There was a time when EA Sports put out an NCAA hoops game that consumed hours. Creating a player, creating a school – both were amazing features that resulted in many nights of limited sleep.

When entering the next generation of games, it stands to reason that expectations would be high. While NCAA March Madness 08 certainly meets the graphical expectations head on and does sport several elements that attempt to mimic the frantic and often frenzied atmosphere of the college game, the title fails in several other areas, like gameplay that seems predetermined at times. The commentary by Brad Nessler and Dick Vitale is canned to the point where phrases may or may not be relevant to the action.

And while on the topic of what March Madness 08 does not do well, there is the framerate to consider. It is off, giving the impression that instead of a fast-paced game, the players are running and moving at half speed. And the player AI is not all that sharp; it’s either that or the controls leave much to be desired. Over-and-back violations happen far too often. A player crosses the center line, runs into a defensive player attempting to set up the half-court trap and the collision path is such that he bounces backwards and is whistled for the turnover. And it gets worse. If you get out on the break, and the lead ballhandler breaks into the clear, unless your timing is spot on, he won’t put up the shot at times and even if you are hitting the shot button or pulling back on the directional stick, he still manages to run out the endline. This can lead to those moments when you consider tossing the controller across the room in frustration.  

As for the create modes … you can create a player, but not a school. And as the game boots up, you are asked to pick a team profile, meaning you select one of the NCAA teams that you would like as “your” team. However, if that roster if full, even if you create a player, he may not be able to play for your school. Case in point, the school to associate with the profile was the Oregon Ducks, but the Ducks roster is full, so the created player could not be part of that roster. Wishing to stay close to Oregon, there were openings on the Portland State roster and the created player went there. Another dynasty team was created and voila, Portland State was the controlled team.  

The dynasty mode is fairly deep, allowing players to jump in and recruit, and build up the school in terms of School Pride, a feature new to the 08 edition. Essentially by completing challenges, you can unlock elements that will jack the pride of the school and add to the prestige of the school. You can get weight rooms and rename streets, if you so choose.  

While NCAA 08 stumbles in several areas, there are several elements to like about the title. Likely, one of the more prominent is the inclusion of classic teams.

Prior to playing a game, you have the opportunity to add to your team’s intensity by playing a mini-game. Score a set amount of points (there are point markers on a half court) in the set amount of time and you earn the intensity bonus; fail and your opposition will start out with the advantage.

The low-post moves that appeared in NBA Live have made their way into the college game. The big men can work very well inside, spinning to the hoop and going in for the lay-up, quick dunk or hook shot. Of course, defensively you can counter this with the defensive lockdown, bellying up to the player and not budging as they try to muscle in closer.

Another of the new elements in the impact moment – which is essentially a point in the game where conditions have been met and the crowd is fired up, giving your team a bonus. Your player may perform some antics before the clones … err, the crowd. Well, maybe clones is more accurate. The number of repetitive NPCs is extreme to the point of being silly.

When it comes to the graphics, this can be a bit mixed. The player models are fine, but the movement is slower, which either is a suspect framerate or just a developer ploy to control the tempo and set up scripted moments. And once you trigger the start of a scripted moment, regardless of what you do, it carries through. You might get trapped down low on offense and start to pop the passing button but nothing happens. Why? Because the game has determined that regardless of the fact you have hands on the ball and no defenders reaching in, they will reach in and strip the ball away. The ball physics are also off. It has all the bounce, at times, of a medicine ball.

The visiting team is on offense when a player flashes across the top of the key. The ball finds him and he deftly cuts around the defensive, drives the lane and finishes with a tomahawk jam. It is the nail in the home team's coffin. As the game winds down, 10 or so minutes later, the State Farm drive of the game flashes up - and it is a routine lay-up by the home team. Huh?

NCAA March Madness 08 has a strong online component, but while it does some things well, it stumbles badly in areas – and use of the word ‘badly’ is relative. This is a franchise that is not new. It has been around for a while and to make these mistakes is just wrong at this point in the history of the title.

Gameplay: 7.0
Are these guys playing on hardwood or in mud? The controls seem to not be truly responsive in that you may be pounding on a control button and the player simply refuses to stop what he is doing and obey until he has done something else completely. And collision paths crop up at the oddest moments, usually resulting in turnovers that collegiate players – especially seniors – would not make at the Division I level, at least with the frequency seen here. Some of the events are well scripted and regardless of how you approach it, should you trigger a pre-scripted event, nothing will stop it – and this usually means a turnover.

Graphics: 7.0
Send in the clones! You want variety in the crowd, don’t look here. And an effort is not even made to disguise the fact that the ambient effects (aka, the crowd) is based on a few character models. The clones are beside one another. The player models are good but the animations lack the fast-paced mechanics of the real game. Even activating the speed button produces marginal results. There are a few small clipping problems, like when a player on the opposing team drives the lane and you have a big man step in to block the path to the basket only to have the driving player move through him like he isn’t there and get an easy lay-up.

Sound: 7.0
What game are they watching? Commentary is a big part of the college game. The sideline reporting is solid enough, but the main play-by-play and commentary sometimes give the sense that they are watching a different game. The collegiate music is solid.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 7.5
There are several new features, but why is it necessary to cut other elements that have been in previous iterations in order to move the game forward in other regards? Yes, I want it all. I want to be immersed and caught up and guide my team to the Final Four. I want to recruit for a school that I have invested much time in, not be handed a school and allowed to move forward from there. 2K allowed it and EA Sports used to, but not with this release. The game also has full ESPN integration.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Online league modes with up to 32 players in a league. Nice touch, although you will have to pay to play.

Overall: 7.5
This is a game that could have been so much better, but simply gets passing marks because the game does give some solid elements but misses the boat in many other areas. What was once a very good franchise is starting to become a generic rehash with a few tweaks thrown in each year to sate the need to say something new was added. Yes, it is still entertaining, but it’s not the game one would have hoped it would be.