NCAA Basketball 2010 Review

[RaychelSnr]

No franchise was more in need of a makeover last fall than EA's (formerly known as) March Madness series. The crescendo of the franchise's downfall came with March Madness 08, which turned out to be the equivalent of a number 16 seed after the first day of the NCAA Tournament -- routed by a vastly superior opponent and lucky to even have been invited to the big dance. Thankfully, EA listened to the criticism leveled at the March Madness series and decided to start from scratch. The result was NCAA Basketball 09.

NCAA Basketball 09 corrected many of the nagging issues from the March Madness series and implemented a core experience that could be built upon in future iterations of the series. While the game was ultimately crippled by some annoying bugs (for example, playing zone against the CPU would force an ungodly amount of turnovers) and a lackluster dynasty mode, the overall game was a very solid Freshman effort by EA. 2008 marked the year that the developers at EA once again made their college basketball offering relevant.

And now with the first week of college basketball upon us, it is only natural that EA has released NCAA Basketball 10. Touting revolutionary television presentation, an all-new motion offense mechanic and yearly team and player "dynamic" updates, NCAA Basketball 10 is ready to up the tempo and try to run all other 2009 hoops competition out of the gym.

So is the game ready to ascend to the level of a UNC, UCLA and Michigan State, or is NCAA 10's bubble going to burst well before March?

Read More - NCAA Basketball 10 Review

[sportzbro]

Re: NCAA Basketball 2010 Review

So how does this game get a 6 and NCAA Football receives an 8?.. honestly if the word "basketball" were replaced with "football" in the review, it would sound like you were describing the same game...clipping, animation issues, boring dynasty..

..overall generic feel to each and every game I played

[RayAllen20]

Re: NCAA Basketball 2010 Review

Ouch! I believe this game does deserve a 6, but I think the football games are getting a little too easy of grades. No way this game isn't close to the same par as NCAA Football is. I think OS should do a review but then after 2 months do a final thoughts thing. That way we won't see a game getting a 9, but everyone getting sick of it after a couple weeks.

[bigsmallwood]

Great honest review! Now back to CH2k8......Oh and lets try to be this hard on Madden and NCAA Football.....Great review though Chris!

[HustlinOwl]

L1 is motion offense on PS3 and last year you had to be friends in order to get rosters. DVD9 on 360 is what really hurts presentation and commentary. Hell look at commentary on MLB The Show with bluray capability. Game warrants a score higher than a 6 considering what some of the other basketball titles received this year, with little improvement.

[Spanky]

Re: NCAA Basketball 2010 Review

Review is right on the money. If anything, I think it was too kind and generous. Oh well, I needed another coaster anyway.

[mike24forever]

2K Fanboys are going to eat this up. After reading the impression thread I am still picking this game up. I think the fear of being labelled an EA support is causing reviews on this site to be overly critical of there games.

[bigsmallwood]

Re: NCAA Basketball 2010 Review

L1 is motion offense on PS3 and last year you had to be friends in order to get rosters. DVD9 on 360 is what really hurts presentation and commentary. Hell look at commentary on MLB The Show with bluray capability. Game warrants a score higher than a 6 considering what some of the other basketball titles received this year, with little improvement.

Well of course if they used Blu-Ray......it would be a whole nother' ballgame!!!! Great point!

[VTPack919]

Re: NCAA Basketball 2010 Review

I disagree with the score but oh well. When last year got a seven you think this would at the least match it.

To each his own though.

[tril]

ok. Ill save my dough. this is the type of ind epth analysis I needed to make my decision.
Ill miss the presentation aspaect of it but gameplay and features are for more important.
Ill be playing that classic 08 title again this year.

[Jasong7777]

Re: NCAA Basketball 2010 Review

I'm getting the game as soon as I leave work. I'm just going to try and enjoy the game for what it is. Been in the impressions thread the last couple of days and need a college basketball game. This should do it.

[TheTodd84]

What I don't understand is why these gaming companies still continue to develop games on a 360, and then port them over to the PS3. Is this because of the popularity of the 360 and the idea that they will sell more copies?

It would seem to make more sense to develop the game on the PS3, with a ton more space on the blu-ray disc, and make full commentary, get rid of all the glitches and then port what you can over to the 360. And two years into the PS3, the excuse that it is really difficult to develop for is getting a little tired.

[Jasong7777]

Re: NCAA Basketball 2010 Review

I disagree with the score but oh well. When last year got a seven you think this would at the least match it.

To each his own though.

By the looks of it, this game seems to be an improvement over last years version. The game should of least got a 7.5 or the same as last year.

[The GIGGAS]

Re: NCAA Basketball 2010 Review

What I don't understand is why these gaming companies still continue to develop games on a 360, and then port them over to the PS3. Is this because of the popularity of the 360 and the idea that they will sell more copies?

It would seem to make more sense to develop the game on the PS3, with a ton more space on the blu-ray disc, and make full commentary, get rid of all the glitches and then port what you can over to the 360. And two years into the PS3, the excuse that it is really difficult to develop for is getting a little tired.

They've done this for years.

Work on the least technically advanced, then port up. Xbox was far more powerful than PS2... but everyone developed for PS2.

Plus, it's easier to tweak than to wholesale remove things for one console, and also, that gives one console an advantage over another, where, for EA, wouldn't make any sense at all, considering they want to continue being partners with Sony and Microsoft because they get more money that way.

[bluengold34_OS]

Re: NCAA Basketball 2010 Review

Very honest review Chris.........but

Disagree in a few areas, namely the score. This game is a solid 7.25 to 7.5 imo. The fun on the court and the presentation have far exceeded my expectations this year. Even at 7.5...a game still has a way to go be great..or even stellar.

A 6 really makes this game sound worse than last year...and its anything but that. It still has a ways to go, but it's a lot closer to really good game, than it is to a really bad game this year.