NCAA Basketball

"Slanted and enchanted!"

Not quite (yet) an instant classic in the face of other well-known sports titles, like NBA Jam or Live '97, but NCAA Basketball delivers the goods on and off the court.

Story

Like any self-respecting sports game, the creators knew well enough that they should ditch any road-to-glory epics and just concentrate on the basics: the court, the ball, and the players. Even without a story, the game is engaging.

Gameplay

The fictional players aren't the best start for someone just coming off a March Madness high or anything, but after a bit of playing, you'll soon find that the players have their own mannerisms in-game. Some make great three-point shoots and others you can basically bait into fouling you at certain places. Trying to thin the team's bench is quite a fun activity for a veteran player, and even for someone who's just picking up the knack of the game. Of course, the inevitable goal is to be the NCAA's reigning champs, and there is a sixty-four-party bracket to play through once the season is over. I'd be lying if I said you'd want to play it once and then toss it aside -- it's so thoroughly entertaining in its intriguing gameplay, rivalries, and sportsmanship (try scoring over 100 points!) that you can pull all-nighters in the same vein that RPGs tend to make people do.

To boot, you can also set up your own defenses and switch them around for teams that you know play right into them. Like I said previously, some teams run the ball heavily, some lay back, and some play on both sides of the fence -- you learn their characteristics as you play.

Graphics

On par with most other SNES sports games, the live-action court plays are no small matter. People look like people, not stick men; if you go up to steal the ball, you'll wave your hands in the air and try to pick off passes; if you're fouled in mid-air, you'll know the basket's made if it pulls back. The lack of a packed-to-the-brim stadium and surroundings besides the "massive blue" outside of the court ('cause that's all there is when you're playing) seem kind of confining, but it's the gameplay that one focuses on.

Replay Value

Uh...timeless. I still pick this game up (and did, even as I was typing this section) and play through it, remembering how much fun I had with Colorado or Georgia Tech, and the thing is, since it hosts an array of fictional characters, other sports games don't make it feel outdated in the way that "installment" games do. Also, the game is two-player, and if you have to adept people playing, it's a show to be seen.

Seasons and exhibition games round out the college athletic feel, and you can play on 20-minute to 5-minute ("weenie") timers, from hard to easy difficulty settings. Those options really make the difference for someone wanting to pick up the controller after years of disuse.

Sound

One of the great aspects is the announcer's voice who tells in a clearly audible, human voice when a ball is rejected or stolen, or when a time out is called. To have these little nuggets of sound placed in among synthetic pep band chants (the ever-lively "Here we go, ________, here we go!") and sneaker scuff-sounds, it's just adds more to the game. Even if there's no crowd to be seen, one can hear them off somewhere. It makes it a little easier to take, if you heavily fault the game for not masquerading the crowd off with the rotation feature.

Pros / Cons

+Realistic gameplay
+Announcer sound bits
+Not all teams are easily beaten
+On-court formations and players can be swapped around
+There is a bench, so it's not just a handful of people who are used

-No background
-Gameplay isn't always fast-paced
-Time limit can be too fast (I guess)

The Verdict™: The dust may gather on this game, but the finesse with which the game is executed will always be spotless.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/16/06