NCAA Final Four 2004 Review

Developer	989 Sports
Publisher	Killer Game
Genre	Sports

It’s that time again; college students are bringing the face paint out of the closet, parents are planning their trips to watch their sons perform, and boys are becoming men. I’m talking about the electrifying sport of college basketball. Last year was certainly an entertaining season, with surprise university Syracuse, led by first round second selection Carmelo Anthony, taking home the bragging rights.

Well, the spirit is in the air yet again, with the season just starting. Thankfully for die-hard fans, the sport has translated well into the gaming world. Some fantastic recreations have been developed in the past few years, namely Sega’s (or ESPN Videogames) NCAA College Basketball 2K series that debuted last year (now dubbed ESPN College Hoops) and EA Sports’ NCAA March Madness. Sitting in the corner has been 989’s Final Four franchise, which this year has proven to finally be a contender with the “big boys”.

Gameplay - The previous editions of the Final Four franchise, while lackluster, always showed signs of potential. Some interesting and intriguing gameplay features, like the hot and cold shooter icons, have proven that 989 Sports and Killer Game are not looking to adopt ideas from the other developers. In 2004, several gameplay issues have been mended, but frequent problems still linger.

First and foremost is the shooting. Perhaps the most crucial aspect of a basketball title, shooting is harder than it should be; a lot harder. It has nothing to do with the difficulty of making a basket; if the player actually shoots when the action is called upon the player generally makes the shot. The problem is simple: the game does not respond like it should. I’ll be the first to admit Final Four isn’t a sim, but working for an open look to the basket can be frustrating, especially when the player can’t get the shot off when he’s got no one around him.

When going for the infamous slam-dunk, or even a lay-up, the delay is so bad players have to hold it down for around two seconds for the command to register. When on a fast break up the court, it’s generally a good idea to hold the shot button while running to the basket so it has time to occur. Honestly, there has to be some sort of zone or area where the shot button would automatically trigger a dunk or lay-up providing the momentum of the player is great. Sadly, from anywhere in the paint, no matter what speed the player is running (or walking), a dunk animation is triggered and the defense can nothing about it.

It probably wouldn’t be so bad if Final Four was marketed as more of an arcade reflection of the game. Granted it in no way resembles off-the-wall titles like the disappointing NBA Jam or the horrible basketball game that is NBA Hoopz, but it’s definitely not a simulation and the gameplay really affects it. It also wouldn’t be that bad if the defenders weren’t so helpless in the paint. Due to the dunks created when anyone near the basket hits the shoot button, the animation takes place and the defenders go right through the player. What’s the point of taking control of the center down low and not being able to use him effectively?

Getting back to the problems on offense, there are still plenty. The passing game works most of the time, but the physics are bluntly atrocious. Occasionally, players will make a run to get open and once the ball is passed in their direction they run the opposite way resulting in a turnover. However, the icon passing helps to prevent those sorts of problems, as there is a direct target the player is passing to. Stick to the icon passing, and there will be minimal glitches.

Just like in Final Four’s pro brother NBA Shootout, there is the “Freestyle” dribbling controlled by the right analog stick. For those not familiar with this function originally developed and utilized by EA Sports with NBA Live, “juke” moves are done by the right analog stick. So instead of having a specific button perform a random fake-out maneuver, the moves are in the players’ hands. Sadly, its function proves useless when trying to drive to the hole, but can be used nicely to pivot in a certain direction while standing still before dribbling to get the defender moving the wrong way.

The play calling system in NBA Shootout was quite useful in retrospect; it was exercised by pressing on one of the directional buttons, each serving a different purpose such as a pick, screen, etc. Final Four has a similar system, but it seems less intricate; a lot less intricate. Still, they serve their function, and that is to provide the player with a quick setup to call plays on the fly.

It’s been said countless times, but controlling the boards means controlling the game. In other words, without rebounding, winning is extremely difficult. Luckily, when compared to Shootout, the rebounding is perfectly fine and can be utilized. Players don’t seem to jump as high as they should, though, so the timing has to be perfect or the computer will snag the rebound for a potential fast break or an easy bucket.

The defensive game has been drastically improved over last year’s version, minus the steals. There really isn’t an art or solid method for jarring the ball loose; instead, players have to rely on repeatedly tapping the steal button. However, shot blocks outside of that aforementioned massive area where all the dunks come from can be done with the right timing. Naturally they don’t happen all the time, but in mismatches, such as a center on a point guard, the center certainly has the advantage.

Despite all of the bugs and problems, the gameplay options really help Final Four out. Like in every sports title, there are your standard, every-day options such as an Exhibition mode (which needs no explanation), a Season mode for the player to take control of a school for one year and see what they can do, and a Practice feature. All three of these gameplay modes function as they should, but they are clearly unnecessary now.

Unnecessary because of three reasons: the Career mode, the Dynasty, and of course, Online capabilities. The first of those listed involves taking control of a mediocre team and gradually doing better to get better job positions. The Dynasty is slightly different; instead of taking control of a below average team, there is the option of selecting any university available in the game. Both involve recruiting (at least, in the later stages of the Career mode) high school talent to become the next big freshman sensation. Nothing has changed recruiting-wise; it has the same formula of success like EA’s and ESPN’s.

And of course, there’s the online mode. 989 Sports have been tagged with a reputation of having a very strong online infrastructure, and Final Four is no different. Along with message boards, polls, and player rankings is the buddy list much like that found on Xbox Live or EA Sports’ online system. Games were lag free and the voice-chat was functional. Sadly, there weren’t too many people online for Final Four.

Graphics - It really is odd how Shootout and Final Four have nothing in common. In the past, we’ve seen college games as simply the pro game with different jerseys and slimmer player models. The visuals are what really separate the two. Though not stunning, Final Four features solid player models, decent animation, and an awesome framerate, definitely unlike Shootout. One thing I particularly love is how smooth the game really is; after spending a month with Shootout it was certainly refreshing.

The arenas are appropriately designed, with somewhat accurate seating positions, but not too much detail went into them. The actual courts look impressive, with the real designs and logos placed all over the floor. For instance, Kansas has the huge Jay hawk covering half court, and Florida’s O’Connell Center has the Gator logo on each side of the half court line. Signs and banners hang from the seats in some places, such as in Tennessee’s arena, which greatly compliment the overall look of the game.

Sound - Perhaps the biggest downfall of Final Four is the sound area. The two broadcasters don’t do enough talking, and when they do, they make odd and frankly stupid remarks such as “Oh, he did not just do that!” after a mildly impressive dunk. There’s very little player chatter or coach’s yelling as well. The bands do not do enough in this game like they do in real life; their goal is to get the fans loud and make them cheer for a big play. The only times the bands are audible are in the beginning opening sequences (which by the way, were very nicely done, but we want more variety) and at the start menu. Unfortunately, the crowd doesn’t do much either.

Overall Value - NCAA Final Four 2004, after final evaluation, is a solid college basketball title that just needs tweaks to make it great. I said that last year for Final Four 2003, and although some of the problems were fixed, many are still apparent and hinder the enjoyment. For now, there isn’t much 989 and Killergame can do except go back and try again to fix the problems and improve, because with the near perfect titles like March Madness and ESPN College Hoops, it’s going to take something special to upset them. But hey, nobody expected Syracuse to be the National Champions last year, did they?

Review by Brian Williams