Tough D in College Hoops 2K5

I just finished checking out another build of ESPN College Hoops 2K5 and, while I haven't had a chance for any hands-on time as of yet, one thing really stood out as I watched the games play out: defense. This game plays you tough from opening buzzer to the end of the game. As I mentioned in my hands-on impressions of an earlier build of the game, you can expect to see some teams play full court pressure against you for an entire game. However, in this latest version, I was struck by the amount of successful steals and interceptions the defensive AI seemed to pull off.

Better yet, none of the turnovers looked artificial, from my viewpoint. I saw an aggressive AI going for the ball, playing tough double team schemes, and really creating some problems for the offensive team. And this was on default difficulty! This tough level of play bodes well for the game as we creep towards its release sometime in November.

One other note: Those of you who plan on picking up the game, be sure to check out the faux newspaper stories that are written about you and your team while progressing through the game's Legacy mode. The stories are informative and, in some cases, downright hilarious. It's an entertaining, if trivial, feature that is a lot of fun.