Playing through several seasons can be a daunting and time-consuming task. 2K7 came to the rescue with their “Hoopcast” mode. This mode is comparable to the simulation mode that any sports game will offer, but you have the ability to watch the game unfold, call timeouts, change strategy and make substitutions as you see fit. This allows you to still maintain control of your team while accelerating the season. Of course, a normal simulation mode is also available.
College Hoops 2K7’s legacy mode is complimented by Bryant Gumbel and Clark Kellogg’s pre-season and weekly wrap up shows. The audio portions of this presentation are well done, although the video leaves a lot to be desired. Bryant looks stiff and bloated while his speech is hopelessly out of sync with his lip movements. I would watch the season preview to know what lay ahead, but the weekly updates are too much to take.
The gameplay visuals are solid, but won’t make a believer out of your PS3 wannabe friends. They more or less meet your expectations for 360 graphics, but don’t push the envelope. The frame rate is smooth. The players look OK and are well animated, but haven’t been improved over 2K6. The crowd is animated and decked out in team colors and the mascot dances on the baselines. During play stoppages cheerleaders take the floor and the crew can be seen wiping the floor. The reflections off the hardwood are great. Besides seeing reflections of the players, ref and ball, you can see the crowd and lights rendered beautifully off the floor. I believe there’s room for improvement on the graphics, but overall the gameplay graphics do not disappoint. The sounds will immerse you in the game. From the marching band fight songs to the sneaker squeaks, you can’t help but feel that the college style of play is well represented.
The controls are similar to NBA 2K7. You can crossover, post, take a charge and use the icon pass button to send the ball to a specific player when “A” and a direction on the left stick won’t do. The right stick is used for shooting and all free throws. This takes practice to master. Fortunately, if using the shot stick isn’t working out for you, the “X” button will also work. I’m not sure why 2K allows you to use both, but at least the individual gamer is left to decide with no real pitfall of choosing one over the other. The D pad is used for offensive and defensive play calling.
Fans of NBA style games should note that the college game has some important differences. The collegiate style demands teamwork and fundamentals. The rule changes from the NBA are minor, but drop in talent level among the players can be significant. You’ll see more errant passes and bad shots than you would see from an NBA game. The collegiate game requires more finesse and thinking than the NBA game. You’ll have to pass the ball and work to find the open shot. There is no Kobe or Lebron to carry your team. You won’t have a Shaq to bang through the lane, take 2 steps and slam it home. You’ll have to work to get the most from your players and opportunities with ball movement and playing the matchups. The 35-second shot clock can seem like a lifetime when the opponent is trying to run down the game clock.
College Hoops 2K7 is not without its flaws and quirks, the biggest of which is the relative lack of Xbox 360 achievements. To get achievements from 2K7, you’ll have to play at a harder difficulty level than most players will want to deal with, or knock off highly ranked players on Xbox Live. I’ve logged more hours on this game than I care to count, but I have no achievements to show for it. The most amusing quirk I experienced was with my legacy team, VMI. My team was playing at Iowa, yet we were in the Ohio State arena. Hawkeyes and Buckeyes have similar names, but I can assure the folks at 2K that they are two different schools. I read reports of dunking through backboards and limbs passing through other player’s bodies, but I have not seen these problems myself.
College Hoops 2K7 has entered a saturated Xbox 360 basketball market on its strength as being one of the best sports franchises in this genre. The gameplay is good and the graphics are adequate. There are only a handful of changes from 2K6. Owners of 2K6 will have little incentive to spend the money to update (notice I didn’t use the word “upgrade”) and might want to think about holding out for 2K8. If you’re new the series, the 360 or are simply tired of NBA games where you feed the ball to your star player constantly, College Hoops 2K7 is worth a look.
