NCAA March Madness 07

January 31,2007 - With the college basketball season already well under way, and the chaos of March Madness itself in just over a month, EA Sports makes its Xbox 360 collegiate hardwood debut with NCAA 07 March Madness. Covered by former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison, and guided behind the voices of ESPN’s Brad Nessler and Dick Vitale, EA attempts to grind out a vastly different game than its predecessors, but delivers only a slightly improved game.

In the past years, EA has generally put March Madness on the backburner, focusing on the more successful NBA Live. This year they’ve paid more attention to it, and graphics are the biggest sign of this. Shying away from the comic-like representation of players, PG# 5 now looks a lot more like an actual human, although due to NCAA rules, he’s still be required to be unnamed. However, player models still don’t look as good as they could, and the same five or six faces get old fast. The environments are by far the best graphical improvement.

EA has put a lot more effort into recreating an authentic college feel this time around. As previously stated, the environments are great. The hardwood is shiny and the overall detail has been increased. School banners and signs can be seen as far up as the rafters, and even the practice court gamers you can play around on in the menus look great.

Gameplay is noticeably similar to last year’s version, but handling has become slightly better. The EA SPORTS Lockdown Stick returns revamped, and defense-oriented gamers will rejoice. The feature gives a better sense of control, but stripping opponents of the ball and similar actions aren’t necessarily easier. Under default settings, fouls tend to be called significantly more when using the Lockdown Stick, which could cause as much frustration as a foul in real life. How can your center be called for a foul when he clearly has his hands up, right? The ball also seems to have a mind of its own unless you use the Right Button to tell it where to go. If you don’t, expect bad things to happen. Aside from that, the tempo of the game varies depending on the intensity factors.

In 07 all the players—not just the team captain—have composure ratings. No doubt a team will have a captain, but now all the players need their composure ratings in the green to play at peak cohesion. When the opposing team goes on a streak, your team will become shakier and more prone for mistakes.

Intensity impact is one of the new features to March Madness. If your team is going on a great run, or a player is performing significantly well, an Impact Moment will occur in which you’ll be able to interact with the environment. Running towards the sidelines will pump up—or rile up, if you’re the visiting team—the crowd, while sticking close to your teammates will make them celebrate. You’ll even be able to chest bump the mascot or conduct the school band. The intensity meters and impact moments really help recreate the true feel of college basketball, which is the best thing this game has going for it. The crowds react more appropriately with their home team, and stand out more than before. Different signs are scattered about, and you can even see flashing cameras at the top of the arena. The last of the new features is practice mode, which is behind the menu, where you can control a player on a street court, shooting threes or honing your dunks. It’s a nice little touch, and provides small entertainment when a full on game isn’t what you’re feeling.

Similar to the Lockdown Stick, Dynasty Mode has been revamped as well. Upon starting a new dynasty, your team will be automatically invited to the pre-season NIT tournament. For the more hardcore of college basketball fans, the post-season NIT and McDonald’s High School All American game is also included in the mix. Throughout the season you’ll be met with challenges, such as gaining television coverage and signing top recruits, all of which builds up points to spend on recruiting and building school pride. You’ll also be able to take it “online” to look at a variety of stats and set up a solid game plan to be ready for your next opponent.

March Madness is deeply integrated into Xbox Live. Starting up the game gives you the options to link your gamertag to the EA servers, and you’ll be able to listen to ESPN radio while navigating. These aren’t just all pre-recorded clips—although On Demand content is available—and you’ll be updated with the latest scores and news. When SportsCenter isn’t playing, customizable ticker feed will give more immediate results. Delving deeper into the online menus will uncover the EA Locker where you can upload a saved roster for an easy achievement. Gameplay wise, it’s similar to any other sports game: the more you win, the more points you earn to level up. There are different areas of gameplay to enter: beginner, advanced, and elite. You’ll need to build up your rank, however, as there are restrictions to the rooms: beginners range from rank 1-10, 11-35 for advanced, and 36-99 for elites.

Overall, NCAA 07 March Madness provides gamers with a very enjoyable college basketball game. EA has added more depth to Dynasty Mode to make it more worthwhile, and the change from “the go-to guy” to intensity meters works well. Still, it doesn’t make enough of an improvement to make it a great game. It’s quick to pick up and play, and All-American difficulty will make you strain for a win, but with a $60 price tag, this is only for the most die hard of fans. If you don't fall into this category, rent it.

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