College Hoops 2K6 – 360 – Review

It’s March
Madness and obsessed college basketball fans, like me, are either sitting with a
rowdy college crowd or at home praying their team makes their school proud. And,
oh, what’s this I see before me? 2K Sports releasing the Xbox 360 version of
College Hoops 2K6 in time for the season. Its late arrival – the Xbox and
PS2 version had shipped a long time ago – is actually a timely one for those
fans of NCAA basketball but how well does it play on the fresh new console?
Let’s just say that this one doesn’t feel very “next-generation.”

 

Like past games
in the series, College Hoops 2K6 is packed with a large number of teams
so every school is well represented here. From the Pac-10 to the Big 12, the
game is filled with a large number of teams and they are, for the most part,
accurately rated. The rivalries that make each encounter a game you will fondly
remember is emphasized and you’ll find real coaches like Tubby Smith get up off
his seat and give his star player a piece of his mind when things aren’t looking
good. You’ll see out-of-control fans cheer their team on as the mascot makes a
fool out of the rival team’s mascot. Cheerleaders, both female and male, sound
off as the marching band plays their familiar team song. Everything you’d find
in an NCAA college season is present and accounted for, and that alone you will
make want to check out the game.

The game modes
are familiar territory seeing as there’s the Quick Game exhibition mode, Legacy,
Pontiac Tournament, Coach Mode, Rivalry and Practice. The biggest and most
enjoyable surprise this year is the game’s Legacy mode. It’s certainly a deep
and enjoyable mode that has you taking your school through the NCAA season while
keeping star players happy, managing your team’s business and watching out for
that interesting new prospect. The game mode that will keep you more than busy
since it throws realistic scenarios like player injuries and new rivalries into
the mix. Sure the Pontiac Tournament is a fun tourney to go through and Coach
Mode has its moments – especially since the game uses real coaches like Lute
Olson or Jim Boeheim and even Roy Williams. Rivalry mode allows you to pick a
team and play against said team’s main rivals.

Gameplay-wise,
College Hoops 2K6 feels a lot like NBA 2K6 with some minor
improvements and that isn’t a bad thing at all. Even on the 360 controller
actions like lead passes, pulling off sweet crossovers or break off an alley-oop
is simple. You can even increase the aggression of your players by using the
left and right triggers. The best new addition is the Shot Stick that allows you
the freedom to pull of various different dunks and layups. It not only adds more
style but gives each play its unique touch. The Dual Player Control is another
brilliant feature mainly because here it allows you to highlight a specific
player and make him drive the lane to attempt a big play. These are welcomed
additions that help make this feel like college basketball.

 

The opponent AI
is also visibly better this year and it does a great job of adding on the
pressure. You’ll find yourself keeping a close eye on your rival’s power players
and making good use of the D-pad that is assigned for the Dual Player Control as
well as play calling. Even your teammates are smart enough to handle themselves
on the court. The game plays by the college basketball rules while also
including realistic elements like fatigue and injuries … what more can we ask
for in a college basketball game?

Even with these
positive elements in place, Hoops 2K6 is plagued by hard-to-ignore flaws.
For one thing, the referee in the game seems to be one-sided when it comes to
blowing the whistle on infractions. Why does he often call unintentional fouls
while actual intentional fouls caused by the other team are completely ignored?
Why does the other team find it so easy to steal the ball? The worst yet is that
you’ll almost always miss simple three-point shots. It’s things like this that
not only makes many matches pretty frustrating but they’re uncalled for since
last year’s game didn’t have these problems. 

I seriously
wouldn’t have minded of the game turned out unattractive just as long as it
played perfectly but with its share of gameplay faults it would at least been
worth it if the game took advantage of the Xbox 360 graphical power. It
certainly could have been a lot better than this, although the game does display
some much better textures and exclusive details like cloth movement in uniforms.
As far as the facial details of most players are concerned, they just don’t look
natural. Players do move realistically enough and the arenas look so-so with
their cheering section.

 

What does work
is the game’s sound that does a great job of recreating an authentic college
game feel. With the cheering fans, specific cheers from the cheerleaders and the
sounds of the marching band really make you feel like you’re sitting with the
crowd. The play-by-play and color commentary by Bill Raftery and Vern Lundquist
is good and so is the pre-season and Selection Sunday broadcast from Greg Gumbel
and Clark Kellogg. The marching bands play their specific team march well enough
to make the sound one of the best features.

Unfortunately,
College Hoops 2K6 for the Xbox 360 just doesn’t have the goods to warrant
paying the $60 purchase price but if you are a fan of college basketball and
don’t own the other cheaper and better versions of the game then you might want
to seriously consider this one. Yet for a game that just doesn’t dazzle in the
graphics department or fixed its major faults, you might want to wait next year.

Gameplay: 7.5
The Shot Stick
and Dual Player Control work perfectly in the game and the AI is solid enough to
play realistically enough. Pulling off some sweet moves isn’t hard on the 360
controller and play calling is a snap. While the other game modes offer enough
to do, Legacy Mode steals the show.

Graphics: 7.0
Graphically
speaking, College Hoops 2K6 disappoints in so many levels. Everything
from the arenas to the player models doesn’t exactly come off as
next-generation. The soft lighting glow doesn’t help either but the worst part
is that player faces don’t look natural. As far as the player movements are
concerned, they’re good as are the uniforms.

Sound: 8.0
The rowdy
college fans can really be heard and they add to the college game feel
perfectly. Aside from the squeaking sneakers and coaches barking orders, you’ll
hear the marching bands and cheerleaders perfectly. The play-by-play is not bad
at all either.

Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
The good news
is that the AI is smart and makes convincing plays that give the game its
authentic feel. The bad news is that the ref can be utterly blind and even call
unintentional fouls that you somehow make and the opposing team doesn’t? What is
this … some conspiracy against making your favorite team look good?

Concept: 7.5
Legacy Mode is
not only deep but will have you playing it through several NCAA seasons. You can
even create your own school and players and pit them against created rivals. The
AI is nicely balanced and coaching offers plenty of options. The online
multiplayer is a dream come true on the Xbox 360.

Multiplayer:
8.5
The ability to
create or join a league or tournament online and work your way up the leader
board is handled beautifully and with a smooth framerate there is very little to
complain about. This is definitely a game you’ll want to share with a friend as
well as go up against college rivals.

Overall: 7.5
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.