I find it totally bizarre that none of the PC sports giants (Electronic Arts, Sierra, Accolade) have released a basketball title for the home computer in the last five or so years. Football has plenty of representation, as does baseball. Where have all the hoops gone? I fondly remember TV Sports Basketball from Cinemaware, which came out around the turn of the decade. It was actually pretty good . . . offering league and exhibition play, player and team customization, and an aggressive computer opponent. For those wanting a good action-oriented basketball game, it was the only thing going. Strategy-oriented players leaned toward a different game, though, and still do to this day. That game, which has as much of a cult following as any sports game I've ever seen, is Bethesda Softworks' NCAA: Road To The Final Four. Featuring a bevy of college teams and real tournament play, NCAA was (and is) as close to the real thing as PC basketball got. Now, finally, Bethesda is ready to take us even closer with the release of NCAA: Road To The Final Four 2.
Those of you yearning for an arcadish, NBA Jam-like game with crazy announcers and 18 dozen kinds of slam dunks . . . well, you'll have to keep yearning. Although NCAA's game interface has undergone a complete graphical overhaul, it retains its old feel as a coach-first, act-second basketball sim. You can choose to play a single exhibition game or participate in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, which pits 64 of the nation's best teams against each other until only one is left. In either mode, there are a lot of options and toggles which can be used to change the fabric of the game considerably. Shot clocks can be increased, decreased, or turned off completely, and violations such as the five-second inbounds clock can be removed from play too. Once you've set everything to your liking, it's off to the court, which, depending on your computer's graphics capabilities, may be displayed in lo-res MCGA or hi-res VGA graphics. Apart from the substitution screen, which is shown before the game and during time-outs, all coaching AND gameplay is done from on the court. The original Road To The Final Four had a finicky interface, but the interface found in this sequel goes WAY beyond finicky. Call it frustrating, bizarre, quizzical . . . "finicky" doesn't do it justice.
Here's the deal . . . if you choose to use coaching mode only and have the PC actually PLAY the game, you'll do okay. If you want to call plays AND execute them yourself, though, you're in for a rude awakening. For some reason, Bethesda decided to utilize a system wherein "tapping" and "holding" your fire buttons produce two totally different effects. Case in point: the passing system. While moving a player around, you can tap button two on your joystick and then a direction to pass the ball to another player. Easy enough. Unfortunately, should you hold that same button too long, you immediately enter playcalling mode, which manifests itself on your screen in the form of a menu which overlays the court. If that doesn't sound confusing enough, you still must maneuver your player WHILE selecting a play. More than once, I found myself looking through the play options a little too long and got the ball stolen from me, resulting in a fast break basket for the opponent. Frankly, in a game where every other aspect is at least satisfactory, this interface is not. Looks like a third NCAA game is in order . . . one that corrects this glaring flaw.
Other than that, NCAA 2 is everything I expected it to be. It's got 64 real teams and logos and editable player statistics. It's got options galore. With all these things in place, it's a shame that the game is reduced to mediocrity by its controls. Fans of the first NCAA will simply adore this one and should purchase it with no hesitation, but newcomers should take heed: If you want a good coaching sim, look no further, but if you want action and ease of use, wait for NBA Jam.
