up too much memory on VMU

Description

Armchair quarterbacks and wannabe coaches will love Sega's NFL 2K, unarguably one of the best-looking sports video games ever made. Realistic plays are perfectly matched with equally realistic graphics--a sharp contrast to the hyperactive arcade qualities of NFL Blitz 2000. Not only are the players more detailed and lifelike than in any other game we've played, but their smooth moves and impressive array of animations make it hard to remember you're actually playing a game and not watching one on TV. You can even see the breath of each individual player during cold-weather games. NFL 2K also features a full-league fantasy draft, a tutorial mode, extensive game and season statistics, and excellent play and player creation options. Even its play-by-play and color commentary surpass other games on the market. All 31 NFL teams are included as are most of the real players, though each team does have a few generic guys with names like "Seahawks WR." Not surprisingly, some offseason transactions are not reflected in this game--namely, the Barry Sanders situation in Detroit. But he's in this game, so fire up NFL 2K and see Barry run again. Better yet, create a custom player designed to fit your style and sign him to your favorite team's roster. NFL 2K does not make any special use of the optional Visual Memory Unit, apart from saving your game and roster data. In fact, if this game has a flaw, it's that a single saved game fills up nearly an entire VMU. So if you want to save your game info in NFL 2K but don't want to save over other saved games, you will need another VMU. If you have even a passing interest in football, this is a must-buy, since it is clearly the new standard by which all future football--and other sports--video games will be judged. --Michael Ryan