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.