There was a
time when EA Sports put out an NCAA hoops game that consumed hours. Creating
a player, creating a school – both were amazing features that resulted in many
nights of limited sleep.
When entering
the next generation of games, it stands to reason that expectations would be
high. While NCAA March Madness 08 certainly meets the graphical expectations
head on and does sport several elements that attempt to mimic the frantic and
often frenzied atmosphere of the college game, the title fails in several other
areas, like gameplay that seems predetermined at times. The commentary by Brad
Nessler and Dick Vitale is canned to the point where phrases may or may not be
relevant to the action.
And while on
the topic of what March Madness 08 does not do well, there is the framerate to
consider. It is off, giving the impression that instead of a fast-paced game,
the players are running and moving at half speed. And the player AI is not all
that sharp; it’s either that or the controls leave much to be desired.
Over-and-back violations happen far too often. A player crosses the center
line, runs into a defensive player attempting to set up the half-court trap and
the collision path is such that he bounces backwards and is whistled for the
turnover. And it gets worse. If you get out on the break, and the lead ballhandler breaks into the clear, unless your timing is spot on, he won’t put
up the shot at times and even if you are hitting the shot button or pulling back
on the directional stick, he still manages to run out the endline. This can lead
to those moments when you consider tossing the controller across the room in
frustration.
As for the
create modes … you can create a player, but not a school. And as the game boots
up, you are asked to pick a team profile, meaning you select one of the NCAA
teams that you would like as “your” team. However, if that roster if full, even
if you create a player, he may not be able to play for your school. Case in
point, the school to associate with the profile was the Oregon Ducks, but the
Ducks roster is full, so the created player could not be part of that roster.
Wishing to stay close to Oregon, there were openings on the Portland State
roster and the created player went there. Another dynasty team was created and
voila, Portland State was the controlled team.
The dynasty
mode is fairly deep, allowing players to jump in and recruit, and build up the
school in terms of School Pride, a feature new to the 08 edition. Essentially by
completing challenges, you can unlock elements that will jack the pride of the
school and add to the prestige of the school. You can get weight rooms and
rename streets, if you so choose.
While NCAA 08
stumbles in several areas, there are several elements to like about the title. Likely, one of the more prominent is the inclusion of classic teams.
Prior to
playing a game, you have the opportunity to add to your team’s intensity by
playing a mini-game. Score a set amount of points (there are point markers on a
half court) in the set amount of time and you earn the intensity bonus; fail and
your opposition will start out with the advantage.
The low-post
moves that appeared in NBA Live have made their way into the college game. The
big men can work very well inside, spinning to the hoop and going in for the lay-up, quick dunk or hook shot. Of course, defensively you can counter this
with the defensive lockdown, bellying up to the player and not budging as they
try to muscle in closer.
Another of the
new elements in the impact moment – which is essentially a point in the game
where conditions have been met and the crowd is fired up, giving your team a
bonus. Your player may perform some antics before the clones … err, the crowd.
Well, maybe clones is more accurate. The number of repetitive NPCs is extreme to
the point of being silly.
When it comes
to the graphics, this can be a bit mixed. The player models are fine, but the
movement is slower, which either is a suspect framerate or just a developer ploy
to control the tempo and set up scripted moments. And once you trigger the start
of a scripted moment, regardless of what you do, it carries through. You might
get trapped down low on offense and start to pop the passing button but nothing
happens. Why? Because the game has determined that regardless of the fact you
have hands on the ball and no defenders reaching in, they will reach in and
strip the ball away. The ball physics are also off. It has all the bounce, at
times, of a medicine ball.
The visiting
team is on offense when a player flashes across the top of the key. The ball
finds him and he deftly cuts around the defensive, drives the lane and finishes
with a tomahawk jam. It is the nail in the home team’s coffin. As the game winds
down, 10 or so minutes later, the State Farm drive of the game flashes up – and
it is a routine lay-up by the home team. Huh?
NCAA March
Madness 08 has a strong online component, but while it does
some things well, it stumbles badly in areas – and use of the word ‘badly’ is
relative. This is a franchise that is not new. It has been around for a while
and to make these mistakes is just wrong at this point in the history of the
title.
|
|
Gameplay: 7.0
Are these guys
playing on hardwood or in mud? The controls seem to not be truly responsive in
that you may be pounding on a control button and the player simply refuses to
stop what he is doing and obey until he has done something else completely. And
collision paths crop up at the oddest moments, usually resulting in turnovers
that collegiate players – especially seniors – would not make at the Division I
level, at least with the frequency seen here. Some of the events are well
scripted and regardless of how you approach it, should you trigger a
pre-scripted event, nothing will stop it – and this usually means a turnover.
Graphics: 7.0
Send in the clones!
You want variety in the crowd, don’t look here. And an effort is not even made
to disguise the fact that the ambient effects (aka, the crowd) is based on a few
character models. The clones are beside one another. The player models are good
but the animations lack the fast-paced mechanics of the real game. Even
activating the speed button produces marginal results. There are a few small
clipping problems, like when a player on the opposing team drives the lane and
you have a big man step in to block the path to the basket only to have the
driving player move through him like he isn’t there and get an easy lay-up.
Sound: 7.0
What game are they
watching? Commentary is a big part of the college game. The sideline reporting
is solid enough, but the main play-by-play and commentary sometimes give the
sense that they are watching a different game. The collegiate music is solid.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 7.5
There are several
new features, but why is it necessary to cut other elements that have been in
previous iterations in order to move the game forward in other regards? Yes, I
want it all. I want to be immersed and caught up and guide my team to the Final
Four. I want to recruit for a school that I have invested much time in, not be
handed a school and allowed to move forward from there. 2K allowed it and EA
Sports used to, but not with this release. The game also has full ESPN
integration.
Multiplayer: 8.0
Online league modes
with up to 32 players in a league. Nice touch, although you will have to pay to
play.
Overall: 7.5
This is a game that
could have been so much better, but simply gets passing marks because the game
does give some solid elements but misses the boat in many other areas. What was
once a very good franchise is starting to become a generic rehash with a few
tweaks thrown in each year to sate the need to say something new was added. Yes,
it is still entertaining, but it’s not the game one would have hoped it would
be.
