videogame
I like to call it stick shock.
If you play any of 2K Sports‘ basketball offerings, then you’ve grown used to the fact that the right analog stick is used to shoot the ball, a mechanic that makes so much sense you wonder why it took so many years to implement. Conversely, if you’ve played any of Electronic Arts‘ hoops games, you know that the right stick is the Trick Stick, used to bust those ankle-breaking moves on the way to the hoop.
 Who’s got game? You might be better off combining March Madness 2008’s backcourt with NCAA College Hoops 2K8’s lightning fast offense (pictured) for a well-rounded team of ballers. |
And if, like me, you play both, the first game of the new videogame college basketball season—or, in this case, NCAA College Hoops 2K8—is always a blast. Especially when you spin the stick at midcourt, expecting to dodge a defender, but instead leap up to launch a half-court duck.
O.K., so some adjustment is needed. And luckily, both 2K8 and EA’s March Madness 2008 let you make plenty of adjustments —before the games, during time-outs, during halftime, during the Atlantic-Ocean deep recruiting season. If there’s something you’re looking to control on or off the court, it’s pretty much here, with the exception of the consistent ability to defend a backdoor cut (2K8) or shoot a consistent jump shot (March Madness).
I’ve noted before that nailing the atmosphere is the key to any good college sports videogame. This used to be EA’s hoops signature stock-in-trade, but 2K8‘s new sixth man meter finally steals some thunder from the master. Taking care of business on the court fills the meter and unleashes the wrath of your rabid student section on the opposition. EA’s offering has meters, too—player-specific ones—but somehow, the constant, in-your-face taunting I found so interesting last year now seems kinda fifth grade-level uncouth. I get that trash-talking and mascot melees might happen in a Cavs-Terps rivalry game, but Cavs-University of Albany? What the hell happened to sportsmanship?
Like most college hoops programs, both March Madness and 2K8 remain solid works-in-progress. The offensive side is 2K8‘s greatest strength, with crisp ball movement actually leading to good cuts and open shots. (P.S.: The "tilt-the-SixAxis-controller" free-throw mechanic in the PlayStation 3 version is atrocious, and needs to be scrapped. Immediately.) EA, meanwhile, puts the "D" in defense—the right analog control is an awesome way to seriously lock down quick guards and get key stops. The downside is a huge emphasis on low-post play that’s glaring to the point of distraction. Even historically deadeye programs like Gonzaga and UC-Santa Barbara will go ridiculous stretches without sinking a simple 15-footer.
So let’s take a 20-second time-out and regroup: 2K’s got offense, EA’s got the D, and both have atmosphere to spare. Smash both games together and you might get the perfect college hoops sim. Too bad the chances of that ever happening are about as good as Norfolk State cutting down the nets in San Antonio this March.
