NBA Courtside 2002 – Consumer Guide

Parents, if your kids are itching for a basketball game on the GameCube, I again recommend waiting for NBA Street. But if theyre young enough and cant tell the difference between quality and crap, Courtside 2002 might suffice. If your kids even have a shred of taste, keep this title away from them unless you are trying to teach them about lifes disappointments. 

For fans of arcade-style basketball games like NBA Jam, NBA Courtside 2002 has a so-so arcade mode complete with carnival-like scoring system and bodacious dunks. However, with the excellent NBA Street heading its way to the GameCube in the coming, months, I dont see why fans would bother with Courtside 2002.

Serious b-ball fans looking for some simulation-style hoops action dont have much choice thus far in the GameCube library either, but I can assure you that Courtside 2002 fails to deliver even remotely realistic basketball action. Between the lack of defense, poor controls, and host of bugs, these fans are better off waiting for anything else.