Left Field

Right from opening menus of the game, I already got my first sign that I was in for a stinker. The aesthetics of the menus could only be described as butt-ugly. It almost looks like the graphics and design was lifted straight out of the N64 version, washed out colors and tacky 3D graphics in all.

Game Description: Developed exclusively for Nintendo GameCube by Nintendo and Left Field, NBA Courtside 2002 taps into the power of GameCube to deliver authentic NBA action like never before. Up to four players can hit the hardwood simultaneously and talk trash to their hearts' content as they bust sweet crossovers, first-step jukes, and monster dunks.

Its tough to disagree with a lot of Chi's gripes about NBA Courtside 2002, but I dont believe that the game is as bad as Chi says. I liked the mechanical-themed menus. I thought that the players looked fairly realistic, and I have not seen a basketball game with accurate faces like Courtside has. I appreciated Courtsides slower pacing, as compared to a fast-paced arcade basketball game like NBA Jam. The game is far from perfect, Ill grant you thatbut it is a very playable basketball game that can potentially serve as the foundation for an even better sequel.

If there's one thing that Nintendo has in its corner, it's the huge collection of franchises that it can go to time and again when in need. With the Nintendo 64 needing to prove itself to the masses, Nintendo tapped Super Mario to showcase the system in the form of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Kart 64. As things became more dire, Star Fox 64 and The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time appeared in all their 64-bit glory to quiet the naysayers. But now as the console reaches the end of its lifecycle, Nintendo seems to be tapping even more of its properties lately. Donkey Kong saw some action last year, and this year Nintendo picked its ancient racing classic that hasn't seen the light of day since the 8-bit NES console was in the talk of the town. I'm talking about Excitebike, the high-flying, 2-D, motoracing title that was a hit in the '80s, but is back in full 3-D under the name Excitebike 64.

Game Description: Excitebike 64 is an updated version of the classic NES game Excitebike. This realistic motorcycle racing simulation features high-resolution graphics, three progressive bike classes, and both a rider and track editor. Speed through six outdoor courses and six indoor stunt tracks. You can also show off over 32 stunt tricks in this fast action game. As an added bonus, the original NES version is hidden inside this game.

Excitebike 64 is another fun Nintendo racer for the Nintendo 64—no surprise when you consider how much it has in common with Mario Kart 64, Wave Race 64 and F-Zero X. They're all structured exactly the same, but that's okay. All of those games were way fun, and each gave us a different way to race—go karts, jet skis, futuristic hovercraft. With Excitebike 64, we get the Nintendo treatment with dirt bikes, specifically Motocross and Supercross racing.

The main problem is that Courtside 2's attempts to improve upon the original either do not alleviate the old flaws or end up unearthing entirely new ones. For example, foul calls were extremely unbalanced in the original Courtside.