ESPN College Hoops Impressions....

[bdoughty]

I am happy and all that people are happy but don't animations like fade away threes and the 2 foot lean back hook shot ruin the game for you?

I'm hesitant to pick it up because I know that will piss me off to no end.

Live's animations are so smooth.

I would say if you like Live over ESPN then give March Madness a rent first. Both ESPN games do feel similar and like DB said on default the college game is slower, especially with the chugbutts (Centers and Power Forwards) rumbling up and down the court.




As for my time with ESPN


It is safe to say the fadeaways and leaners have been toned down alot. I am impressed with the number of animations added throughout the game from players being knocked down on picks and screens to defenders spinning around the screens. Like the Pro game you have alot of new animations as you head to the rim. Sure the hook shot from up close is there but not as bad as previous versions. Playing around with pump fakes, how long you hold the shoot button and direction you are going helps cut it to a minimum. As has been mentioned above the CPU will shoot the 3 and they pass the ball around looking for the open shot. You really have to be careful running a zone this year because a 3 point shooting team will kill you if you don't have the pressure bumped up. Fouls are abundant and you will find yourself thinking about each player under your control as you reach in on defense. I have not had many calls on the CPU reaching in but they will foul you in the lane and often. New free throw shooting is exactly what I needed, no more annoying trigger.

On the graphics end it looks as good if not better then ESPN 2K5 but after playing a game at the United Spirit Center (Texas Tech) I have to give the art team a large pat on the back with how they did the crowds. BEST CROWDS EVER! So shoot me I like my atmosphere to go along with gameplay.

Couple of questions regarding controller setup. I went with "C" to match the Pro game. By doing this you do not have access to "lead pass". Am I missing anything with this? On a rebound I have no problem getting fast breaks using the pass icons. One big gripe with this configuation it will not let me choose who I am going to pass to after a made shot by hitting "Y" for pass icon. It bring the icons up but always passes to the PG automatically. Anyone else have this problem? It would be helpful in a full court press. The give and go is pretty effective in the game and might even work to well?


So far so good. Can't wait to unlock the Burger King Stadium, Jersey and Crown.


What difficulty is everyone playing on

Currently on All-Conference (going to bump up to All_American when the rosters are done and begin a dynasty) and 15 minutes getting reasonable scores (on average scoring 60-70 per game). If you play with a higher scoring team I could see playing 18 to 20 full minutes to get in the 90's.

[kevinpars]

If you turn fouls all the way up, you will find yourself shouting at the screen "Let 'em play ref!!!!!"

The dunk slider work as well. Since most sliders in games don't work - and since there were a few too many dunks for me during the first few games I played, I went ahead and turned it about 3/4 of the way down for both me and the AI. At that point I started to see too many dunks being slammed off the back of the rim. I assume I can find a happy medium.

It seems a bit harder to defend than last year. WHile I kept a few cupcake teams down in the 40s and 30s for shooting percentage, I played Duke and UNC and they both hit about 15-18 before I shut it down.

And I have seen some teams go inside consistently and some shoot the 3 consistently.

So far so good. Certainly bugs can show up and frankly while I like the graphics and the gameplay, I am not blow away. It is improved from last year and from NBA, but it is an evolved game not a totally new game.

I noticed the same 'sheen' on the March Madness players, but in the little while I played the game I found it to be a pretty big improvement over last year. While I think it is true that it would be hard to switch back and forth between the 2 games, I also think I will keep this game in my rotation so when i get tired of playing ESPN, I have another college alternative.

The nice thing I have found about the college games is that you can play them for months and still get a decent resale if you unload them on half.com in March because a lot of people don't get pumped for college ball until the tourney. Of course, in our warped gaming world, we will be already tired of the new baseball games by March!!!

[sportdan30]

Well, I didn't get to play more than a couple games last night. My son who had the stomach flu a couple days ago (and supposedbly was over it) woke up crying and puked all over his bedroom. Needless to say, I had to run out and purchase some new steam cleaner shampoo. So, I can't do a really good side to side comparison between CH and NBA 2K5, but these things are noticeable:

- The AI actually will shoot the trey when guarded and unguarded.
- IMO, there's a lot more off the ball movement
- Fouls are definitely a plenty. It really makes for more of a strategic game. Sliders do not work as well as they should in NBA 2K5.
- So far, the free throw shooting is worlds away better than any than I have experienced. However, I could see it becoming maybe too easy. Maybe not.
- Maybe it's just me, but I prefer the announcers in CH much more over NBA 2K5. Perhaps it's the familarity of the voices that I enjoy.
- The atmoshpere could be better, but there's nothing better than hearing the bands, the chants, seeing the mascots, etc. The NBA game is a bit too "techno" for my taste.
- Compared to last year, I'm blown away at the player models. They're crisper, smoother, and less grainy.
- The fast break is a thing of beauty in this game. It's not so so bad in NBA 2K5, but the lead pass works wonderfully in CH.

On a negative note, they still don't have Allen Fieldhouse right. But at least they have that big a** Jayhawks at center court!

[jLp vAkEr0]

Well, I popped the game in last night. Played one game only(online). After the 1st couple of minutes, I was saying to my opponet how much better it plays over it's NBA counterpart. WAY more fluid.

I'll have to see how it works offline, but I can see this game being a online hit between the DSP clan. Safe to say I won't waist my time anymore with either NBA Live or NBA 2k5.

[pk500]

OK, a few impressions based on two hours of play last night with College Hoops 2K5. But a few parameters, first. I haven't played either of the NBA games this year. I'm also a big college hoop fan, but I haven't been a big player of hoop games in the past couple of years other than Inside Drive. And I sucked at that.

College Hoops impressions:

-- The new free-throw shooting system is fantastic. Feels fluid, natural. A really cool new feature.

-- Graphics are functional. Not great, not anywhere near as good as ESPN NFL and not quite as good as ESPN NHL. No slowdown that I could detect in offline play, though, and the players move quite fluidly on the floor. Some goofy animations for inside shots, though. Double-hitches by centers on fadeaway jumpers or layups? Some of the off-balance jumper animations are odd, too. And where are the Jim Boeheim Court markings on the floor at the Carrier Dome? Just a personal peeve -- minor, I know.

-- The game seems really balanced and fun right out of the box. I don't think I'll need to make too many slider adjustments, at least for now. It seems very well tuned to my skill level, which isn't high, right now.

-- Fouls, fouls, fouls! Finally, a basketball game has a strong foul model right out of the box! I actually took 37 free throws in a game on default skill with default sliders and default game length last night. That's 37 FT's just for me, not both teams combined. That was an exception, but I'm still getting to the line 12-15 times per game in a short default game.

-- I didn't see the devastating fast break that many in here have mentioned. But that was lack of execution by me and not a flaw of the game, I'm betting.

-- I really like how you have to work the ball around quite a bit to get an open shot. There seems to be less isolation play in the post in this game than there was in the last two Inside Drive games. I like how the college offensive game is simulated in this game, a lot.

-- Mike Patrick and Jay Bilas sound good and pretty natural as the commentary pair. Not as good as Gary Thorne and Bill Clement sound in NHL 2K5, but still quite good.

-- This game just feels "right," even right out of the box. I played four or five games last night and had a ton of fun. There was no time where I said, "Oh, that's not right" or "Man, this part of the game is messed up, and I need to get after the sliders to try and fix it." It's obvious that there was a lot of attention to polish and detail with the gameplay in this game. I'd rather have the mediocre graphics and the seemingly solid gameplay out of the box than the opposite, and this game delivers on that end.

-- I know I'm stating the obvious, but every time I play any recent college hoops game, I'm always in awe that I can choose from one of more than 300 schools to play. A very strong college hoop game with more than 300 teams for 20 bucks? That's a bargain, man!

Again, these are the impressions of a very average, non-hardcore console basketball gamer who enjoys college basketball. But I really like what I've seen and played so far, and this game seems to be a no-brainer purchase if you're even into college hoop a little bit.

Take care,
PK

[RallyMonkey]

Can someone tell me how this game leaves the factory with such a HORRIBLE shot block animation. In four games i've had multiple shot blocks on both sides, and not ONE of them appears as though the player blocking the shot is anywhere NEAR the ball. And low and behold, when slowed down, it's true. It does some things well, but this is plain awful.

Of the games played, I've won 3 and lost one so this is not an issue of not being able to play the game. After playing 4 in MM as well, i am back to my original impressions of ESPN versus EA this year. ESPN kicks the crap out of EA in how it looks, but i just find myself enjoying EA games more (with hockey being the one MAJOR exception. ESPN Hockey is a flat out great game). And i am not an EA schill because up until this year i played only ESPN games. Just something about the changes in the EA lineup did it for me. I know many here disagree, and that's cool because it keeps forums like this up and running.

I am going to keep both because it's the only game where i can play with my alma mater, but for now MM will get the bulk of my time.

[pk500]

I am happy and all that people are happy but don't animations like fade away threes and the 2 foot lean back hook shot ruin the game for you?

I'm hesitant to pick it up because I know that will piss me off to no end.

Live's animations are so smooth.

If a few animations ruin a game that oozes quality gameplay, then you're more of a graphics' whore than I ever figured.

The animations can be loopy at times. But they certainly don't hinder the gameplay in any way whatsoever.

Out,
PK

[Sudz]

I just played Hipstersudz on Live and we had 27 foul shots between us (10 min halves). One of his players fouled out. I really didn't experience any lag in that game and it was a lot of fun. The game seems pretty balanced.

it was a good game. I pulled w/in one then LOST.

i do wish that the hook shot near the hoop would go away. players don't seem to take it to the hoop when they have a chance in there...they do that fade away hook BS.

[Leebo33]

I am going to keep both because it's the only game where i can play with my alma mater, but for now MM will get the bulk of my time.

Please share your impressions of MM when you get a chance, especially after you've had a chance to dive into the dynasty mode. I'm a big fan of Live and I still think it is the best of the bunch this year out of all the games I've played. However, if Sega would replace Iso-motion with something more like freestytle and add the two button shot system it would be pretty close for me, especially with the new free throw system. I know many of you hate the two button system for shot selections, but it is great once you get used to it and adds SO much more control. I wanted to scream last night when Pitt's Chris Taft kept taking fade aways or short jumpers when he was open 3 feet from the basket. Sure, I could "learn" how to play the game, but isn't it better that *I* decide when I want to layup/dunk or shoot a jumper?

So far, I am totally happy with the Live/NCAA Hoops combination. Now I can enjoy what both engines have to offer (and for only $60!) as long as I can find a good controller configuration. I was using "Pro" in College Hoops last night and that seemed pretty good.

[wco81]

I just played Hipstersudz on Live and we had 27 foul shots between us (10 min halves). One of his players fouled out. I really didn't experience any lag in that game and it was a lot of fun. The game seems pretty balanced.

it was a good game. I pulled w/in one then LOST.

i do wish that the hook shot near the hoop would go away. players don't seem to take it to the hoop when they have a chance in there...they do that fade away hook BS.

Is that because of the force field?

Do they have separate dunk and shoot buttons?

[jLp vAkEr0]

i do wish that the hook shot near the hoop would go away. players don't seem to take it to the hoop when they have a chance in there...they do that fade away hook BS.

This is basically my only beef with the game after 1 contest.

[sportdan30]

I've read that holding down the turbo button alleviates the hook shot for the most part, allowing for your player to take the ball to hole for a dunk or a strong layup. Haven't experiemented with this as of yet whether this truly works or not.

[Diablo25]

I've read that holding down the turbo button alleviates the hook shot for the most part, allowing for your player to take the ball to hole for a dunk or a strong layup. Haven't experiemented with this as of yet whether this truly works or not.

That is what you need to do. Thats the solution in NBA 2K5.

[Leebo33]

I've read that holding down the turbo button alleviates the hook shot for the most part, allowing for your player to take the ball to hole for a dunk or a strong layup. Haven't experiemented with this as of yet whether this truly works or not.

That is what you need to do. Thats the solution in NBA 2K5.

Thanks guys. That's awesome.

[sportdan30]

Well, let us know if it works.

[Brando70]

Thanks for all the impressions, I will have to pick this up. When the hell am I going to find time to play all this stuff?

[ubrakto]

Only got in one game last night (jumped right into dynasty mode and spent half my time recruiting), but while I enjoyed the game immensly I have to ask: has anyone had problems getting stuck in animations when trying to move around the perimeter while on offense? Hard to explain, but there were times I as trying to move around the 3-point line and really felt like I was fighting with the game to get the player to turn and move where I wanted him to go. It wasn't unworkable, but definitely annoying at times.

One thing I'm really struggling with is which controller set up to use. I can't stand not having the passing icons tied to the Y button (Xbox), which is only available on the "C" option, but then you lose access to the lead pass button, which blows.

I'm also really enjoying the recruiting this year (be ready for two or three full weeks of recruiting before your team plays its first game). I was skeptical about the concept of having to balance "coaching" time and "recruiting" time, but it seems to be working out very well so far. The game differentiates between your recruiting skill and your scouting skill (which I don't remember being a factor last year), which is a nice touch. You seem to really need to choose assistant coaches that compliment each other and your head coach's abilities. I've got a head coach that's good (B+) at developing players, but not much else. A first assistant that's a decent x's and o's guy and a second assistant that's a good recruiter (C+). So it really makes you think about who to send to see or phone a recruit or who to scout a game or request a game tape. Very nice so far (but it's early).

I've got Dartmouth right now and getting a four or five star recruit's interest meter to budge is appropriately impossible (so far). It does look like I'll be able to swing a couple 3-star players my way. My only complaint is that it takes so long to assign all your free recruiting points (between three coaches) that I spent more time last night recruiting than actually playing the game on the court. Might be a little excessive.

Anyway, some control issues aside, I'm enjoying the hell out of the game right now.

[sportdan30]

Ub,

Have you played NBA 2K5? I thought the animations were more so drawn out in that game than CH. Iso seems to work a lot better when you have some court spacing it seems. For me personally, I tend to shy away from using Iso a lot just because I like to have that "in control" feeling. I'll have to try and experiement with it this evening.

Recruiting was a blast last year and can't wait to dive into it. Be thankful if you're able to land 3 star recruits as 4 and 5 star recruits might just show a little interest. I recall having better luck recruiting those players who were centralized as opposed to those far away. A lot of players prefer to play closer to home. Recruiting is a long process and the players won't commit generally until the end of the season. By the way, after a couple seasons, you'll find yourself attracting those 4 and 5 star players...given that you've accumulated a winning record and such. Then again, you might start getting offers from other universities. Great stuff!

[FloridaGators]

Live's animations are so smooth.

You're kidding right? The first time EA makes a game smooth will be the first...especially on the Xbox.

What animations are you talking about anyway. You shoot fadaways when you want to...you shoot hooks when you want to. Learn to play.

The players in the Sega basketball series never react like I want them to react. In Live you'll never see a 2 foot fadeaway when the guy can go up strong because of the button layout, having one for shoot and one for dunk.

Also, the dunks in EA basketball and the way the ball releases and goes through the hope exactly mirror real life.

[FloridaGators]

I could care less about graphics. I want fun factor, and to me that sort of hinders my enjoyment of the game because it had me bitching all the time last year when we had College Hoops 2k4.

Huh? You don't care about graphics, but a graphical animation oddity made you b*tch up a storm about College Hoops 2K4? That's like saying I don't care about weight loss and going to McDonald's and only ordering a cup of water.

I'd be much happier with a game where the stats are close to correct and it's fun to get "one more game" in against a friend or the CPU then a game where the CPU and I both shoot 40%, get to the line a lot, have less than 6 blocks a game, and the steals are sufficient.

I got all of that at default settings last night in ESPN College Hoops 2K5. Both teams shot in the 40-45 percent range, both teams got to the line, and I had sufficient steals and blocks. Nothing obscene.

Your mileage may vary.

Take care,
PK

[TheTruth]

Question on controller setup...

For you guys that are using the college hoops 1 (default) setup..are you using the old "duke" controller or a new S-controller?

I'm currently playing with the duke controller and can't stand having to use the white button to post up and hold that in while trying to hit another button to do post moves. I may have to try using my S controller to see if it's easier to do.

[sportdan30]

Some people would say a lot of fouls, getting to the line a lot, and a realistic number of steals is immensely enjoyable and fun. Others would say the direct opposite. It's boring, it slows down the game too much, yada yad yada. It all comes down to your own definition of "fun". No one can say whether or not you will like this year's game if you didn't like last year's game. Personally, I'm overwhelmingly impressed so far at what they've added in terms of realism (fouls, better ft shooting, better offensive AI).

On the downside, you still may see some wild animations under the basket, some iffy AI playcalling, etc. But the positives far outweigh the negatives this year as maybe wasn't the case last year to many.

[ubrakto]

SportDan - it was really just around the perimeter that I was having problems. It was like I was getting stuck in isomotion moves without having activated them. Maybe I nudged the right stick a couple times and didn't notice? Was just one game, though, so I'm hoping I'll get a few more in tonight and won't have a problem. I just have to commit to a controller set up.
---Todd

[FloridaGators]

I don't care if the players look like zombies when they are shooting foul shots or in cut scenes but I want the animations to be good, if you follow me.

I'll be giving ESPN College Hoops a chance as soon as I can get a ride to the mall from college.

I have heard that MM only gives you the option of editing 324 players in the game which is bullshi*.

[Parker]

" have heard that MM only gives you the option of editing 324 players in the game which is bullshi*."

Not to mention it takes forever to load the editing screens for each player.