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Not all video games are created equal. Of course, our founding fathers may have some differing opposing when it comes to people, but its clear that only in a perfect world would we get triple A titles at every release. If every game was like NFL 2k1 yours truly and all the other reviewers and journalists in the industry would be out of a job. And nobody would read us anymore, because they would all be playing SegaNet fifteen hours a day, like some EverQuest junkie.
Now, we all know that this game rocks, I would be safe to bet that every one of you reading this probably thought NFL 2k1 would at the very least be one of the leading Dreamcast titles. So exclaiming that its graphics rock, it sounds superb, and the handling is just out of this world would just reaffirm everything we've already come to equate with NFL 2k1.
The big question that has been on everybody's mind since the day it hit the market has been: "How does NFL 2k1 play online?" If you've ever experience online multiplayer gaming on the PC you know this can be a nightmare at times. Even for stalwart EverQuest fans, it means an existence forever threatened by going "link dead" and visual slowdown. Or, if you've got an affinity for Quake 3, being a 500-ping biotch and getting the smackdown laid on you by the no pingers.
NFL 2k1 is not without its problems connecting and playing online. Now, I will admit my earliest impressions with the game were sterling. Playing at 1AM against a staffer and fellow SegaNet subscriber every match went with superlative grace, and an almost non-existent latency. That was the first Friday after the service launched. By the following Saturday night, playing against one of our Forum Moderators the story was completely different.
Initially, we blamed the lag issues on his Internet connection. Everyone I had played till him had been using SegaNet, and the company had already promised better response times through their dial-up. With that in mind he opened his SegaNet account, and we figured the problem had been resolved. Team selection went well, both of our ratings slide between "Good" and "Fair" and up until kick-off it seemed like the new match was going to rock. Then the impossible happened.
"You've lost contact with the other player, attempting to reconnect." Came the automated service announcement from the game. Before even the kick off and first play were commenced NFL 2k1 had locked up and we had to start a new match. Thankfully, this only happened once, and while we had experienced more visible latency when my opponent was using his local ISP, using SegaNet took care of many, though not all, of the problems.
With or without the latency problems NFL 2k1 can be a blast to play online. Offering such a sophisticated passing and running system, which makes all the moves feasible, it's literally the Virtua Fighter of football games. The game can easily be picked up, but it takes lots of practice to master and even more dedication to become one of those transcended players who can kick the butts of people like me using your feet with your eyes closed.
Furthermore, the connection problems have as many different stories as there are users of the networks. Others have provided worse horror stories, from not having a local dial-up to experience tremendous lag. But for the bulk of the gamers, and through my personal experience and those of some of my collegues, NFL 2k1 runs smoother than anything you could ask of a PC using a 56k modem. That's something we need to remember, we're playing very smooth games of football on a modem that is all but out-dated for online multiplayer PC titles.
Considering that NFL 2k1 has run as well as it has, being SegaNet's first official game is commendable on the part of Sega. They've brought the sport to the Dreamcast, and ultimately this could do great things for the console when it has to go up against the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Sega is the only one of the Big Three with a serious, organized, and achievable online plan. Sony wants to wait around till broadband gets big so they can offer movies and games for download; Nintendo thinks its enough that they're including the modem as an add-on peripheral when their box arrives.
So, with the beginning of SegaNet and NFL 2k1 offering such prominent online features all future reviews with this kind of multiplayer games will have a special online rating. NFL 2k1 scores well for bringing the spirit over the phone lines, and we really recommend that you pick up a Dreamcast Keyboard. As the book says, "you'll want to talk some smack." And there's no better feeling than showing the love when your team pulls off an unbelievable play then gains twenty yards for a Touch Down.
It's obvious that there's a real community spirit with this latest version of football, and honestly it devoured my weekend and much of the experience with NFL 2k1 is based on numerous online matches with friends and strangers. But, moving beyond online play, its very clear that Greg Harris has made good on his promise to take sequels to a new level.
During offline matches NFL 2k1 suffers no slowdown. Football players look absolutely fantastic; team jersey and players are easily discernable. Tons of stadiums will guarantee every fan his hometown, with each looking simply splendid. "Bad" is not in NFL 2k1's vocabulary when it comes to the graphics. The animations flow smoothly, lots of different frames for various moves, injuries, show-off, and plays. Tackles look awesome, and its rush to break through your opponents smoothly animated line with a running play that doesn't skip a beat, looking genuine from the snap to the Touch Down.
And here's a game that can really handle running play! Yours truly thoroughly stink and these kinds of plays on other games, not only do other football titles make it next to impossible to pull these off effectively, the routes are never well displayed. NFL 2k1 takes care of that superbly, offering large, easy-to-read playbooks that diagram how each offensive and defensive play ought to unfold. Furthermore, every team has their own book with varying plays, and if you feel you're skilled enough to create your own NFL 2k1 will play to the fantasies of every major football nut owning a Dreamcast. And yes, there's even an option to create your own franchise or even a fantasy football league!!
NFL 2k1 also does some justice to the sound, as well. Tackles, snaps, voices, the crowd, the announcers, you name it; it's been done well. Players can taunt the other teams, and much of the dialogue is pretty good. Crowds respond to the action on the field, the developers didn't simply set it to loop with the rumble of a large audience. Furthermore, this is the best commentary I have seen in any game. Not only were the two announcers well recorded, they aren't repetitive! And, what may seem less believable than flying pigs the commentary they provide is actual INFORMATIVE. They give their opinions, crack jokes, cut to the on-field reporter for injury status reports, and do a superb job further immersing gamers into the genuine experience of NFL 2k1.
Sega Sports has listened to and answered the wishes of football fans all across the United States. For one of the country's most popular sports they do the license justice, and with the combination of online play can even turn casual fans into rabid otaku. Sure, the networking option isn't perfect, but it still captures the essence of the sport and is the only game of its kind on any console that lets you play friends from sea to shining sea. NFL 2k1 is the crown jewel of the Dreamcast sports line up, and one of the most prominent and most entertaining experiences to be had this Fall.
Now, we all know that this game rocks, I would be safe to bet that every one of you reading this probably thought NFL 2k1 would at the very least be one of the leading Dreamcast titles. So exclaiming that its graphics rock, it sounds superb, and the handling is just out of this world would just reaffirm everything we've already come to equate with NFL 2k1.
The big question that has been on everybody's mind since the day it hit the market has been: "How does NFL 2k1 play online?" If you've ever experience online multiplayer gaming on the PC you know this can be a nightmare at times. Even for stalwart EverQuest fans, it means an existence forever threatened by going "link dead" and visual slowdown. Or, if you've got an affinity for Quake 3, being a 500-ping biotch and getting the smackdown laid on you by the no pingers.
NFL 2k1 is not without its problems connecting and playing online. Now, I will admit my earliest impressions with the game were sterling. Playing at 1AM against a staffer and fellow SegaNet subscriber every match went with superlative grace, and an almost non-existent latency. That was the first Friday after the service launched. By the following Saturday night, playing against one of our Forum Moderators the story was completely different.
Initially, we blamed the lag issues on his Internet connection. Everyone I had played till him had been using SegaNet, and the company had already promised better response times through their dial-up. With that in mind he opened his SegaNet account, and we figured the problem had been resolved. Team selection went well, both of our ratings slide between "Good" and "Fair" and up until kick-off it seemed like the new match was going to rock. Then the impossible happened.
"You've lost contact with the other player, attempting to reconnect." Came the automated service announcement from the game. Before even the kick off and first play were commenced NFL 2k1 had locked up and we had to start a new match. Thankfully, this only happened once, and while we had experienced more visible latency when my opponent was using his local ISP, using SegaNet took care of many, though not all, of the problems.
With or without the latency problems NFL 2k1 can be a blast to play online. Offering such a sophisticated passing and running system, which makes all the moves feasible, it's literally the Virtua Fighter of football games. The game can easily be picked up, but it takes lots of practice to master and even more dedication to become one of those transcended players who can kick the butts of people like me using your feet with your eyes closed.
Furthermore, the connection problems have as many different stories as there are users of the networks. Others have provided worse horror stories, from not having a local dial-up to experience tremendous lag. But for the bulk of the gamers, and through my personal experience and those of some of my collegues, NFL 2k1 runs smoother than anything you could ask of a PC using a 56k modem. That's something we need to remember, we're playing very smooth games of football on a modem that is all but out-dated for online multiplayer PC titles.
Considering that NFL 2k1 has run as well as it has, being SegaNet's first official game is commendable on the part of Sega. They've brought the sport to the Dreamcast, and ultimately this could do great things for the console when it has to go up against the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Sega is the only one of the Big Three with a serious, organized, and achievable online plan. Sony wants to wait around till broadband gets big so they can offer movies and games for download; Nintendo thinks its enough that they're including the modem as an add-on peripheral when their box arrives.
So, with the beginning of SegaNet and NFL 2k1 offering such prominent online features all future reviews with this kind of multiplayer games will have a special online rating. NFL 2k1 scores well for bringing the spirit over the phone lines, and we really recommend that you pick up a Dreamcast Keyboard. As the book says, "you'll want to talk some smack." And there's no better feeling than showing the love when your team pulls off an unbelievable play then gains twenty yards for a Touch Down.
It's obvious that there's a real community spirit with this latest version of football, and honestly it devoured my weekend and much of the experience with NFL 2k1 is based on numerous online matches with friends and strangers. But, moving beyond online play, its very clear that Greg Harris has made good on his promise to take sequels to a new level.
During offline matches NFL 2k1 suffers no slowdown. Football players look absolutely fantastic; team jersey and players are easily discernable. Tons of stadiums will guarantee every fan his hometown, with each looking simply splendid. "Bad" is not in NFL 2k1's vocabulary when it comes to the graphics. The animations flow smoothly, lots of different frames for various moves, injuries, show-off, and plays. Tackles look awesome, and its rush to break through your opponents smoothly animated line with a running play that doesn't skip a beat, looking genuine from the snap to the Touch Down.
And here's a game that can really handle running play! Yours truly thoroughly stink and these kinds of plays on other games, not only do other football titles make it next to impossible to pull these off effectively, the routes are never well displayed. NFL 2k1 takes care of that superbly, offering large, easy-to-read playbooks that diagram how each offensive and defensive play ought to unfold. Furthermore, every team has their own book with varying plays, and if you feel you're skilled enough to create your own NFL 2k1 will play to the fantasies of every major football nut owning a Dreamcast. And yes, there's even an option to create your own franchise or even a fantasy football league!!
NFL 2k1 also does some justice to the sound, as well. Tackles, snaps, voices, the crowd, the announcers, you name it; it's been done well. Players can taunt the other teams, and much of the dialogue is pretty good. Crowds respond to the action on the field, the developers didn't simply set it to loop with the rumble of a large audience. Furthermore, this is the best commentary I have seen in any game. Not only were the two announcers well recorded, they aren't repetitive! And, what may seem less believable than flying pigs the commentary they provide is actual INFORMATIVE. They give their opinions, crack jokes, cut to the on-field reporter for injury status reports, and do a superb job further immersing gamers into the genuine experience of NFL 2k1.
Sega Sports has listened to and answered the wishes of football fans all across the United States. For one of the country's most popular sports they do the license justice, and with the combination of online play can even turn casual fans into rabid otaku. Sure, the networking option isn't perfect, but it still captures the essence of the sport and is the only game of its kind on any console that lets you play friends from sea to shining sea. NFL 2k1 is the crown jewel of the Dreamcast sports line up, and one of the most prominent and most entertaining experiences to be had this Fall.
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Not all video games are created equal. Of course, our founding fathers may have some differing opposing when it comes to people, but its clear that only in a perfect world would we get triple A titles at every release. If every game was like NFL 2k1 yours truly and all the other reviewers and journalists in the industry would be out of a job. And nobody would read us anymore, because they would all be playing SegaNet fifteen hours a day, like some EverQuest junkie.
Now, we all know that this game rocks, I would be safe to bet that every one of you reading this probably thought NFL 2k1 would at the very least be one of the leading Dreamcast titles. So exclaiming that its graphics rock, it sounds superb, and the handling is just out of this world would just reaffirm everything we've already come to equate with NFL 2k1.
The big question that has been on everybody's mind since the day it hit the market has been: "How does NFL 2k1 play online?" If you've ever experience online multiplayer gaming on the PC you know this can be a nightmare at times. Even for stalwart EverQuest fans, it means an existence forever threatened by going "link dead" and visual slowdown. Or, if you've got an affinity for Quake 3, being a 500-ping biotch and getting the smackdown laid on you by the no pingers.
NFL 2k1 is not without its problems connecting and playing online. Now, I will admit my earliest impressions with the game were sterling. Playing at 1AM against a staffer and fellow SegaNet subscriber every match went with superlative grace, and an almost non-existent latency. That was the first Friday after the service launched. By the following Saturday night, playing against one of our Forum Moderators the story was completely different.
Initially, we blamed the lag issues on his Internet connection. Everyone I had played till him had been using SegaNet, and the company had already promised better response times through their dial-up. With that in mind he opened his SegaNet account, and we figured the problem had been resolved. Team selection went well, both of our ratings slide between "Good" and "Fair" and up until kick-off it seemed like the new match was going to rock. Then the impossible happened.
"You've lost contact with the other player, attempting to reconnect." Came the automated service announcement from the game. Before even the kick off and first play were commenced NFL 2k1 had locked up and we had to start a new match. Thankfully, this only happened once, and while we had experienced more visible latency when my opponent was using his local ISP, using SegaNet took care of many, though not all, of the problems.
With or without the latency problems NFL 2k1 can be a blast to play online. Offering such a sophisticated passing and running system, which makes all the moves feasible, it's literally the Virtua Fighter of football games. The game can easily be picked up, but it takes lots of practice to master and even more dedication to become one of those transcended players who can kick the butts of people like me using your feet with your eyes closed.
Furthermore, the connection problems have as many different stories as there are users of the networks. Others have provided worse horror stories, from not having a local dial-up to experience tremendous lag. But for the bulk of the gamers, and through my personal experience and those of some of my collegues, NFL 2k1 runs smoother than anything you could ask of a PC using a 56k modem. That's something we need to remember, we're playing very smooth games of football on a modem that is all but out-dated for online multiplayer PC titles.
Considering that NFL 2k1 has run as well as it has, being SegaNet's first official game is commendable on the part of Sega. They've brought the sport to the Dreamcast, and ultimately this could do great things for the console when it has to go up against the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Sega is the only one of the Big Three with a serious, organized, and achievable online plan. Sony wants to wait around till broadband gets big so they can offer movies and games for download; Nintendo thinks its enough that they're including the modem as an add-on peripheral when their box arrives.
So, with the beginning of SegaNet and NFL 2k1 offering such prominent online features all future reviews with this kind of multiplayer games will have a special online rating. NFL 2k1 scores well for bringing the spirit over the phone lines, and we really recommend that you pick up a Dreamcast Keyboard. As the book says, "you'll want to talk some smack." And there's no better feeling than showing the love when your team pulls off an unbelievable play then gains twenty yards for a Touch Down.
It's obvious that there's a real community spirit with this latest version of football, and honestly it devoured my weekend and much of the experience with NFL 2k1 is based on numerous online matches with friends and strangers. But, moving beyond online play, its very clear that Greg Harris has made good on his promise to take sequels to a new level.
During offline matches NFL 2k1 suffers no slowdown. Football players look absolutely fantastic; team jersey and players are easily discernable. Tons of stadiums will guarantee every fan his hometown, with each looking simply splendid. "Bad" is not in NFL 2k1's vocabulary when it comes to the graphics. The animations flow smoothly, lots of different frames for various moves, injuries, show-off, and plays. Tackles look awesome, and its rush to break through your opponents smoothly animated line with a running play that doesn't skip a beat, looking genuine from the snap to the Touch Down.
And here's a game that can really handle running play! Yours truly thoroughly stink and these kinds of plays on other games, not only do other football titles make it next to impossible to pull these off effectively, the routes are never well displayed. NFL 2k1 takes care of that superbly, offering large, easy-to-read playbooks that diagram how each offensive and defensive play ought to unfold. Furthermore, every team has their own book with varying plays, and if you feel you're skilled enough to create your own NFL 2k1 will play to the fantasies of every major football nut owning a Dreamcast. And yes, there's even an option to create your own franchise or even a fantasy football league!!
NFL 2k1 also does some justice to the sound, as well. Tackles, snaps, voices, the crowd, the announcers, you name it; it's been done well. Players can taunt the other teams, and much of the dialogue is pretty good. Crowds respond to the action on the field, the developers didn't simply set it to loop with the rumble of a large audience. Furthermore, this is the best commentary I have seen in any game. Not only were the two announcers well recorded, they aren't repetitive! And, what may seem less believable than flying pigs the commentary they provide is actual INFORMATIVE. They give their opinions, crack jokes, cut to the on-field reporter for injury status reports, and do a superb job further immersing gamers into the genuine experience of NFL 2k1.
Sega Sports has listened to and answered the wishes of football fans all across the United States. For one of the country's most popular sports they do the license justice, and with the combination of online play can even turn casual fans into rabid otaku. Sure, the networking option isn't perfect, but it still captures the essence of the sport and is the only game of its kind on any console that lets you play friends from sea to shining sea. NFL 2k1 is the crown jewel of the Dreamcast sports line up, and one of the most prominent and most entertaining experiences to be had this Fall.
Now, we all know that this game rocks, I would be safe to bet that every one of you reading this probably thought NFL 2k1 would at the very least be one of the leading Dreamcast titles. So exclaiming that its graphics rock, it sounds superb, and the handling is just out of this world would just reaffirm everything we've already come to equate with NFL 2k1.
The big question that has been on everybody's mind since the day it hit the market has been: "How does NFL 2k1 play online?" If you've ever experience online multiplayer gaming on the PC you know this can be a nightmare at times. Even for stalwart EverQuest fans, it means an existence forever threatened by going "link dead" and visual slowdown. Or, if you've got an affinity for Quake 3, being a 500-ping biotch and getting the smackdown laid on you by the no pingers.
NFL 2k1 is not without its problems connecting and playing online. Now, I will admit my earliest impressions with the game were sterling. Playing at 1AM against a staffer and fellow SegaNet subscriber every match went with superlative grace, and an almost non-existent latency. That was the first Friday after the service launched. By the following Saturday night, playing against one of our Forum Moderators the story was completely different.
Initially, we blamed the lag issues on his Internet connection. Everyone I had played till him had been using SegaNet, and the company had already promised better response times through their dial-up. With that in mind he opened his SegaNet account, and we figured the problem had been resolved. Team selection went well, both of our ratings slide between "Good" and "Fair" and up until kick-off it seemed like the new match was going to rock. Then the impossible happened.
"You've lost contact with the other player, attempting to reconnect." Came the automated service announcement from the game. Before even the kick off and first play were commenced NFL 2k1 had locked up and we had to start a new match. Thankfully, this only happened once, and while we had experienced more visible latency when my opponent was using his local ISP, using SegaNet took care of many, though not all, of the problems.
With or without the latency problems NFL 2k1 can be a blast to play online. Offering such a sophisticated passing and running system, which makes all the moves feasible, it's literally the Virtua Fighter of football games. The game can easily be picked up, but it takes lots of practice to master and even more dedication to become one of those transcended players who can kick the butts of people like me using your feet with your eyes closed.
Furthermore, the connection problems have as many different stories as there are users of the networks. Others have provided worse horror stories, from not having a local dial-up to experience tremendous lag. But for the bulk of the gamers, and through my personal experience and those of some of my collegues, NFL 2k1 runs smoother than anything you could ask of a PC using a 56k modem. That's something we need to remember, we're playing very smooth games of football on a modem that is all but out-dated for online multiplayer PC titles.
Considering that NFL 2k1 has run as well as it has, being SegaNet's first official game is commendable on the part of Sega. They've brought the sport to the Dreamcast, and ultimately this could do great things for the console when it has to go up against the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Sega is the only one of the Big Three with a serious, organized, and achievable online plan. Sony wants to wait around till broadband gets big so they can offer movies and games for download; Nintendo thinks its enough that they're including the modem as an add-on peripheral when their box arrives.
So, with the beginning of SegaNet and NFL 2k1 offering such prominent online features all future reviews with this kind of multiplayer games will have a special online rating. NFL 2k1 scores well for bringing the spirit over the phone lines, and we really recommend that you pick up a Dreamcast Keyboard. As the book says, "you'll want to talk some smack." And there's no better feeling than showing the love when your team pulls off an unbelievable play then gains twenty yards for a Touch Down.
It's obvious that there's a real community spirit with this latest version of football, and honestly it devoured my weekend and much of the experience with NFL 2k1 is based on numerous online matches with friends and strangers. But, moving beyond online play, its very clear that Greg Harris has made good on his promise to take sequels to a new level.
During offline matches NFL 2k1 suffers no slowdown. Football players look absolutely fantastic; team jersey and players are easily discernable. Tons of stadiums will guarantee every fan his hometown, with each looking simply splendid. "Bad" is not in NFL 2k1's vocabulary when it comes to the graphics. The animations flow smoothly, lots of different frames for various moves, injuries, show-off, and plays. Tackles look awesome, and its rush to break through your opponents smoothly animated line with a running play that doesn't skip a beat, looking genuine from the snap to the Touch Down.
And here's a game that can really handle running play! Yours truly thoroughly stink and these kinds of plays on other games, not only do other football titles make it next to impossible to pull these off effectively, the routes are never well displayed. NFL 2k1 takes care of that superbly, offering large, easy-to-read playbooks that diagram how each offensive and defensive play ought to unfold. Furthermore, every team has their own book with varying plays, and if you feel you're skilled enough to create your own NFL 2k1 will play to the fantasies of every major football nut owning a Dreamcast. And yes, there's even an option to create your own franchise or even a fantasy football league!!
NFL 2k1 also does some justice to the sound, as well. Tackles, snaps, voices, the crowd, the announcers, you name it; it's been done well. Players can taunt the other teams, and much of the dialogue is pretty good. Crowds respond to the action on the field, the developers didn't simply set it to loop with the rumble of a large audience. Furthermore, this is the best commentary I have seen in any game. Not only were the two announcers well recorded, they aren't repetitive! And, what may seem less believable than flying pigs the commentary they provide is actual INFORMATIVE. They give their opinions, crack jokes, cut to the on-field reporter for injury status reports, and do a superb job further immersing gamers into the genuine experience of NFL 2k1.
Sega Sports has listened to and answered the wishes of football fans all across the United States. For one of the country's most popular sports they do the license justice, and with the combination of online play can even turn casual fans into rabid otaku. Sure, the networking option isn't perfect, but it still captures the essence of the sport and is the only game of its kind on any console that lets you play friends from sea to shining sea. NFL 2k1 is the crown jewel of the Dreamcast sports line up, and one of the most prominent and most entertaining experiences to be had this Fall.