G4TV

Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Sports
ESRB Rating: E
Rating:

Pros: Stellar audio with a chant creator and real music; Online play worth getting into; Great gameplay fundamentals.
Cons: Players are still faceless nobodies with no way to fix it; Can't start legacy mode with a contender squad.

The little brother of the NBA2K series is finally growing up. What was a bastardization of a previous-gen title with busted online last year, has now matured into a competent basketball utopia in College Hoops 2K7 for Xbox 360. Living up to your potential is what collegiate sports prospects are all about.

B-Ball 101

The game plays very similarly to NBA 2K7, which can only be considered a good thing. It's got excellent AI, varied shot selection, and some realistic collision in the paint. Rebounding and blocking are where they should be, but passing without using the icon system can result in some wild tosses. All-in-all, College Hoops 2K7 plays a tight game, limited only by the suckability of freshman walk-ons who have as much right being on the parquet floor as Dennis Rodman in a wedding dress.

Attempting to capture comradery is a feature 2K Sports is calling "Team Unity." Individual player attributes are affected by how the whole team is playing, how much time they're sitting on the bench, etc. It's not a revolution by any stretch, but it's at least more functional than previous sports-game buzz-words like Madden's "Liquid AI" back in the day.

Major in Legacy

Legacy mode is once again the big-ticket feature, as you portray a fictional coach starting his career at an athletics-deprived university. Every aspect of college basketball is portrayed, from the midnight madness scrimmage before the season, to recruiting farmboys with hands of stone, to watching all the highlights on College Hoops Tonight. The only things missing are the ability to throw chairs -- bad -- to stress-related ulcers -- good.

Other modes are plentiful, including all the big tournaments. College Hoops 2K7 wants your loser, dropout friends to play along, so almost every mode supports four users. Online plays a huge part in the overall package as well, with player-created leagues and a ton of online-centric Achievements. This year, online works fine out right out of the box.

Hear The Cheer

The game's audio is one of its best attributes. The crowd chants, individual cheerleaders rouse rabble, and there's music behinds those annoying fight songs. The chant creator is a hilarious extra -- with the ability to string together letters, words, and mascots. While it won't accept "F U Loser!" you can get a little more creative with "They're ball eaters!"

The graphics have improved, but players still look like they're all related in an incestuous, West Virginia sort of way. Animations, stadiums, and spectators are all gorgeous, however -- with little details like flipping cheerleaders. The game needs a way to allow us to make likenesses of our favorite players, however, so we're not stuck with random nobodies. Also, the half-time show is missing the highlight clips that were so slick in NBA 2K7.

Passing Grade

College Hoops 2K7 is a big improvement over last year, though it's still overshadowed by NBA 2K7. But even if you don't send Valentines cards to Tubby Smith every year, you'll still feel enlightened if you check this game out.

Article by: Justin Leeper
Video produced by: Jonathan Solin