NBA Inside Drive 2002 offers the same basic options that all basketball games offer, with Exhibition, Season, and Playoff Modes. Included in the mix is also a Fantasy Draft where you become the GM and have to build a team from scratch. Missing from the lineup, however, is any sort of Franchise mode, so it's all or nothing, season by season. In this market, a game without a Franchise mode is like a bird without wings, cuz it'll never get off the ground. This is going to be a must-have for next year's game.
The actual in-game playability of Inside Drive will have you running and gunning with the best of them. The game offers a great balance between a basketball sim and arcade-style gameplay. With this style, Microsoft meets the needs of a greater balance of gamers. But with this style also comes a small discrepancy. Here's the deal. Playing on-the-ball defense is made very difficult because you can easily get burned every play. The solution is to pick up your jock and use your left trigger to get into a defensive stance between your man and the basket. You'll have to be quick though, because once your man is driving the hoop, your computer controlled men won't provide the help side defense you need to guard your back.
Along the same lines, however, your offensive controls are top-notch. You have the ability to perform post moves by backing down your defender, then hit moves like the hook shoot, fade away jumper, or spin toward the basket for a layup or slam-dunk. If that weren't enough, you'll also be able to test the D with various deke moves like the jab-step. And I don't think there's another game on the market that offers the very important box out, either. Without it, your chance of grabbing the rebound is slim to none.
Another impressive feature is the style of the shot meter for free throws. Instead of allowing the ball on the meter to go back and forth, giving you an easier time at hitting your mark, Inside Drive's meter goes across once, where you have to nail the shot's power. Then, as the ball moves back across the meter, you have to stop it on the accuracy mark. Miss either and there's no second chance. This is the first time in any game that shooting 'throws with bad shooter's (like Shaq) is extremely tough, and more realistic in that regard.
On-the-fly play calling and touch passing (including a lob pass) round out the great variety of controls offered in NBA Inside Drive 2002. Because of this great level of control, it's a disappointment that at times, there is actually a very noticeable drop in framerate as if the Xbox was being bogged down. Fortunately, most of these slowdowns happen during dead ball situations when players are subbing in and out.
