I was one of many who got scared when EA became the sole owner of the NCAA basketball license last year. Luckily, NCAA Basketball 09 was a valiant effort as it managed to improve on certain areas. I did had a few complaints but since last year’s version was an improvement over the past two titles, I gave EA the benefit of the doubt. I was counting on some much-needed improvements to be made in the 2010 version. Sadly, however, although it does bring a few interesting features to the table, NCAA Basketball 10 fails to impress the college ball fan inside of me...

Gameplay

Two of my favourite features from last year (Game Tempo and Coach Feedback) are back and they do an amazing job bringing the sense of authenticity and immersion of college basketball to the game. New features such as Dynamic Update (a system similar to NBA Live’s DNA feature that updates the game with the latest rankings, standings and stats) and the fan-voted Toughest Places To Play are worth mentioning but the new Motion Offense option is the most interesting addition. By pressing the L1 button, your guys will adjust their positioning against the defensive set-up and initiate a quick player rotation. Each player will have its icon greyed-out and whenever a player becomes open during the motion, its respective icon will be lit and you will have to press the specific button to pass the ball. The quick Motion Offense option works but requires precision timing to pull off. If you fail, your pass will be intercepted. Patience is required.

However, what disappointed me the most was the fact that most of the complaints I had about last year’s game have gone unaddressed. The pick and roll control remains too easy to execute, Quickstrike doesn’t make players any different (they all dribble the same), A.I. passing lane defense is still doubtful and post play, one of the most important positions in college ball, is almost completely absent. It’s there but it’s so insignificant that you will ask yourself why bother recruiting a baby Shaq if you can’t make him post. Speaking of insignificant strategies, the A.I. isn’t keen to help out when it comes down to double-teaming the opponent’s dribbler. Instead of keeping the pressure, there are times when your teammate decides to pull out right at the moment when you got him stuck at mid-court, leaving you with no choice but to concede the pass.

On a more positive side, the one button shooting system is much more responsive, the passing lane A.I. defense is much more aware and the three pointer efficiency seems to take more consideration of the Game Tempo gauge. Last year, shooting three’s after getting a tempo boost became just too easy and at times, felt unrealistic.

Finally, the 30-year Dynasty mode returns as deep as ever and up until now (I’ve just completed my third Dynasty season…I haven’t won the NCAA Championship yet but I’m working on it), everything seems much more realistic than last year. Gone are the days where I would get caught losing various games against lower-ranked teams. However, there is still no sign of an online franchise mode.

Graphics & Sounds

Visually, NCAA Basketball 10 continues the tradition of delivering an unparalleled presentation of the NCAA experience. The inclusion of the CBS NCAA broadcasting is definitely welcomed. Not that the ESPN presentation isn’t pretty, but, just like last year, it could use a boost. Having the choice between the two is certainly a bonus. Player models are and will always be generic. Folks (including me) need to understand that since no college player can be featured in a videogame, we will have to deal with generic faces until the end of time. I know it’s disappointing but rules are rules. The action runs at smooth frame rates most of the time and while there are some small graphic glitches and clipping, it’s never to the point where it becomes unbearable. Again, I decided to overlook this area a bit last year when I learned that EA Canada is working with a whole new game engine. However, I hope that by next year, these issues get ironed out.

While the play-by-play commentary of Brad Nessler and Dick Vitale remains solid, the arena sounds and marching band tunes are what really push the game further. The commentary is far from monotonous but like most sports games, it’s getting older year after year. Commentary varies a little after updating the game through the Dynamic Update hub., so that’s a little plus.

The aforementioned CBS broadcasting isn’t only visual. It also comes with CBS Sports’ commentators Bill Raftery and Gus Johnson. I really like Gus and Bill but their commentary seems a little off when compared to Nessler and Vitale. They use the same lines over and over and there’s too much dead air between each comment. They might be experts on TV but they certainly have some work to do in the realm of videogames.

Value

The Dynamic Update and the Motion Offense might be interesting additions but the fact that most of the issues with NCAA 09 did not receive the necessary fixes and innovative modes such as Online Dynasty don’t seem to be a priority (I hope I’m wrong though…), upgrading to this year’s NCAA Basketball game might be easier to recommend if it wasn’t a full price boxed game.

Last year, EA released NCAA 09 March Madness as an Xbox Live download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. For $15, you got the full March Madness bracket and all the gameplay options the full game had. There was no dynasty, no online play; just a barebones basketball game. I though it was a great idea. So why not release future NCAA Basketball games for $30? Now if that’s just not something that EA is willing to do, then I think it’s time to start putting the same amount of polish into the production of the NCAA Basketball franchise as they put into NCAA Football, and offer the same modes and options. EA has the exclusiveness of the NCAA license, so it’s time to deliver the best collegiate basketball game ever.

If you ask me what I prefer, between an improved college basketball game in terms of gameplay and a jam-packed college basketball game filled with lackluster gameplay mechanics, I would obviously take the first choice.

Conclusion

Unlike last year’s version, NCAA Basketball 10 can’t be considered as a huge overhaul over its predecessors. It may not be a huge step back but it hasn’t improved much either. I might be disappointed but my hopes remain high for next year...it could have been so much worse.