NCAA Basketball

"Mode 7 Engine + Basketball = Mind-Blowing Game"

Introduction: The 16-bit machines reign as king were nearly over, as the upcoming release of the Sony Playstation, Sega Saturn, 3DO, and Atari Jaguar had people waiting with baited breath. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was already employing amazing graphical innovations with the use of a chip codenamed 'FX', as well as utilizing built-in parallax scrolling and a sophisticated technique used by programmers to 'rotate' the playing field on the fly. What else did the SNES have up its sleeve? Well before Silicon Graphics and Nintendo teamed up to create Donkey Kong Country, Nintendo was busy perfecting games that used Mode 7, an incredible feature within the SNES hardware that made games appear to be 3D, with lush, detailed backgrounds and colorful sprites rendered in a huge 3-dimensional environment. Of course Super Mario Kart used Mode 7, and was probably the most well-known of the Mode 7 games. In the Nintendo lineup of Mode 7 games were a few sports games, one of them being NCAA Basketball. This game brought realistic 3D graphics complete with a camera that followed the players with a behind-the-back or over-the-shoulder viewpoint. How did this game turn out? Let's review.

Gameplay: 8: In all honesty, to be fair, this game is a tad slow, it does not seem to run full-speed, perhaps because the SNES processors are choked up while rendering the 3D environments, and this makes for some frustrating moments as you try to fastbreak down the court with your team. The players stop and stand still when passing, no on the fly alley-oops, lobs, or true give and go tactics can be found here. Other than this, the gameplay is solid. The game feels realistic enough, the controls are simple, with a button for passing, shooting, stealing, blocking and calling play formations on both ends of the court. One thing severely lacking is a turbo button, but even without this the game is enjoyable enough. Play through a season with the team of your choice, with a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament and perhaps be a part of the legendary Final Four.

Graphics: 9: The only reason I docked this game a point is because the court floats in blue space, without a crowd in the background. No refs, no coaches, no fans, no cheerleaders all add up to the loss of one point. However, everything this game does display is top-notch. Beautifully rendered players and courts make for plenty of eye candy, and the fantastic use of Mode 7 really shows just what the SNES is capable of. A terrific rotating playfield moves smoothly, without any hint of slowdown or lag, and it is not disorienting in the least. This game is very ambitious, it set out to take the SNES player to the next level of NCAA realism, and if there was ever a game that could make the SNES GPU choke and sputter while trying to keep up with the action, this may be that game.

Sound: 8: The sound in this game varies. The music is weak, but the sound effects are great. The announcers' voice is pretty good, and I promise you'll know when a foul has been committed because of the audible announcement from the broadcast booth. The crowd is present sound-wise, even though visually they are non-existant, you can still hear the school bands play and the crowd cheer and stomp their feet during crucial possessions of the game. Overall the sound is better than average but not exaclty wonderful.

Replayability: 10: I keep coming back to this game even now in the year 2004, I am 23, and I first got this game at the age of 14. I still pick it up and play it when the NCAA basketball season is in full swing. The ability to choose from a wide variety of real NCAA teams makes this game one you can come back to over and over. The game features a regular season with conference play followed by an invitation to the big NCAA Tournament (if you qualify that is). Playing a full season is taxing, its not easy to play the lesser teams as you wait for the big dogs come tournament time. However, if you can plug through it and actually complete the regular season, I can honestly say I believe you will find it worth your while to compete in the big dance of 64 teams come March.

Overall Recommendations: I highly recommend this game to any Super Nintendo enthusiast. Even those who dislike sports games should pick this title up. If you want to see the SNES at the top of its game, then this is your ticket to ride. NCAA Basketball creates a realistic 3D world of college hoops where you can lead your favorite university through a grueling regular season and into the glorious bigger-than-life NCAA Tournament. I don't know any video gamer who enjoys innovative, eye-catching graphics, and a challenging AI that really couldn't appreciate the pleasure of making it to the Final Four. It is a thrilling experience, and one that no Super Nintendo enthusiast should miss.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/07/04