Spring Break
NCAA March Madness
Brett Fischer
Issue date: 1/11/08 Section: Sports
You may not be 6'6" and you probably can't dunk. But when you attend men's Drexel basketball games, you may wish that you could be out on the court with other players like Frank Elegar, Randy Oveneke and Scott Rodgers. With NCAA March Madness '08 now out for X-Box 360 and other consoles, you can finally get the feel that you are playing at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
With its latest installment of NCAA March Madness EA Sports has taken a step in the right direction. While March Madness 07 was predicated on Players' Composure Meters and Team Intensity, this year's version focused on getting the ball inside with the brand new Dynamic Post Play feature.
Sound
A game can't get much better than having Dick Vitale announcing college basketball games. Aside from his limited choice of words, his enthusiasm gives you a feel as if you were watching him announce a basketball game on television.
The background menu music makes for a realistic college basketball environment with school bands playing their fight songs.
The crowd sounds are fine, but for whatever reason, the fans don't cheer at the proper times. If you make a basket, sometimes the fans don't cheer or if you get a steal, your fans might not get as excited. This to me was the most disappointing part of the game. When your team is down 10, you go on an 8-0 run and then you get a steal, you expect the fans to go crazy. But instead, you might just get a little cheer if that.
Gameplay
For whatever reason, the speed of the game seems abnormally slow. Previous versions of NCAA March Madness were very fast paced, making it arcade-like more than anything. But by default in the '08 version, the game almost feels as if you are playing in slow motion. But you can adjust the settings making the gameplay faster, which significantly increases the overall entertainment value.
The Dynasty mode has an interesting twist because the more games you win, the better fan base you build and the larger your school band is. This brings out the true bandwagon fan stereotypes so many schools have. Not all the teams are in the game, however, including Florida Gulf Coast, so it's impossible for Drexel to emulate its real schedule.
With its latest installment of NCAA March Madness EA Sports has taken a step in the right direction. While March Madness 07 was predicated on Players' Composure Meters and Team Intensity, this year's version focused on getting the ball inside with the brand new Dynamic Post Play feature.
Sound
A game can't get much better than having Dick Vitale announcing college basketball games. Aside from his limited choice of words, his enthusiasm gives you a feel as if you were watching him announce a basketball game on television.
The background menu music makes for a realistic college basketball environment with school bands playing their fight songs.
The crowd sounds are fine, but for whatever reason, the fans don't cheer at the proper times. If you make a basket, sometimes the fans don't cheer or if you get a steal, your fans might not get as excited. This to me was the most disappointing part of the game. When your team is down 10, you go on an 8-0 run and then you get a steal, you expect the fans to go crazy. But instead, you might just get a little cheer if that.
Gameplay
For whatever reason, the speed of the game seems abnormally slow. Previous versions of NCAA March Madness were very fast paced, making it arcade-like more than anything. But by default in the '08 version, the game almost feels as if you are playing in slow motion. But you can adjust the settings making the gameplay faster, which significantly increases the overall entertainment value.
The Dynasty mode has an interesting twist because the more games you win, the better fan base you build and the larger your school band is. This brings out the true bandwagon fan stereotypes so many schools have. Not all the teams are in the game, however, including Florida Gulf Coast, so it's impossible for Drexel to emulate its real schedule.
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