I have a much more profound respect for college basketball than I do for many other sports. I grew up watching Penn play at the Palestra against Ivy League and Big 5 opponents alike. I saw the sellouts, the drama, the music, all firsthand. I'm one of the rare college basketball fans that know the Princeton offense's most dangerous aspect isn't the backdoor cut. All you had to do is notice their pregame warm up drills during the Pete Carril era. Visual Concept's ability to recreate this experience will go a long way in my ultimate enjoyment of ESPN College Hoops 2K5.
Modes
ESPN College Hoops 2K5 doesn't have as many modes as its NBA counterpart, but the modes that they do offer are of much better quality and depth. College Hoops 2K5 features two different legacy modes. The career mode allows you to take over a struggling small time school that hadn't been to the Big Dance in years. Your job is to build them up to the point where you can either start making waves (like Gonzaga) or dump them for a more lucrative program. The open legacy mode allows you take control of any school using any current coaching staff. Legacy mode as a whole has a lot of interesting and innovative aspects. First, you recruit players all year long and face many recruiting milestones along the way like early signing day. The amount of time that you spend recruiting players each week is up to you, however it’s frequently offset by the number of opponents that you have to scout and prepare for each week. Generally you don't want to spend a lot of (if any) time recruiting if you have 3 games on your schedule that week. However if those opponents are cupcakes and your bluechip recruit is on the fence, you have the option to blow off your scouting in order to recruit him.
Recruits can come from all over the country or world. The more you scout them, the more you find out about different aspects of their game, their potential, and what their priorities are in terms of finding a program that's right for them. Recruits will generally end up where they belong. That is, you won't see five star recruits ending up at Winthrop. At the same time, you'll see some of the best players end up in the pros instead of at Duke or North Carolina. The recruiting system overall is pretty fun and filled with many different dynamics.
ESPN College Hoops 2K5 offers the typical run of the mill online setup. You can play ranked or unranked games against opponents, participate in tournaments of varying size, view leaderboards, and download additional content. The server integrity is pretty good as I didn't get booted off any games the entire time I was on. Similarly the lag didn't seem to affect the gameplay as much while playing an opponent with a slow connection. While ESPN College Hoops 2K5 doesn't offer anything revolutionary with its online play, it is very satisfying and adds a lot of value to the game.
Even though ESPN College Hoops 2K5 doesn't have a 24/7 mode like in ESPN NBA 2K5, gym rat mode accomplishes something that couldn't be done in its NBA brother. Gym rat allows you to play a timed scrimmage against another opponent. You can play 1 on 1 up to 5 on 5. You can run all the different plays in your offensive or defensive set, but you don't have to worry about the different timed fouls like the 5 second in the paint rule or 5 second closely guarded rule. This mode allows you to practice many aspects of your game in a situation where you don't have to worry about typical game time situations like fatigue, momentum, or special rules.
Gameplay
I found the gameplay in ESPN College Hoops 2K5 to be very authentic to the college game. College basketball is a very different game than the NBA, and Visual Concepts did a fantastic job of using its NBA game engine while still managing to create an authentic looking college game. If a player begins to rack up the points, the computer will put the clamp down on him quickly. Similarly, if you begin drawing a lot of fouls on the computer's big men, it'll switch to a 2-3 zone to protect them against more fouls. The computer also does a great job of managing substitutions for players who are in foul trouble. Even though there's a slight degree of predictability in the substitution patterns, it is really authentic and strategically sound. The computer will even distribute the ball to take advantage of weaker players. I was going to slam the game for being able to play a successful low post game despite being in a 2-3 defense, and then I realized that my front court was weak defensively and my guards weren't adept at defense so they didn't collapse the zone effectively. The sheer amount of realism and depth put into this game is incredible.
One gameplay mechanic that must be mentioned is the free throw system. Instead of turning free throws into a minigame like many other basketball games, all you do in ESPN College Hoops 2K5 is hold down the shoot button and release it when your player releases the ball. The better your player's free throw ability, the less precise you have to be as far as your timing goes. I did notice one problem with this feature. Each time a particular player goes to the line, he will shoot the ball using a different shooting motion. The good part is that he'll repeat the same motion if there is a second free throw, but changing it each time he revisits the line is visually unrealistic. The good part is that by doing this, it does make it harder to time your release due to the randomized shooting motions. Another aspect I would change is some of the camera angles. Some of the farther away angles make it hard to see the animation of your shooter on smaller TVs. Aside from these minor issues, the system is pretty solid and is a perfect example how avoiding the use of minigames to capture specific aspects of sports games can pay off in terms of realism and enjoyment.
Managing the game is done with ease as you can alter your playbooks on the fly. You can even control specific aspects of the game including the tempo and to what degree your team should crash the boards. In the playbook menu, there is even a screen which shows how the play develops, including how the ball is passed around. The playbook is also pretty diverse and can include many different plays per offensive set. While the defensive plays aren't as diverse as the offensive sets, the game does feature a lot of obscure defensive sets and junk defenses like the "Triangle and 2". Double teams can either be executed automatically or manually depending on the situation. Sometimes when executing a manual double team the computer will pick a teammate that really shouldn't leave his man. Otherwise it's a pretty good system.
The only problem I had with the game is that it sometimes doesn't emulate certain teams' characteristics very well. While it can certainly do a fantastic job recreating an up-tempo team like Mizzou, it has trouble running a true slowdown halfcourt offense as the one you see with Wisconsin, NC State, or Princeton. If I start to run the ball, I can force scores up around 100 points for each team given 20 minute halves. Now I realize that I could simply decrease the time allotted for each half, but the fact remains that when I play solid defense, these teams won't hold the ball for the full 35 seconds of the shot clock. For instance the trick to beating Princeton is to play tough defense for the full 35 seconds and wait for that set 3 pointer as the shot clot expires (if they can't get the backdoor cut or a low post mismatch). However instead I found that after about 20 seconds, the Princeton guard will either try to drive or attempt a medium range jumper (usually guarded closely), something that their players don't specialize in. The inability to recreate halfcourt teams is a shortcoming, but not a big one in the grand scheme of the game.
Controls
I have the same reservations about the controls in ESPN College Hoops 2K5 as I did with ESPN NBA 2K5. Specifically, the isomotion2 controls aren't terribly intuitive. Using either the right analog stick or B button to execute crossover dribbles, spins, and studder-steps is way too clunky for what should be a simple motion. Many times you have to be in the right position in order to have the isomotion move be effective. This calibration takes way too long to setup and it becomes apparent very quickly what you are trying to do.
Aside from the isomotion2 controls, the rest of the controls are slightly substandard. I wish there was an easy way to call a play without either taking your thumb off the left analog stick or contorting your hand into a very weird position. Also the more I think about it, the more I wish there was a button to fake a drive. In theory this should open up space for a jumper, an element that is lacking in this game. The rest of the controls pattern themselves after ESPN NBA 2K5, which is pretty good in that the general control layout and responsiveness is pretty good for both games.
Graphics
The player graphics are pretty decent. While the authenticity each player's likeness deteriorates as you progress into lesser-known conferences, many of the big names in college basketball are represented well. Player animations also are pretty good. The animation is pretty smooth. Though the gameplay sometimes sucks you into animations that aren't appropriate for a given situation, they still are smooth looking. I do have a few gripes about the animation. The first one is that it sometimes slows down during an isomotion move, but it's much better than in ESPN NBA 2K5. Secondly, the animations, while looking really nice, sometimes represent the NBA game a little too much. Many of the isomotion animations you'll more likely see in an NBA game, similarly the catch and shoot animations have the same look as the NBA too. Most college basketball games feature more set shots than catch and shoot fadeaways. It's not a big deal, in my mind, and something that really only the hardcore fans would notice or care deeply about.
The arena atmosphere is something that I focused heavily on as it served more for me to reminisce about the past. The Palestra and Jadwyn Gym, despite being lesser-known arenas, look pretty darn good. While there are some minor discrepancies like the banner configuration in the Palestra, the result is pretty impressive. One aspect I noticed is that the arenas are depicted as they look in the daytime. It's not completely authentic because many games take place at night. However I always preferred the afternoon games as they were a rare event and I liked to see the whole gym illuminated.
Sound
I was very disappointed with the sound in College Hoops 2K5. Not only did I dislike it from a more objective point of view, but it got worse the more I realized how much it differed from an authentic college basketball game. It just seemed as if the developers never attended a college basketball game in person before, or at least if they did they never bothered to notice the aural nuances. Where's the announcer? Also after a big basket, assuming there's no timeout or break in the action, the band should not play. I realize that there are some rare exceptions, like when Princeton nails a 3 pointer the drums have a 3 second routine. However when the band tries to play the school fight song, the result is that it's immediately and abruptly cut off. I wasn't disappointed that certain smaller programs had to borrow fight songs from other schools because you can import your own music tracks to play instead. However it was disappointing to see some details left out given the graphical detail put into each gym and arena.
The sound effects are the same as in ESPN NBA 2K5. Meaning the sounds are clear, correct, and appropriately toned down in order to prevent many repetitive sounds like the bouncing of the ball or the squeaking of the shoes from getting on your nerves.
The commentary to me was pretty disappointing. While I love Mike Patrick doing the play-by-play on ESPN Sunday Night Football and just about every other sporting event he covers, his performance here seems really flat. Like many other sports games, his style in ESPN College Hoops 2K5 is like he's on the radio and we can't see the action. In real life he adds many astute observations while he's calling the action. His real life announcing style just doesn't translate well to his cyber persona. Jay Bilas does the color commentary, and while he comes off much better than Mike Patrick, there just isn't enough of him and the accuracy of some of his comments are a little off. Overall, like the rest of the game I had high expectations that just didn't come to fruition.
Bugs
There are three major bugs in this game, all of which occur in Legacy mode. The first bug affects your recruiting. It occurs when you save your progress on a day in which you have a game. The result will jumble your recruiting situation including the possibility of losing scholarships permanently for the year. While this is very annoying, it can be avoided by saving the game on days where you don't have a game. If you forget, think of it like sanctions from the NCAA.
The dynasty freezing is much more unpredictable and nasty. The game will freeze at a random but persistent point on the calendar thus preventing you from continuing past a certain point no matter how many times you reload. The cause of this bug is the same as the ESPN NHL franchise bug where the computer insists on trying to fill out a roster size below the minimum. To prevent this from happening you have to turn off injuries in this mode or else you risk the possibility of losing your dynasty data.
The last bug I found is equally as annoying but much more rare. If your coaching ability ratings are maxed out and are prompted for an increase, it causes an infinite loop. You must increase your abilities to progress in the calendar, but there is no way that you can exceed the maximum value for any attribute. Thus you are stuck. While this isn't as common or unpredictable as the dynasty freeze, it can stop your dynasty right in its tracks if you saved at the wrong time.
Replay Value
ESPN College Hoops 2K5 has a much higher replay value than I expected. The dual dynasty modes add a lot of dynamics to what is a decent gameplay engine. The college basketball season is roughly 40 games long, which allows you to easily complete a season without loosing too much interest. Around the year recruiting is something that will also captivate micromanagers who can't wait until the end of the season for recruiting or drafting. While there's no 24/7 mode like in ESPN NBA 2K5, the actual gameplay for a typical game is enough to hold anyone's attention. My issues with the atmosphere of the game are deflating at first, but from a replay value perspective, you get used to them and can work around the shortcomings of the experience. The bugs are probably the most annoying in that if you're not careful you can lose dozens of hours of work in your dynasty. However, with careful preparation many of these issues can be avoided. I can image a fan of college basketball getting well over 50 hours of enjoyment from this game.
While I have many reservations anointing ESPN College Hoops 2K5 the best sports game released last year, it does grow on you. Sure I was disappointed about the aural atmosphere and I cannot discount the frustration involved with losing many hours of work to a corrupted dynasty file, but the level of enjoyment I had playing this game cannot be ignored either. The solid gameplay foundation and attention to realism really makes this game a true hidden gem in the 2004 crop of sports games.
