NCAA Basketball 10: A Deep Dive into the Collegiate Hoops Experience on PS3

NCAA Basketball 10 attempts to capture the emotion, intensity, and spirit of college basketball by recreating every detail within the stadium, from cheerleaders and mascots to enthusiastic crowds and real NCAA Basketball announcers. While the game strives to deliver an authentic collegiate hoops experience, it ultimately falls short of being a truly unique and groundbreaking title. Despite its shortcomings, NCAA Basketball 10 remains a solid option for fans of college basketball, offering engaging gameplay and a presentation that closely mirrors the real sport.

Gameplay: A Familiar Feel with Collegiate Twists

NCAA Basketball 10 plays almost exactly like NBA Live 10. The on-court action is nearly identical, though the teams are different, and the players are represented by numbers rather than their birth names. This familiar feel can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, NBA Live 10 offers a fun and accurate representation of the sport. On the other hand, NCAA Basketball 10 feels a little too familiar for those who have already spent time on the virtual court with NBA Live.

Motion Offense: Streamlining Strategy

One of the most significant additions to NCAA Basketball 10 is the new motion offense system. With a tap of a button, players will send a makeshift offense into motion, executing off-ball screens, posting under the hoop, spotting up for threes, and cutting to the basket based off eight authentic motion offense systems that are mainstays at the college level. The motion offense streamlines gameplay a bit without removing the strategy.

The system isn’t perfect, but it can slow gameplay down considerably and, when used properly, can offer a real advantage. For once in a sports game, it’s actually gratifying to see a play called and run and not just watch star players knock down improbable shots.

Offensive and Defensive Dynamics

Offense is all about finding and taking the intelligent shot, controlling the floor, and keeping the ball out of defenders’ hands, while defense boils down to controlling the paint, limiting second chance opportunities, and playing the passing lanes. This pace can be realistic to a fault. Gamers hoping to smash their opponents by fifty won’t necessarily be unable to, but it is important to note that fast break points, outside shots, and the other staples of that kind of offense are tough to come by.

Home Court Advantage

Fans of the “home court advantage” will be thrilled to find that EA pushes the envelope yet again with the Toughest Places to Play. When you enter one of these arenas, chants shake the camera during key moments, free throws are tougher, and you really get the sense that you’re playing under the scowling eyes of thirty thousand fans. What’s more interesting is the fact that a team can earn its way on the list by winning during dynasty mode.

AI and Gameplay Issues

Despite intelligent offensive and defensive play, NCAA Basketball 10 suffers from some AI and gameplay issues. Players are often lost during loose-ball situations, staring longingly at the ball without making any effort to recover it. Additionally, players sometimes exhibit questionable court awareness, such as stepping back behind the half-court line when double-teamed or running out of bounds without returning.

Presentation: Authentic Broadcast Experience

Pulling an impressive legal sleight of hand, EA has managed to secure the rights to both the CBS and ESPN NCAA Broadcast licenses for NCAA 2010. Graphics and presentations are pretty spot-on compared to their real life counterparts. Commentary is delivered by the CBS and ESPN and it’s pretty good. On the plus side, Dick Vitale and company are a treat. It actually may be one of the features that put this edition over the top.

NCAA Basketball also uses the overlays and stat updates you would see during real-life broadcasts, which brings even more authenticity to the experience.

Commentary

There are two different broadcast teams, and though both groups have a tendency to repeat themselves, they provide a unique analysis and their own energy. Dick Vitale provides commentary for regular season games, and though his enthusiasm is hard to ignore, Gus Johnson is just amazing. Gus brings his unbridled passion to March Madness, and it makes these already-exciting games even better.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

Game Modes: A Lack of Depth

If you've played any other basketball game in the past two years, you've seen most of what NCAA has to offer in terms of on court options. Exhibition, a few preseason tournaments, and a dynasty mode are about all you have to choose from, and most of them haven’t changed since NCAA 2009.

Dynasty Mode

The popular Dynasty mode yet again returns with no online support, a disappointment considering NCAA Football has had the feature for two years now. On the plus side, the addition of a well-produced CBS-hosted preseason special and tournament selection show give the menu-driven off-court experience some much needed ornamentation. The points-based recruiting system returns as well, though NCAA Football fans should note that the point distribution works differently.

Dynamic Updates

The only exception (if you want to get technical) is the addition of Dynamic Updates to the dynasty mode. This online feature offers gamers a weekly download of all the rosters, stats, rankings, player updates, and all other types of numerical gobbledygook that you could ever ask for. While it’s a cool enough idea, one has to wonder: what’s the purpose of simulating years of NCAA scheduling, recruiting classes, Tournaments, etc. if you’re just going use the data from the actual NCAA anyway?

Limited Options

Unfortunately, as intense as the on-court action is, there just aren't enough ways to experience it. You can play a one-off game, start up your own dynasty, or compete in the big tournament, but there aren't any unique modes to play around with in NCAA Basketball 10. You can create you own player, give him a silly name and game-changing attributes, but you cannot take control of him through his career and refine his skills into a potential Wooden Award winner.

Final Verdict: A Good Game, But Not Unique

All in all, NCAA 2010 is an earnest attempt even if it doesn’t quite escape the shadow of Live. If for no other reason, the lack of actual superstars holds the franchise back, even though it ironically seems to focus the title a bit more on solid gameplay. Sadly, this is a good game, it’s just not unique and there’s very little you haven’t seen before. If you’re a college fan, it may or may not be worth it. Ultimately, it just depends how stat hungry you are, how much you like playing Live, and how much you like Dick Vitale’s voice.

NCAA Basketball 10 is too similar to NBA Live 10 to make it worthwhile if you already own that game, and the lack of diverse modes hinders the long-term appeal. But the core action is so fast and rewarding--plus the broadcast-style presentation so close to reality--that NCAA Basketball 10 is a good alternative for those who favor the style of amateur athletes over highly paid professionals.

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