The College Game

College sports—particularly football and basketball—are followed not just fanatically, but rabidly by fans, students, and alumni. Anyone who's been to a close fourth-quarter basketball game with the home crowd in a frenzy can attest to the rollicking, electric atmosphere that can only be found in college stadiums and arenas.

Home arenas are picture perfect.

It's this atmosphere that NCAA® 07 March Madness™ from EA SPORTS™ attempts to capture, and ultimately, what separates it from its NBA counterparts.

Court Moves
The classic gameplay and control you've come to expect from EA basketball games is in full effect—calling defensive (2-3 zone) and offensive (pick and roll) plays on the fly, dribble moves with the right thumbstick, alleyoop passes, low post moves, and much more.

ESPN integration is seamless, dynamic,
and best of all, quick to access.

However, beyond the basic mechanics, March Madness boasts several features worthy of highlighting that make the college basketball experience that much more authentic.

Lockdown Defense
When facing off on defense with an opponent, you can now focus exclusively on them by holding down on the right thumbstick. This simple system makes it easier to shadow the ball-handler and keep him contained. Use the right trigger to force a turnover or the left trigger to take a charge when using the Lockdown Stick.

Composure
Each player's composure is measured throughout the game. Make shots, grab rebounds, block shots, and hit your free throws to keep your confidence level high and play better. Conversely, the more struggle on the floor, the harder it will be to get back in the groove. Each player's composure level is displayed whenever they're highlighted, so there's no need to go menu-hopping to get a read on their confidence.

Team Intensity and Impact Moment
Throughout the game, build Team Intensity by performing well, and then use that intensity to pump yourself or your teammates up by playing to the crowd, talking smack to the opponent, or rallying the troops with some words of encouragement.

Can you withstand the Cameron Crazies?

When your Team Intensity reaches its limit, you can trigger an Impact Moment to boost the morale of your entire team while simultaneously demoralizing the opposing team.

Dynasty Mode
These days, the options before and after the game in Dynasty Mode are just as important as the game itself. Guiding your alma mater's basketball program into a true dynasty involves much more than on-court success, and NCAA 07 March Madness gives you full control of your program. Here are just a few examples:

• School Budget: Allocate points among recruiting, discipline, and gameplan to focus your resources on problematic areas for your program.
• Training: Set up training programs to work on your shooting, offense, defense, and conditioning before and during the season. Use the point-based system to strategically place your resources to get the most out of your program.
• School Pride: Depending on the support of fans and alumni, you may receive upgrades to your facilities and a more active fan base at home games. For example, your injury clinic may receive a massive donation, allowing for faster, more efficient recovery time for injured players. Likewise, you may be able to boost your cheerleaders' participation during games, helping to maintain and even increase your player's composure during home games.
• Recruiting: Keep tabs on possible recruits throughout the season, using in-game tools to study players and eventually convince them to join your program.

ESPN Integration
The integration of ESPN content in EA Sports games has allowed sports fans to stay directly connected to the sports community while playing. From March Madness's main menu, you can access a variety of content directly from ESPN.

Mascot intimidation.

Queue up video clips directly from ESPN, including highlights from games, news features (such as a piece on the recent NFL Hall of Fame inductions), and interviews. Listen to interviews and features from ESPN Radio (like clips from the Dan Patrick Show). You also have access to written content directly from ESPN.com.

More impressive than anything else, this feature is constantly updated, so in the time it takes you to play a single game, you may find countless additions to the content queue. ESPN integration is seamless, dynamic, and best of all, quick to access.

NCAA 07 March Madnessrepresents the best of EA SPORTS with its slick presentation, in-depth gameplay born from years of development experience, almost tangible college atmosphere, and easy access to real-world sports from ESPN.

Article by Ryan Treit