Sound

Sound effects

NBA Inside Drive's sound effects are right on par with what you'd expect from a basketball computer game. You get the usual assortment of sneaker squeaks, crowd cheers, dribbling, and rim rattles, but without the sound getting too overbearing. Referee whistles are nice and shrill as well. Overall it's a good effort in the sound effects area, but nothing stands out as particularly thrilling or annoying.

Detlef backs down Glenn Rice

The Glove up close

Is there a mute button?

The play by play and color is another story. Microsoft enlisted the efforts of Kevin Calabro (Seattle Sonics play by play man) and Marques Johnson (former NBA star turned color commentator), so there's a bit of star power here. Calabro's play by play is passable, but perhaps I'm too picky to judge that because I've been spoiled by Chick Hearn's Laker broadcasts for my entire childhood. Everyone else's play by play pales in comparison. What I'm really sure of is that Marques Johnson is a horrible color man in this game. Make no mistake, Johnson sucks at least as much as any color man I've ever listened to. Yes, kids in this game he grates on your nerves even more than John Madden does in football telecasts/games.

Kidd leads the break!

And finishes it himself

Give this man the hook

How bad is it? Let's just say I'd rather listen to smarmy Howard Cosell doing books on tape than listen to Marques in NBA Inside Drive. Asinine and inane don't even begin to describe it. Some examples "you got to be like a fly out there, buzzzz" "This is a guy who likes to dunk. He likes to dunk and he likes to dunk on you." "The paint is your office. You can't let people come into your office." "Take it to the rack. There's gold up in the rack, bring down that rack gold!" Then he'll do things like confuse "amphibious" with "ambidextrous" - yes it's intentional but considering how awful everything else is, it just makes the color commentary sound worse. If you think that's bad he'll actually start singing from time to time. Ugh - do yourself a favor and turn off the commentators if you play this game.

Another look at Penny

Bo Outlaw skies over Kurt Thomas