NCAA Final Four 2002

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Want to see what it be like if the McNeese Cowboys took on Duke and All-American Jason Williams? Or how the Cowboys would fare against the likes of UCLA? Well you can play them and any of the other 300 plus teams that are packed into989’s NCAA Final Four 2002.

I rented this game only because NBA Live 2002 wasn’t available so I wasn’t expecting much after last years horrendous offering however I’m happy to say that this years version is a major improvement over last years lame duck. Like last year all 300 Division I-A schools and 31 conferences are present, along with the actual home courts of each team.

Unlike last years game the game play can be changed to your likings. You can adjust different areas things like game speed, and frequency that fouls are called and what type of fouls are called which is a nice touch because it’s not very fun to play in a basketball game that is stopped every 30 seconds because of a light touch foul. As for actual game AI it’s great! You can have offensive shootouts, as well as defensive struggles. There is a nice variety here to please almost everyone. It all depends on your settings, the type of team you have, and how you like to play the game. Forget about freshman and sophomore difficulty levels, you'll be able to rain down 3's from half-court on these levels from the moment you start playing the game, fun for a game or so but it gets old really fast. When you kick the difficulty level up to senior you have to work on both offense to get earn every point there is no hitting the turbo button and going straight to the rim, you have to work the ball around and actually run an offense which is lacking in most basketball games. The same goes for the defensive end where you have to call the right defense at the right time and work hard to get in position if you hope to stifle your opponents offensive planes. However there are two flaws in game play. The major one being that there is no "physical momentum" in the game - when you sprint down the floor and go to block a shot your player stops on a dime and jumps straight up not very realistic. Second, the collision detection is rigid - when you bump into a player at full-sprint players should be sent sprawling and a foul should be called however the players just simply stop dead, again the realism suffers a bit.

The game has several modes which include a dynasty mode and a career mode. In the dynasty mode you take over any school you want and play season after season trying to guide your team to the National Championship. You have to cut and recruit players which is a nice feature. Recruiting isn’t overly involved as say EA’s NCAA Football 2002, which may be a good thing, it’s pretty basic and a little in depth without being too time consuming. The career mode is basically the same however you start out as a graduate assistant at a small school the more you when the more job offers you get from bigger schools to come over as an assistant coach or head coach. If you don’t produce you get fired and have to look for a new job so it is pretty realistic and fun to play around with.

The graphics are nothing special although not up to the NBA Live standards it is better than last year's game, with 10 different body types and more animations. The arenas look a little better also. The game has a smoother feel to it and is more enjoyable. The graphics are a big improvement, but they could be a lot more better considering the hardware it is on. Cheerleaders have been added and you can see them cheering on the sidelines and during the timeouts they come out and dance which adds to the college atmosphere. Also during half-time the player of the half is announced and the game shows highlights of said player which is a nice touch that was unexpected.

The on court sounds are pretty uneventful and average. This years commentary is a big improvement, gone is Quinn Buckner and his ladies man impressions, replaced by Eddie Doucette and Billy Packer. Their commentary is dead on with the action and is very educational at times they discuss each teams schools history and traditions in basketball.

Overall NCAA Final Four 2002 is a great game that I would definitely recommend to any hoops fan. Great realistic game pay and a wide selection of game modes puts this game ahead of the rest.


	Steamer Trunk \| home NCAA Final Four 2002 \| Grand Theft Auto \| EA NHL 2002 \| Dave Mirra BMX \| Nascar Heat 2002 \| Crazy Taxi \| Madden 2002 \| NCAA Football 2002 \| Madden 2001 \| Triple Play \| Knockout Kings \| NBA Live 2001 \| ESPN Hockey Night \| NCAA Final Four NCAA Final Four 2002 Want to see what it be like if the McNeese Cowboys took on Duke and All-American Jason Williams? Or how the Cowboys would fare against the likes of UCLA? Well you can play them and any of the other 300 plus teams that are packed into989’s NCAA Final Four 2002. I rented this game only because NBA Live 2002 wasn’t available so I wasn’t expecting much after last years horrendous offering however I’m happy to say that this years version is a major improvement over last years lame duck. Like last year all 300 Division I-A schools and 31 conferences are present, along with the actual home courts of each team. Unlike last years game the game play can be changed to your likings. You can adjust different areas things like game speed, and frequency that fouls are called and what type of fouls are called which is a nice touch because it’s not very fun to play in a basketball game that is stopped every 30 seconds because of a light touch foul. As for actual game AI it’s great! You can have offensive shootouts, as well as defensive struggles. There is a nice variety here to please almost everyone. It all depends on your settings, the type of team you have, and how you like to play the game. Forget about freshman and sophomore difficulty levels, you'll be able to rain down 3's from half-court on these levels from the moment you start playing the game, fun for a game or so but it gets old really fast. When you kick the difficulty level up to senior you have to work on both offense to get earn every point there is no hitting the turbo button and going straight to the rim, you have to work the ball around and actually run an offense which is lacking in most basketball games. The same goes for the defensive end where you have to call the right defense at the right time and work hard to get in position if you hope to stifle your opponents offensive planes. However there are two flaws in game play. The major one being that there is no "physical momentum" in the game - when you sprint down the floor and go to block a shot your player stops on a dime and jumps straight up not very realistic. Second, the collision detection is rigid - when you bump into a player at full-sprint players should be sent sprawling and a foul should be called however the players just simply stop dead, again the realism suffers a bit. The game has several modes which include a dynasty mode and a career mode. In the dynasty mode you take over any school you want and play season after season trying to guide your team to the National Championship. You have to cut and recruit players which is a nice feature. Recruiting isn’t overly involved as say EA’s NCAA Football 2002, which may be a good thing, it’s pretty basic and a little in depth without being too time consuming. The career mode is basically the same however you start out as a graduate assistant at a small school the more you when the more job offers you get from bigger schools to come over as an assistant coach or head coach. If you don’t produce you get fired and have to look for a new job so it is pretty realistic and fun to play around with. The graphics are nothing special although not up to the NBA Live standards it is better than last year's game, with 10 different body types and more animations. The arenas look a little better also. The game has a smoother feel to it and is more enjoyable. The graphics are a big improvement, but they could be a lot more better considering the hardware it is on. Cheerleaders have been added and you can see them cheering on the sidelines and during the timeouts they come out and dance which adds to the college atmosphere. Also during half-time the player of the half is announced and the game shows highlights of said player which is a nice touch that was unexpected. The on court sounds are pretty uneventful and average. This years commentary is a big improvement, gone is Quinn Buckner and his ladies man impressions, replaced by Eddie Doucette and Billy Packer. Their commentary is dead on with the action and is very educational at times they discuss each teams schools history and traditions in basketball. Overall NCAA Final Four 2002 is a great game that I would definitely recommend to any hoops fan. Great realistic game pay and a wide selection of game modes puts this game ahead of the rest.