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Platform: GC, PS2, XB

Developer: Visual Concepts

Publisher: Sega Sports

Genre: Sports

ETA: Dec. 11, 2002

NCAA College Basketball 2K3

On campuses across the nation, far from the glory, athletes are preparing for the upcoming college basketball season. With five exciting months of basketball forthcoming, fans can find a quick fix with Sega Sports' NCAA College Basketball 2k3, which will be released on December 11, 2002.

This is the first college basketball game Sega Sports will be releasing and it cannot come at a better time.  Last year's crop of college basketball games were really weak.  EA Sports' March Madness flopped due to a lack of game modes and 989 Sports' Final Four did nothing to change the company's reputation of mediocrity.

From looking at a few screenshots of the game, it is apparent NCAA CB2k3 is working off of NBA 2k2's graphics engine.  The visual parallel with the popular Sega Sports' basketball series can be both a good and bad thing.  Obviously, the advantage to having a game look like NBA 2k2 is that it will hopefully play like it also.  NBA 2k2 was considered, until the predecessor came this year, the most complete basketball game by many websites.  If NCAA can contain the same quality of game play, I can tell you right now - this game will be the best college basketball experience available.  

However, you don't want NCAA CB2k3 to be NBA 2k2 with college jerseys.  I hope the basic game play concepts remain similar, but the college game is much different than the professional game.  College basketball is more stringent on the team concept, which involves lots of screening and cutting.  Only on rare occasions do you see one player completely dominate a game.  You also see lots of teams apply full-court pressure and zone defenses.  The professional game is the complete opposite.  NBA games are dominated by one or two players on the floor, involves little motion and defense is usually an afterthought.

I also hope NCAA CB2k3 can also mimic the college atmosphere like NCAA Football 2003 did.

NCAA CB2k3, like all of the Sega Sports' games, will have the ESPN Broadcast Presentation.  There were no announcer names listed on the feature list, but I wouldn't mind hearing Dickey V and Brad Nessler (which will probably not happen because Nessler is found in EA's NCAA College Football).

All 300+ Division 1 teams will be featured in the game and you will be able to guide them through multiple seasons in the Legacy mode.  There you will attempt to create a successful program over a number of seasons.  There was no mention of whether coaching contracts would be instituted or what the recruiting would be like.

There is a create-a-school and a player editor in the game.  The player editor will be an interesting thing because that means you will be able to enter the real-life names for all the players.  With the game being online compatible, I would like to have the option to download all the names of the players.

There is a Top 25, RPI, and bubble watch polls.  There was no mention what player awards there would be (All-America, All-Conference, Conference MVP, or National Player of the Year), but I would assume they would be in there.  There was also no mention of whether or not pre-season tournaments or the post-season NIT will be in the game.  There was also no mention of the ability to import classes to NBA 2k3.

Either way, NCAA CB2k3, in its first test run looks to be a strong contender for the strongest college basketball game on the market.

- Tim Martin

(November 10, 2002)