NCAA March Madness 07

EA Sports

4 out of 5 stars

College basketball games sure can be frustrating. From the huge momentum swings to the player violations and the guys that crumble under pressure, NCAA March Madness 07 takes gamers on a never-ending emotional rollercoaster.

But frustration is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it’s one of the things that keeps people coming back to the most popular college basketball franchise.

This year’s game has a few new features that change the way it is played. Home court advantage is no joke as young players clearly crumble in hostile environments, and seasoned veterans excel. The composure rating of a player makes a significant difference in the closing minutes of games. There’s nothing more annoying than watching an inexperienced player become almost useless when you need him the most.

If your opponent heats up and goes on a big run, be prepared to throw the controller a few times. The momentum swings so much it is almost impossible to make a shot.

But if it’s your team that seizes the momentum, you have the ability to select a go-to-guy and receive a ratings boost for a short period of time. This feature is more tactical than it may seem because gamers need to decide when to use the boost and when to save it for a crucial moment. It takes some getting used to, but the go-to-guy can become a helpful tool.

Another great thing EA Sports did this year was adding ESPN access. This gives gamers the ability to check on scores and listen to ESPN radio while playing the video game.

The rest of the game play is similar to the previous games. The lockdown stick is still a powerful weapon used to shut down offenses and the floor general play calling helps pick apart defenses.

It is still way too easy to steal the ball and block a shot, like it was in the previous games. Once you master the lockdown stick, it is incredibly simple to steal passes from your opponent, making your friends not want to play against you any more.

Another drawback for Syracuse fans is the setup of the Carrier Dome. While the court is updated to include the large block ‘S’ logo, the color in the paint is blue, but in real life it is actually orange. The dreaded blue curtain is still standing tall in the background.

The Dynasty mode is pretty much identical to last year’s game as well. Gamers still have to recruit high school and junior college players during the season, and they still have to deal with pesky rules violations. If players aren’t disciplined for not going to class or accepting gifts, the program will suffer with the loss of scholarships or worse.

The Xbox360 version of the game offers far more new features than the Playstation 2 game. Gamers can interact with the crowd during play stoppages by doing anything from directing the band to dancing with the mascot and cheerleaders.

In the end, the PS2 version is not much different from its predecessors. It is still a fun game to play against the computer or with friends, but the lack of significant progress keeps it from earning a perfect rating. This could become a trend as games begin to cater solely to the more advanced systems. If you want to play games that truly improve each year, it might be time to sell that kidney and buy an Xbox360 or Playstation 3.

Five features that revolutionized sports video games

5. Fight Night 2004: Gamers could actually throw punches with the joysticks on a Playstation controller. It led to the most realistic boxing games in history.

4. Swinging in MVP NCAA Baseball: Only the future will tell us if this cool feature of swinging with the joysticks will last. At the worst, it will open up doors to a new way to play baseball games.

3. Wii Sports: Sure it may be a little juvenile for advanced gamers, but think of the possibilities for sports games in the future. Soon you may need to get in shape just to play video games.

2. Atari Football – Released in 1979, this was the first sports video game in history. Players were represented with X’s and O’s, and could control one player at a time by moving a trackball.

1. Playmaker control in Madden: This feature turned every couch potato into Peyton Manning, reading defenses and making adjustments at the line. How did we live before this?

Published on January 28, 2007 at 12:00 pm