I found myself scratching my head when I first turned on
NBA ShootOut 2004. It's not that I didn't know how to play the basketball sim. It's the fact that PlayStation is still making games for the PS One. With all the other options available today, it was very difficult to take the graphics seriously for
ShootOut. You can make the case there are facial features of specific players, and the crowds and arenas suffice, but they're still nowhere near their PS2 counterpart. The most noticeable problem is the blocky player models. Not that
989 has ever been known for their astounding graphics, but I found little reason to be impressed. The animations look good, with a huge emphasis on the dunks. Meantime, the backgrounds fit the bill. The courts are just as good as any other on PS One, as are the crowds.
ShootOut 2004 features a one-man commentary that calls a pretty good game. For the most part, he's on top of every play, with a little flavor when it comes to the highlights. There are a few times he'll get behind, but I have no complaints whatsoever. The soundtrack is fairly likeable, although I have one side note with this. There is one song that contains a sound effect that hits every other beat. I don't think this ever crossed 989's mind, but the sound effect kind of sounds like another word for a female dog. You be the judge. Otherwise, the regular sound effects apply to the game, like dribbling and crowd noise.
