A low-budget sports game with surprisingly tolerable gameplay. It's the little things that ruin this title.
There are a lot of little things about this game that true sports and gaming fans will take exception to. My biggest issue is with winning the National Title in Dynasty mode. After a 33 game stretch including the Maui Invitational, conference championship and NCAA Tournament games, what is your reward?
There are no cut scenes of the players celebrating, or the coach getting ambushed by players. There is no trophy presentation. There are no "EA Magazine" articles declaring a winner. Not even a message in your inbox saying who this years champion is. All there is is a cheesy victory song being played over the post-game menu while you look at the box score.
A lot of depth with nothing to show for it. It honestly feels like EA gave up on this game, as if they had spent enough time on it.
The good:
- Recruiting classes are always diverse, with many types of players
- On the fly play-calling lets you jump between full and half-court defense in rapid succession.
- Dunks and lay-ups arent a "sure thing" anymore, with fatigue causing misses sometimes.
- Unlockable classic games let you run fun scenarios
The bad:
- Dynasty is a grind.
- Mid-major teams in weak conferences are overranked
(#1 Manhattan Jaspers, #1 seed in NCAA Tourny, 17-0 in MAAC,
D+ conference average.)
- One-and-Done players dont always declare,
while some committed players declare after 1 year
- Coach Report Card is a joke.
Deletes all records of championships with former teams.
- Dynasty Points: Too easy to obtain, not enough to spend them on
The bottom line:
There is plenty of room for this game to grow. But it's up to EA to step up and do it.