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NCAA March Madness 2005

In the past, I have stated numerous times how disappointed I have been by EA’s basketball titles. Times have changed and EA makes me a believer with its new control system, great AI and the fact that they have fulfilled their slogan: If its in the game, Its in the game.

To start with, all the standard modes of play are here, from Exhibition to the Dynasty Mode. But regardless of whether you play a single game or coach a team over the course of several seasons, the control scheme gives you complete control of the action regardless of the in-game situation. I really enjoyed the new low-post controls which allow you to choose between tipping in the errant shot or slamming it home with authority.

The dynasty mode is redone to feature year-round recruiting, and a calander based control system. It is not the best system in the world, and its kind of hokey how you move around the year, but the AI and recruiting system, as well as the gameplay meters and the hot streaks are important and my favorite part of the game (of course, Dynasty is my favorite part of all sports games).

Another big factor that affects gameplay is the new Arena Pulse feature. Based on your school’s ranking, the fans can become influential in the balance of momentum through their frenzied support of the team. While playing in Rupp Arena as UK, the crowd would go wild as I went up ten points on Duke. The momentum would shift my way and would continue to grow with each big play I made. The screen even shakes a bit during the in-bound pass to give a sense of the frenetic atmosphere. NCAA March Madness 2005 does a great job of creating an immersive college hoops atmosphere. It builds on the system used in NCAA football 2005, and makes it vital to the success of you team. You really do get rattled, and the fans are almost as crazy as in real life.

One of the new in-game features that EA Sports touts in NCAA March Madness 2005 is called the Floor General Playcalling System. In addition to already being able to call some basic plays using the d-pad like pick ‘n’ rolls, isolations, and posting, hitting up on the pad will call up a set of three formations. Each team has three sets to choose from. Once you call a set, the players get into their positions, and then plays unfold based on what you do, and who you pass to. These aren’t specific plays that have a form to them. These are setups that can free-flow whether you decide to cross behind a guard or pass outside to inside, or post up. It takes someone a little bit of learning to use it, but it makes the game that much more involved. I love this feature, and feel that it should be in every basketball game from here on out.

And don’t forget that the game is also online. Xbox LIVE makes yet another inclusion to an EA game, so now we can pretty much talk about online for both the Xbox and PS2 as being a normal staple of the EA Sports lineup. I am impressed with how EA has been able to take the standard Xbox LIVE friends list and match finders, and then add in their room lobbies, EA Messenger (for sending emails to your friends), online tournaments, and stats. And there is new anti-cheating code so you can’t just pause the game anymore and walk away for the win. Xbox owners can thank Microsoft for Xbox Live 3.0, or none of this would be possible.

The visuals in NCAA March Madness 2005 are very similar to EA’s pro sports B-Ball title, NBA Live 2005. It would not be far from the truth to say that the college title uses the core engine of the pro game, which is not necessarily a bad thing. True or not, the differences start and stop at the basics, and are extended with a genuine college atmosphere. Each home court is represented and replicated exactly like their real life home stands. From the poor seat locations in lower budgeted schools, to the packed houses of schools like Duke, each venue is a unique experience and gives each game played a different feel. You even have subtle additions such as cheerleaders and mascots on the sidelines cheering your team on. Player models have a good amount of variety and detail to them, but for obvious reasons, no college players mimic the real players. The player animations are also very slick with many new moves for crossovers, passes, and slams. MM2005 has a better presentation then it’s pro counterpart, as the overlays, menus, and cut scenes bring the games to life more so than the Live series. If something must be addressed, it is that players still have that “skating on ice” look when doing quick moves and transitions, otherwise the game looks brilliant.

Audio actually outshines the visuals in many ways. First and foremost, the commentary is spot on – random and fresh from game to game. Brad Nessler and the ever-present Dick Vitale call the action with wit and wisdom. Actually, only Nessler provides wit or wisdom, Vitale provides a reason there is a mute button on your television. I think they need to make game of just him and Bill Walton and the make it a first person shooter, where you stalk them and make them shut up. Yes I had that mental image every time I heard his tired diaper dandy bulls**t. The music supplied is a mixture of new hits and old favorites, but done by many different collegiate marching bands. What stands out the most is the crowd audio, which may be one of the best sounding basketball crowds I have heard in a video game. Your team will chant, cheer, jeer, and even shout out phrases like “three” and “air ball”. What’s more, if you use the pump up the crowd option, you can really get your home team into the action even more.

Overall, I think this may be the best basketball game I have ever played. The Floor General controls are a terrific addition, the gameplay is smooth, the music above average and if you can ignore Vitale, it is a terrific game. Vitale on the other hand lowers the score by half a point himself.

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Posted by Andrew on Dec 7th, 2004 and is filed under PS2 Reviews, Reviews, Xbox Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.

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