Xbox

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.

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.

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.

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.