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Developer: 2K Sports
Publisher: 2K Sports
Genre: Sports
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 07 Mar 06
User Rating
7.5 (2 votes) -
- There's nothing next-gen about this Xbox 360 port, as apart from the improved visuals, everything else remains the same. And paying double the price of the normal version is not our idea of fun.
Overview
March may not be a huge sports month, but it is a time for all the best in college basketball. And we are going to be reviewing a game today that would allow you to do just that in College Hoops 2K6 from 2K Sports and Visual Concepts. We checked out the Xbox version not to long ago now we are going to see how the game holds up on the next gen platform of the Xbox 360. Can the game manage to be worth paying the full boat price of $60? Read our full review to find out!
Gameplay
I have always been one of those sports fans that would be considered a complete playoff watcher when it comes to College Basketball. In fact I very rarely watch college basketball unless it is in the month of March, so I can't say that I am a huge college basketball fan. But at the same token, I do follow it with a fair amount of consistency. Visual Concepts has been doing a good job with their College Hoops series, which is back this year in 2K6 on the Xbox 360, and is trying to change things up a bit to win the crown in 2006. How do things go for them?
Well one of the things I should discuss right away is the new control scheme in 2K6, which basically attempts to innovate the typical basketball controls by using the analog sticks to the game's advantage. The game uses the right analog stick for shooting, which means you will have to pull back on the stick and then release it. Now of course this isn't something that everyone will pick up after a few tries, but something that takes a long while to get used to. This new system does put a lot more emphasis on your skill rather than the statistics, but be prepared. Like I mentioned, it does take a while to get used to, so the developers did leave in the ability to go back to the old way if desired.
When playing just a standard basketball game, you can see the big difference between this game and the pro game, which would not have been as obvious a couple of years ago. The game just flows with the same sort of nature that we have come to love out of college basketball, and they managed to bring this sort of style beautifully in the game. I also have to say that the new play calling system, which allows you to use the D-Pad to call plays also works very smoothly, and keep the action on the court even more realistic. This works identical on the 360 version as it did on the previous gen console, which means that it works really well.
One thing that the whole 2K6 franchise has been known for is the modes of choice, which are usually very abundant. This trend continues in College Hoops 2K6, which proves to be a game full of a lot of different options. For example the big mode where a lot of people will fill their time is in the legacy mode, which is a fancy name for a Franchise mode. This mode of course puts a heavy emphasis on winning basketball games and recruiting, both of which is done very well in the game. This mode is rich with stats and customization options, and had me addicted for quite sometime. I have to say that it was the highlight of the game.
One thing I should mention for the 360 version of this game is that it includes everything that the current generation version and really nothing extra. I have to say that the gameplay did feel a bit slicker on this version for obvious reasons, but the overall feel of the 360 game just didn't feel like it tried to bring anything new for the series. The online play has been a problem for many, so I would say beware of that as well, although from what I hear now most people are getting this resolved. In the end, College Hoops 2K6 was just a "so-so" experience considering the fact that there really wasn't much different about the 360 version.
Graphics
Visually there are obviously a lot of areas in which College Hoops 2K6 has improved over its counterparts on the PS2 and Xbox. College Hoops 2K6, similar to NBA 2K6, had a great makeover on the character models side of things. However, there is one problem. Although the character models look excellent, they also don't have a whole lot of variety, so a lot of the time all of the players begin to look the same. I also should mention that the stadiums are pretty nicely created and the crowds really portray some great college atmosphere. Unfortunately not everything in the game has the next gen feel, as there are bits and parts that feel ported over from the other versions of the game.
Fun Factor
I have always felt that watching professional sports was more enjoyable than college, but playing college video games was more fun than professional. In College Hoops 2K6 this comes true again because the developers manage to provide a great college feel to a game that just plays like the real thing. The gameplay on the 360 is full of new features, a great new control scheme, and a ton of modes to choose from. If you found yourself enjoying the NBA 2K6 game, or even the previous College Hoops game, you will find a lot to love about College Hoops 2K6. The only problem is your paying a lot of extra cash just to get a graphical update for the 360.
Overall
College Hoops 2K6 is still a very good game on the Xbox 360, the only problem is you can get the same great game for half the price on the Xbox just with not as great visuals. So to recommend purchasing this game for the 360 is hard to do. However, if you want to check out the game in a rental I would think that would be your best offer before dishing out the $60 for the 360 version.
- Gameplay
7.0 - Graphics
7.0 - Fun Factor
7.0 - Overall
7.0
