NCAA Championship Basketball - PC Review - Gamecenter

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NCAA Championship Basketball

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Recruiting is Championship Basketball's best feature. Players grow older and better each season until they graduate. Then, you must recruit new players to fill their shoes. Each candidate is ranked and his skills laid bare. If your star center just graduated, put your efforts into finding a new big man. However, there are no guarantees; other teams are vying for the same guys. Find out what they're looking for in a school. Some want to stay close to home. Some want instant playing time. Go after the ones who will give your program a chance, or wind up empty-handed. The recruiting feature adds an element of role-playing to the game, which is a welcome addition. Each season the pool is different, and I had even more fun recruiting than playing.
let's go on with the show
That's not to say that the game isn't fun to play. Control is easy using a gamepad or keyboard, and you'll find yourself moving around the court with little trouble. You'll also find the court moving around you with little trouble. NCAA features a rotating camera that, according to GTE, gives a "maximum view of the court and players throughout gameplay." Generally, this is true, but it's annoying when you want to pass or drive to a part of the court you can't see.
screen shot The parts of the court you can see are rendered well, though. The players are a bit blocky, but the court itself is excellent, and the team logos and mascots are awesome. Sound is also slamming. The announcer, squeaking shoes, and fans chanting "air ball" are all Ragu (in there). The crowd even tries to disrupt your free throws with twirling signs and confetti. You can turn down the sound but not the graphics, so I highly recommend a fast Pentium in order to play at proper speeds.
Although the game is fun to play and easy to learn, it is difficult to master. You won't be slam-dunking and alley-ooping after the first tip-off, although both moves are possible. After some practice, I could beat the worst team (San Diego State) with the best team (Arkansas) on the easiest level, but it wasn't easy. It takes reflexes and strategy to win. I depend more on the latter because I still can't shoot free throws or rebound to save my life.
Nevertheless, I hold my own against a human opponent, whom I can beat on the same PC, via modem, or over an IPX network. Networking isn't NCAA's strong point, however. Oddly, there is no option to use a null-modem cable, and network games get out of synch sometimes, leading to a crash on my system.

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NCAA Championship Basketball

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