NCAA Final Four 2003 – PS2 – Review

Oh it’s that time of year
again when the basketball season is back in full swing and fans are anxiously
watching their favorite teams or keeping their eye on the college basketball
scene for that one player that will one day be drafted in the NBA.  Once again,
989 Sports released this year’s edition of NCAA Final Four 2003 for those sports
fans among us that have college b-ball fever. 

 

This year’s game also
features plenty of game modes to really get into and there are even more
extensive game modes such as Dynasty, Season and Career.  Season takes gamers
through an entire season of college b-ball (that’s twenty-eight games including
a conference championship tournament).  Meanwhile Career mode is s multi-season
deal as gamers begin their careers as a Graduate Assistant and work your way to
Head Coach.  In Dynasty mode, a mode that will surely be a favorite, are for
those gamers looking for a longer mode with much to do.  Here you take your
favorite college team through many seasons and you can even build up their
skills by putting your players through rigorous workouts to improve their
free-throws or other skills each player needs work with.

 

The other modes such as
Exhibition, Quick Start, Tournament and Arcade have been seen before but are
still welcome additions to the game.  You can lead your favorite team or school
(there are 303 division teams from Jacksonville to Kent State) in an Exhibition
match or Quick Start game that puts you directly into the game.  If you want to
play a fast paced intense game then try Arcade mode.  There is enough here to
satisfy any basketball fan.

 

Control-wise the game
moves along fluidly with a few new offensive and defensive moves.  The right
analog stick is now used to make neat spin moves, behind-the-back dribbles and a
few other moves with great ease.  There are also rating icons below the feet of
star players and icons indicating which player is the fastest or a great
shooter.  The icons work both ways so you know who the star of the other team is
so you can have one of your players keep an eye out on him. The only visible
problems this game faces are that sometimes what looks like is going to be a
great slam dunk ends up being an inaccurate shot at the basket.  Making a shot
to the basket is also a real pain.  The problem lies mostly with the fact that
every time you shoot at a basket, you have to hold and release the circle button
until the ball icon reaches a green circle icon.   

 

The games’ other flaw
comes in the form of the player AI.  Your teammates can be a bit on the slow
side when you need them the most.  Sometimes a simple pass to the nearest player
can be a lob across the court where your other player is just standing around or
covering another player.  The computer-controlled opponents can also be a bit
thickheaded sometimes with players that hardly pass the ball around your tight
defense.  They can also be oblivious to your attempts to try to grab at the ball
as they slowly make their way toward the basket, but when it comes to stealing
they can do it with ease.

 

Visually speaking, Final
Four 2003 is not a spectacular looking game but it does feature some good
lighting effects and somewhat realistic player models.  The overhead stadium
lights cast a reflection on the glossy hardwood floor or a player’s slick body. 
Each college stadium looks nice enough with bleachers filled with enthusiastic
sports fans.  And the players themselves–although they do look great in their
uniforms and do move realistically–aren’t as sharp looking as the players in
NBA 2K3 but are decent enough.   

 

The game’s sound is also
something of a mixed bag.  On the one hand you have really great background
noises such as fans calling out for defense or cheering a magnificent
slam-dunk.  Then there’s the sounds made by a player during dunks or fast and
furious.  But on the other hand, there are some sound effect details that
die-hard b-ball fans will not find here and the two-man commentator team can be
repetitive.

 

NCAA Final Four 2003 is
far from superior but it has enough game modes and teams to make this a
worthwhile play.  Even if you’re a huge follower of college basketball, it‘s
still best to rent this one first before considering purchasing it.

  

#Reviewer’s
Scoring Details

 

Gameplay: 5.6
Hoop fans will find the controls
pretty straightforward and the game does move along fluidly without any bumps or
hiccups.  Gamers can easily find themselves pulling off fake shots or going for
that intentional foul, but it’s the use of the right analog stick that will have
gamers pulling off defensive and offensive moves such as shoulder-fake post
moves or a separation move. 

 

On the technical side you
can change the line up and even choose your defensive style.  You can even
create a player and choose their attributes and abilities to fit your team’s
needs.  Play well and your players will be rewarded with awards like the John R.
Wooden Award.  You might also just find yourself under a Bubble Watch to play in
the NCAA Tournament.

 

Graphics: 6.7
The player models will surely be the
game’s biggest draw, visually speaking, of course.  Great attention was placed
on things such as uniform folds and wrinkles or the muscles which flex
realistically.  While the faces might look a bit odd at times, they players look
great in action, especially during a replay of a dunk or great shot.  Yet
sometimes the graphics can be a bit odd such as the player’s faces or the fact
that sometimes the ball doesn’t look to be attached to their hands.

 

Each college stadium looks
great with fans in the background waving their arms as cheerleaders wave their
pom-poms.  Each college stadium has different designs with some stadiums looking
better then others.

 

Sound: 6.5
With its hip-hop opening theme to
jazzy music featured in the menu select screen, Final Four 2003 isn’t big on the
tunes.  You will, though, find a marching band playing it up during breaks and
it does a great job of putting you in a college game.  The same can be said
about the background sounds, which are peppered with the voices of a
cheerleading squad performing enthusiastic cheers while the crowd reacts to some
awesome dunks.

 

The two-man team of CBS
Sports’ Billy Packer and Eddie Doucette is not bad at all, but they can be very
repetitive when it comes to successful shots being made.  They are especially
good at keeping up with the game, though, and pointing out great plays.

 

Difficulty: Medium
There are four difficulty levels
featured in the game: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior.  No matter what
level you choose, the player AI is what really puts up a challenge . . . and I
don’t mean that in a good way.  Sometimes you will find yourself passing the
ball to a player that’s farther up court rather then the player closest to you. 
And to make things worse, the opponent team rarely shows signs of seeing you as
much of a treat.

 

Concept: 7.0
The number of teams available will
amaze sports fans and you might just find your own college among the line up
such as Michigan State, Cornell or even Dartmouth.   Aside from this, 989 Sports
has also gone to great lengths to make each team go by the actual playbook
making the team play faithfully like the real-life team.  If a team is known for
its excellent three-point attacks then that’s how the team will play.

 

The addition of Dynasty
mode will also be much appreciated by those gamers that want a more
comprehensive mode.  As a coach you will be put in full control over every
aspect of your team’s status.  You can sharpen their skills in practice and make
sure the weaker shooters get better at shooting while the weaker players should
be told to hit the gym.  There’s also a recruitment option that will have you
searching the states for top prospects and trying to coax them to sign up with
your team.  The more you visit a school the better the chance to get a recruit
to attend your college.

 

Multiplayer: 6.9
If the opponent AI is too
frustrating to put up with then the game offers up multiplayer action fit for up
to eight players (using the Multitap, naturally).  You can choose to play a
four-on-four game in an Exhibition or Arcade mode game and there are enough
teams to choose from in the long line up of colleges.

 

Overall: 6.4
While not being a jaw-dropping
basketball experience, NCAA Final Four 2003 has enough to keep college hoop fans
busy for awhile.  The game has improved from last years game with it’s more
in-depth game modes and slight visual enhancements, but otherwise the game still
has a long way to go before being the ultimate college basketball game.