NBA Courtside 2002

Nintendojo

It does suffer from some of the same issues that original game had. Namely, the disjointed steal and alley oops, and the lack of visual or aural character that comprises the NBA.

Nintendo Power

With great sim style and arcade jams, NBA Courtside 2002 nets the best of both worlds. [Feb 2002, p.148]

GamePro

Features large, crisp player models with smooth animations. For once, the crowd in a basketball game looks halfway decent, and the bench players are full polygonal models.

Hot Games

The arcade mode isn't arcade enough, the practice mode is a no-brainer, and the 3-point mode is wickedly easy. Still, it's the first basketball game for the Game Cube, and right now it's also one of the better looking ones.

Game Informer

It's a pretty rocking title that can hang with the b-ball big boys. [Mar 2002, p.80]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Another cool feature is the adrenaline button, which lets you control the intensity of your special moves and dunks. [Mar 2002, p.140]

GameSpy

Even on the hard difficulty setting the AI is only a second from making a mistake that leaves the lane wide open for a monster slam. Shooting the three is not as easy because of the percentages, however, depending on the player, this can be exploited against the computer in a big way.

GameSpot

Solid in terms of gameplay and spectacular in the graphics department. However, the problems with its AI, the lack of zone defenses, the control issues, and the generally bland presentation keep it from achieving hoops simulation greatness.

Cloudchaser

There are match-ups and inconsistencies with the real NBA that are simply unacceptable and frustrating, especially when certain players successfully dunk numerous times when their real-life counterparts wouldn’t even dare to attempt such.

IGN

Computer AI, control issues, odd animations, and other things begin to wear on the experience. It's certainly not a bad basketball game, but it's definitely not as good as some others on the market.

netjak

If NBA Courtside 2002 would have included a customizable season/player, added a ZONE defense and bumped up the AI a few notches; this could have easily been my favorite basketball game to date.

TotalGames.net

We can't help but feel that videogames should be exciting and exhilarating to play rather than have the slightly plodding pace that this game offers.

Electric Playground

While it is fun in short spurts, there are too many issues to make it a first round pick.

GameCube Europe

The lack of options is a real bummer, as there isn’t much that will keep you entertained, other than the impressively large NBA season mode.

Yahoo! Games

It would have made a much better college game where blaring soundtracks and sparkling animation effects are not as important.

G4 TV

Not only does the commentary get old after a few games, but Ralph Lawler and Van Earl Wright, who provide the play-by-play commentary, sound eerily alike. The commentary may be accurate and colorful, but it'll be one of the first things you'll turn off when you want to concentrate on gameplay.

Game Revolution

[It] isn't a bad game by any stretch, it's just a confused one. Is it a simulation? Is it arcade action? It's both, I guess, but it doesn't do either as well as other games.

XenGamers

While the graphics are the best ever seen in a basketball title, they’re not enough to keep a title weighed down by horrible gameplay and sound afloat.