NCAA March Madness 07 – 360 – Review

As far as
basketball games are concerned, EA’s forays into next-gen gaming have felt a bit
lacking. While until now they’ve been limited to two NBA Live titles, what we’ve
gotten have been stripped down experiences with a fresh coat of paint slapped
on. However, NCAA March Madness 07 is looking to change that. As the first entry
for the series on a next-gen console, NCAA March Madness had a lot to prove, and
does a fine job of separating itself from other lackluster next-gen EA Sports
efforts.

The game
offers a deep dynasty mode and some innovative new in-game features to amplify
the intensity of the crowd and add to the feel of the courts. NCAA March Madness
07 is a solid entry to the series and introduces some great features that should
become mainstays when it comes to virtual college hoops.

Things are
a little different in March Madness 07 right from the get-go. The interface
starts you out as a single player on a half court shooting baskets which you can
do however long you want. Once you decide to start a game you are then put in a
mini-game where you must earn a set number of points to achieve an intensity
boost at the beginning of the game.

The
intensity factor in the game plays out very similarly to the momentum featured
in NCAA Football 07 with some key differences. Whereas in NCAA Football, gaining
momentum was a team boost that would shift between the teams in a tug o’ war.
However, in March Madness, intensity works mainly in terms of the individual
players and how they each play the game. If a character is playing poorly and
losing the ball and fouling often, then he’ll lose his composure and play worse.
Adversely, if you play well, then you’ll gain a boost in your composure and play
even better.

Another
added element is Impact Moments. Impact Moments play out when you outperform
your opponents on the court, and you’ll gain the option to play to the crowd or
trash-talk the other team, or boost your selected player’s composure by a lot.
When you get the crowd pumped, each of your players will get a nice boost in
composure and when you trash-talk, you drain the opposing team’s composure a
bit. The intensity elements are a great touch and add a great dynamic to the games,
giving you a real feel of the emotion and atmosphere of a college game.

The
Dynasty Mode has also been tweaked a bit to implement more of a sense of school
spirit, another nod to NCAA Football 07. The Dynasty Mode allows you to balance
your school’s sports budget and practice schedules. A new addition to the
formula is School Pride, which will allow you to build new facilities on campus
like weight rooms as your team becomes more popular and gets more school spirit.

Graphically, NCAA March Madness is a bit of a mixed bag. The character modes are
superb and sport some good animations. The arenas and crowds are also
great-looking and dripping with atmosphere. However, some of the player
animations can seem a little awkward and contrast the fluid looking ones, and
the framerates can get very boggy at points, slowing down the drive of the game.

The
commentary is also pretty good, with Dick Vitale offering up his same brand of
over-the-top excitable commentary with Brad Nessler playing his straight man in
the booth. While they do repeat themselves often and say a few things that don’t
make a lot of sense given the action on-screen, you won’t really notice with the
roar of the crowd.

The crowds
are easily the best part of the sound department, working dynamically with what
happens on-screen, getting louder and more intense when you’re on a scoring run
and getting audibly upset at bad shots or fouls, even to the point of booing.

NCAA March
Madness 07 is an innovative entry to the series, and adds a fun and interesting
new dynamic that holds it above the rest. Check it out as you get ready for
tournament time.

Review Scoring Details for NCAA March Madness 07

Gameplay: 8.5
The new composure
features are a great touch that shift the dynamic of the game and how well your
team plays, as is the school pride addition to the Dynasty Mode.

Graphics: 8.0
Graphically, March
Madness 07 is a very pretty game, with great looking player models and detailed
courts. However, the framerate is pretty boggy, and ultimately pulls you out of
the experience.

Sound: 9.0
The commentary is
competently done by Dick Vitale and Brad Nessler, and the roar of the crowd
sounds great and adds to the intensity.

Difficultly: Medium

Concept: 8.5
The added composure
features are a great new element, giving the gameplay a fantastic dynamic, and
the new additions to the Dynasty mode are a great touch.

Multiplayer: 8.0
The standard
multiplayer elements are here, but the added ESPN Radio and video highlights
that you can stream online are a nice added bonus.

Overall: 8.5
NCAA March Madness
07 is a great first entry for the series on the Xbox 360, with great dynamic
gameplay and a robust Dynasty mode. Far and away the best basketball game EA has
released for a next-gen system.