Georgetown jumps to a commanding lead over Maryland early. With9:30 left in the first half, the Hoyas are up 10 points, 26-16. Theirhalf-court press has slowed the Terrapins' fast-break. But the Terpssink key three-pointers to end the half down by four, 41-37.
Second half stays close: Maryland's Juan Dixon, who scored 10points in the first half, takes charge to outscore Georgetown's KevinBraswell 24 to 18 in the second half. With 13:34 left, Maryland tiesG'town 54-54. In a classic Sweet-16 matchup, the two local favoritesbattle down to the wire. A timely steal by Terp point guard SteveBlake proves the difference: Maryland wins, 86-84.
Not the game you saw on television last night? Correct. This onewent down to the buzzer a day earlier. And the venue wasn't Anaheim,it was my living room. The action, the sneaker squeaks on shinyhardwood, the chants from the crowd, the face-pinched concentrationat the free-throw line? All of it virtual. Virtual video game madness-- and not just in March.
The game is NCAA Final Four 2001 -- the first basketball videogame, college or pro, made for Sony's PlayStation 2 system. Settingcontrols so its artificial intelligence (AI) 'coached' both teams, Isat back for two 20-minute halves and watched what reasonably couldhave predicted the flow and outcome of the actual NCAA tournament'sWest Region semifinal contest.
But that's only one of several basketball video games available.Here's a rundown, from one end of the court to the other, college andpro, of virtual hoopdom:
NCAA Final Four 2001 (989 Sports; PS2, $49): It's the wholecollegiate tournament, baby, featuring high-res graphics and motion-captured action (more than 1,100 moves), from smooth power-dunks toskilled passing and shooting, creating solid b-ball simulation for upto eight players.
While its details and graphics are heads and shoulders abovePlayStation 1 (PS1) or PlayStation (PSX) games, the players look odd,like digital marionettes without the strings. Because there are somany teams and players, and the NCAA prohibits use of players'likenesses or names for profit, facial features are approximations.
Looks, however, aren't everything. PS2's 128-bit horsepower fuelsa cool college-game atmosphere -- from the reflections on the shinyparquet to advanced gameplay. Players tend to slide and glide ratherthan show footwork, but NCAA Final Four 2001 provides a crediblestatistical outcome and plenty of fun for gamers.
NCAA March Madness 2001 (EA Sports; PSX/PS1, $39): With more than150 teams, and 150 well-rendered arenas, this is a stickler for PSX-level detail. But don't expect eye-wowing 3-D features like the PS2supports. This frenetically paced game provides more modes than anyother -- from the easier Exhibition to Women's Sweet 16, Coach K,Dynasty and a Dream Tournament that pits the all-time greatest NCAAteams against each other. A bigger problem than vague graphics andchoppy animation are the imbalances in gameplay: A Maryland-Georgetown game chalked up 86 steals and countless blocks! Finalscore, after adjusting game speed down: Maryland beats G'Town, 124-109.
NBA Live 2001 (EA Sports; PS2, $49): For the b-ball purist, thissim features more methodical and strategic gameplay. EA's first PS2pro hoops game is arguably the best basketball video game available.It's akin to Sega's top-notch NBA 2K1, the other best 'next-gen' NBAvideo game, but with Sega scuttling Dreamcast, what's the point? Playthe sim or the arcade style. Four modes and four difficulty levels,plus a cool one-on-one mode that faces off current NBA playersagainst NBA legends.
The gameplay is fun and complicated. The looks are stunning:Arenas are realistic, animation flows, and many players areimmediately recognizable from their facial features and torsos. TheNBA season hasn't looked this realistic at the MCI Center lately.
NBA Shootout 2001 (989 Sports; PS2, $49): To say this game isoffensive doesn't mean it should have a warning label. Dedicated toarcade-style, fast-break basketball, this game favors taking the ballto the bucket. What doesn't get much of a workout is defense and thepassing offense. With more than 50 signature dunks and countlessmoves, the offense runs smoothly -- despite some gameplay and AIflaws. While there are trades, free agents, created players, andcreated dunks, game modes are limited.
Facial features aren't as true-to-life as in NBA Live 2001. Onevisual anomaly is the players' slumped postures as they dribble down-court with heads down. Team-specific playbooks with more than 450 NBAplays doesn't offset the annoying imbalance of too many steals andblocked shots and to few rebounds.
NBA Hoopz (Midway; PS2, $49): This arcade hybrid plays how the NBAwould if Vince McMahon were commissioner. From the maker of NFLBlitz, the fast-and-furious NFL video game, Hoopz is an X-treme NBAthree-on-three slugfest featuring superhuman jumps and fiery slam-dunks. The player models are lifelike and prone to strutting theirstuff and taunts.
