ESPN College Hoops 2K5

Take it to the college court and strut your stuff with this new iteration of the b-ball hit. ESPN College Hoops 2K5 is a game that will school you in more ways than one. The basketball action is primo, there are no easy games on the schedule, and you're going to have to hit the books to become both player and coach.

Speaking as a sports fan, a college cheerleader and a hardcore gamer, I can truthfully say that there aren’t many college hoops games that really make me believe this is the ultimate college basketball title. I’ve played many a great EA Sports game and was even captivated by a few stellar 989 Sports titles on the PS2, but this year the ESPN College Hoops 2K franchise has blown me away. ESPN College Hoops 2K5 on the Xbox joins the ranks of the recent ESPN sports titles that are priced at twenty dollars and are well worth the money. Please, grab a seat and come see why.

This is Mike Mullis for NLG Sports here at the studios in Baltimore, Maryland. Well, College Basketball has begun in earnest and while we're finishing up the opening tournaments for the major conferences, and our hometown 12th ranked Maryland Terrapins got beat tonight by 25th ranked Wisconsin. It probably didn't help that two guys on the Terps fouled out; one of them being our lead scorer for the night. But it's a long season. It's also a long season for video game College Basketball, and if you haven't already gotten your hands on a college hoops game yet, grab a $20 from your wallet, head to the local game store, and pick up the latest from the good people at Sega, ESPN, and Visual Concepts. ESPN College Hoops 2K5 is all that and a frat party.

Once again Sega shows why it continues to play in the sports market. There are some games that just rise above all others, and this year ESPN College Basketball does just that. With a superior dynasty mode, better graphics, good enough to be fun controls, and a sick $20 price tag, I can not think of an excuse not to have this game. It is nearly everything a fan wants in his College Basketball video game. Sure, still room for movement here and there, but the most solid it's ever been I believe. Another fine job by the folks at Sega, ESPN Videogames, and Visual Concepts.

Each year, ESPN College Hoops gets better and this year's no exception. ESPN College Hoops 2K5 is my favorite hoops game of the year for its atmosphere, its wondrous meterless free throw system, and its improved Legacy Mode. Though there are still some gameplay flaws and sound bugs, College Hoops 2K5 is a diaper dandy.

Each year, ESPN College Hoops gets better and this year's no exception. ESPN College Hoops 2K5 is my favorite hoops game of the year for its atmosphere, its wondrous meterless free throw system, and its improved Legacy Mode. Though there are still some gameplay flaws and sound bugs, College Hoops 2K5 is a diaper dandy.

In closing, this is a really solid and incredibly deep college basketball sim. Fans will have the ability to control every single facet of the game from the action on the court to the action behind the scenes. The basketball action is intense and fast paced, aptly recreating the passion and emotion that makes college basketball what it is. The slick ESPN-style presentation also adds immensely to the atmosphere and feeling of the action. Beyond the plain visuals and the disappearing sound, there’s a whole lot to love here. For fans of the sport, you definitely cannot go wrong here, a fact further hammered home by it’s $19.99 price tag.

Sega's ESPN College Hoops 2K5 has shipped to stores just in time for the start of the 2004-2005 college basketball season. While most of the country only pays attention to the sport for the season-ending NCAA Tournament, the road to the championship is paved with hard-fought wins as early as November and December. College Hoops 2K5 plays a quality game of roundball both offline and online, and the new legacy mode should keep wannabe basketball coaches quite busy over the course of several simulated seasons.

Like its NBA cousin, ESPN NBA 2K5, College Hoops 2K5 offers up a great game of roundball. While the balance of gameplay still hinges on star players, there are still enough intrinsic nuances to give the game a college basketball feel. If you're a fan of college basketball, the attractive presentation, smooth online play, and deep legacy mode are all good reasons to check out ESPN College Hoops 2K5.

I have a much more profound respect for college basketball than I do for many other sports. I grew up watching Penn play at the Palestra against Ivy League and Big 5 opponents alike. I saw the sellouts, the drama, the music, all firsthand. I'm one of the rare college basketball fans that know the Princeton offense's most dangerous aspect isn't the backdoor cut. All you had to do is notice their pregame warm up drills during the Pete Carril era. Visual Concept's ability to recreate this experience will go a long way in my ultimate enjoyment of ESPN College Hoops 2K5.

Going head to head once again with EA, ESPN College Hoops 2K5 takes on the very impressive March Madness. Usually ESPN games suffer from a lack of playability, relying on better then average graphics to make up for subpar gameplay and controls. How does this title fit into that characterization? Aside from a great career mode, pretty much right on.

Overall, I am impressed with the overall game, but the poor gameplay really dampens what could have been the best ESPN title to date. The improvements to the career mode, and the graphics, particularly on the Xbox, make this a decent game. It still trails NCAA March Madness for the usual reasons, but if you could somehow take the career mode from this game, and the gameplay from EA’s title, you would have the best sports game ever made.

If there’s anything I would expect out of ESPN videogames, it would be another $20 winner that trumps the double-priced competitor. Even though ESPN College Hoops 2K5 boasts some features that are sorely missing from EA’s hoops game, what results is a stiff, unbalanced and inaccurate successor to last year’s joy.

College Hoop's ESPN license is largely wasted, represented only some familiar music and that ever-present logo. The game lacks an NCAA license but it doesn't matter since the players look realistic and wear the correct numbers. The commentary is serviceable, but it does sound odd to hear the players called by number ("Number four should not have taken that shot!"). The career mode is pretty weak because you only have a limited number of teams to start with, and if your favorite isn't on the list, what's the point? This would have been a good year for College Hoops to overtake March Madness, but apparently Sega was not up to the challenge.