College Hoops 2K6

Though it plays more or less like its NBA counterpart, College Hoops 2K6 amps up the atmospherics, recreating the pandemonium that fills sweatbox arenas on the road to March Madness. Enthusiasm has always distinguished the college game from the pros, and it's fun just to play for the crowd, which can vary in volume based on the size of the program. Because the amateur status of student athletes prohibits the use of their names and likenesses, the game's Legacy mode focuses on your development as a coach, starting you at the Division I bottom-feeders like Kennesaw State until you can prove yourself down the line. This means recruiting prospects from high school, nabbing junior-college transfers, and leading your motley club to the Big Dance.

I sat down with the 360 version of College Hoops 2K6 for the first time last night. I was really looking forward to this after the excellent NBA game that 2K Games put out. The first thing that stands out, and I'm just in awe of it, is how they packed in over 300 college teams. There's detailed logos for each team and at least a shot at ratings, arenas, and fight songs for all. That's a ton of data. I can't vouch for the accuracy of all these teams, but from the teams I know well, I'm pleasantly surprised.

As much as the dynasty portion of the game has gotten an upgrade with some extensive video spots, I feel that there is something missing from the college experience. In recent years we've seen 2K competitor EA Sports try some new things in college sports, and I'd like to see 2K come forth with their rebuttal.

As much as the dynasty portion of the game has gotten an upgrade with some extensive video spots, I feel that there is something missing from the college experience. In recent years we've seen 2K competitor EA Sports try some new things in college sports, and I'd like to see 2K come forth with their rebuttal.

It’s that time of year again--the time of year where basketball courts around the nation are filled with excitement, slam dunks, unbelievable athletes, Cinderella stories, and championship dreams. Nothing captivates the nation like the NCAA Basketball Tournament and no other game captures the collegiate atmosphere and energy like College Hoops 2K6.

It seems like I say the same thing when it comes to all of the 2K Sports Xbox 360 games this year. Since the features are pretty much identical to the current-gen versions of the games, I find it hard to suggest that someone pay 30 dollars more for what surmounts to a graphical upgrade. If you don’t have the Xbox version and/or you the improved and beautiful graphics are important to you, I strongly suggest that you purchase this game. However, if you already have the Xbox or PS2 version and are satisfied with the game, I see no reason for you to make the upgrade.

With a strong single player experience, solid control scheme, and slick audio features, College Hoops is definitely worth your money. However, if you'd rather be cautious about your purchases, you have a lot to look forward to. The next edition in the series should feature geniune next-gen graphics during actual gameplay and enhanced coaching options. The fun factor is definitely here and counterbalances most of the mistakes made. See you on the court!

It’s a guess here, but I’m thinking College Hoops 2K6 is the sacrifice that 2K Sports felt had to be made: Either it came out with an okay game in time for this season while the door was still open; or skip a season and take the time to make a better version, but risk that gamers might not come back. The fact is, there have been companies have skipped generations before and ended up with a great product in the next attempt; and there have been companies that wasted a franchise’s reputation and player goodwill by bringing out something not quite perfect that wasn’t well received.

College Hoops 2K6 for the Xbox 360 isn’t a bad game nor will it turn off fans of college basketball but this is a game that fails to be a next-generation title really worth the purchase price. The game’s most glaring faults are just too hard to ignore and the visuals aren’t as remarkable as it could have been. If you’re a fan of college b-ball or missed out on the original Xbox version, then you might want to consider buying this.

College Hoops 2K6 makes a good splash on the Xbox 360, but there is a lot of room for improvement here. The deep Legacy mode will keep you coming back for more, but it may be hard to be enthusiastic about a college basketball title when the season is going to finish in a few weeks. At the end of the season, without any special new features or bells and whistles, it's hard to recommend a purchase at the relatively steep price-point of $59.99. Heck, the current-gen game debuted at the discount price of $29.99, so it's a mystery why this game is full priced. If you already own the current-gen game, the 360 version is not that much of a jump and a purchase would probably be best for hard-core hoops fans. If you haven't played the game at all, then you're in for a deep, well-rounded basketball experience, but you already knew that.

All in all, College Hoops 2K6 does a great job of replicating the emotional roller coaster that is college basketball. The loss of the ESPN license makes the overall presentation suffer, but 2K Sports deserves a lot of credit for picking up equally good voice talent from CBS. Additionally, the changes made to the game’s gameplay mechanics serve as great additions to the franchise.

The Xbox 360 version of College Hoops 2K6 is like a bubble team trying to make a late case for itself to the selection committee. Yes, there's a solid gameplay engine there with great AI, but there are just too many things going against this game to make it wholly recommendable. It arrived after the regular season in college basketball had ended, and it didn't do much to improve the presentation or include new features and functionality. Really, it's just a tweaked-up version of the same game on the Xbox, but it shipped several months later at double the price. If, for some reason, you don't already own the game and are a college hoops fan, it's definitely worth playing. But chances are, if you like college basketball, you already have this game, you've been playing it for months, and you paid half the price. If that's the case for you, then there's not much in this version that makes it worth a second purchase.

College Hoops 2K6 is still a very good game on the Xbox 360, the only problem is you can get the same great game for half the price on the Xbox just with not as great visuals. So to recommend purchasing this game for the 360 is hard to do. However, if you want to check out the game in a rental I would think that would be your best offer before dishing out the $60 for the 360 version.

Pitting 2K's college game against EA's is a close call, but ultimately I suppose that this game's better price and A.I. give it the edge. Someone needs to fire the coach before it's guaranteed a tourney berth, though.

If you're desperate for a college basketball game, I'd recommend picking up EA's March Madness 2006 on current-gen consoles. There just isn't anything here that warrants a $60 purchase; the "realistic" gameplay isn't fun, the visuals are disappointing, and all of the same gameplay modes can be played on the current-gen version for $20 or so. As I said before, this game should have sat on the bench for an extra year.

While it's clear that College Hoops 2K6 is capable of satisfying most sports gamers' thirsts for an NCAA licensed basketball game, we can't find a single reason why anyone should pony up the extra cash for the same game they could own on their recently abandoned Xboxs and PS2s. Stick with playing this game on the older consoles - unless you already sold them to buy your Xbox 360...

This is simply an adequate basketball game. What's not so simple is justifying the price tag: $60 compared to $30 for the Xbox and PS2 versions, when you really don't get much extra for your cash. It plays as well as you can expect, but the cookie-cutter players kill the graphics and the audio is lame. And, as I said above, online is essentially broken for the majority of gamers -- something that's inexcusable in my opinion. Even if 2K Sports remedies this Xbox Live issue, I still recommend either NBA 2K6 or the Xbox version of College Hoops over this overpriced, under-developed piece of software.

College Hoops 2K6 certainly doesn’t skimp out on things to do, with online support via Xbox Live, a staggering choice of 325 college teams, and an assortment of bonuses to unlock by completing in-game and long-term challenges. As an Xbox 360 game, however, College Hoops 2K6 is not enough of an improvement to justify upgrading your existing copy on Xbox or PlayStation 2. The player models look more plastic-like than the cast of Desperate Housewives, and there are no new game modes or significant features to warrant the price increase. Unless you passed on College Hoops 2K6 the first time around, it’s best to save the money for another upcoming sports title that makes better use of your shiny new system.

All in all, College Hoops 2K6's basic gameplay is good enough, but I can't get over terribly rough it is around the edges.

College Hoops 2K6, though, isn't a great match-up for the 360. Other than some small graphical tweaks, this is an unchanged port that costs a whopping 30 bucks more than the other versions. It's not a bad game by any means, but nor is it a new one.