Featured Books & Games

NCAA BASKETBALL '10
Reviewed by Rick Tittle, host of the Video Game Review
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In the NBA you’ll often see players not hustling.  You’ll notice the lethargy that comes with the guarantee of millions of dollars.  You will also see some lovely tattoos.  Ahem.

But with college basketball, you’ll see all-out dedication.  You will be inspired by players throwing themselves into the crowd to save a loose ball.  You will cringe at the sight of skin left upon hardwood whilst admiring the warrior who left it there.  In other words, college basketball is a game of non-stop, pure basketball.  When Dr. James Naismith nailed a peach bucket to his barn, he wasn’t thinking of the New Jersey Nets, he was dreaming of the North Carolina Tar Heels.  This passion for round-ball action can best be realized in the video game arena through EA’s NCAA Basketball ’10, available for just about every format known to man.  And if you like the college game, you simply must own this title.

Electronic Arts went the extra mile to garner both CBS’s and ESPN’s television graphics and announcers.  This lends itself to an experience where you might actually believe you’re watching the game on tv instead of via your console.  It also means that you get Dick Vitale.  Love him or hate him (and why would you hate him?), nothing says NCAA hoops more than Dickie V.  “Diaper dandies and Michelangelos of the mid-court cleaning glass, baby!”  Oh, and Erin Andrews is here too, just like in NCAA Football ‘10.  Nothing wrong with a hot blonde joining the party, I always say.

The Good:
Awesome presentation.
Amazing atmosphere with distracting crowds.
College bands and the real fight songs.
Great graphics and school logos on the courts.
Improved defense from last year.
Mascots and their bizarre hi-jinx.
On-the-fly play calling with the left shoulder button.
Live updates online to what is really happening during the season.
The Bad:
Crazy non-calls on fouls.
Too many backcourt violations.
Sloppy AI where players will run out of bounds for no reason.
The Ugly:
Nothing ugly here to see here…move along.

So if you want to play basketball with your favorite college team (Go Gaels!) and run through your conference before matching up for the Big Dance during March Madness, I highly recommend picking up this game.  If you bought last year’s title, you might want to wait one more year to buy another, as the improvements to this season’s incarnation might not warrant splashing out again.  But I still give this game a solid 8.

Rick Tittle can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it