Game Review: NCAA March Madness '08

Jim Van Slyke - Virginian-Pilot

The Arcade

"NCAA March Madness 08"

$30 to $50 for multiple systems from Electronic Arts (reviewed on the Xbox 360)

Rated Everyone

Play well enough in "NCAA March Madness 08" and you can get your college a better pep band. It's not exactly clear how signing a four- star high school baller or dishing out five assists in a half improves a school's pep band, but since the band comes with cheerleaders, we're not going to argue.

There is plenty to like in "NCAA March Madness 08," but, unfortunately, most of it takes place away from the basketball court. The game everyone jammed with last year is pretty much the same here, with a few minor additions. So if last year's games drove you nuts as you drove to the basket, don't bother hoping that things have improved. The game still feels sluggish when compared to "College Hoops 2K8," but there are some nice features if EA's game is a slam dunk for you. The same low post moves found in "NBA Live 08" are here so you can juke and shoot like the best of the big men. The only other significant gameplay enhancement is the ability to take a charge.

The biggest additions - and best reasons to pick up this game - are the classic teams, 30-year dynasty mode and the "School Pride" feature that allows gamers to rename streets on the college campus, improve the weight room and, yes, get the band new uniforms. The classic team feature lets gamers do things like pit the best UNC players of all time versus Duke's best.

"BlackSite Area 51"

$60 for Sony PS3 from Midway Games

Rated Teen

With so many other good first-person shooters on the market, the only mystery surrounding "BlackSite Area 51" is why you would spend your money on it. OK, it's not that bad and you could make a case that the PS3 needs games - even mediocre ones - of all types.

The overall game suffers in places and has a lot of bugs, and we're not referring to giant ones from outer space that explode when you pump them full of bullets. No, the bugs here are the kind that make gamers throw controllers in disgust. Annoying things like the game freezing and odd stuff like cars floating in the air for no reason.

The gamer plays as Aeran Pierce, leader of Echo Squad. The game starts in Iraq, where Pierce and his mates search for weapons of mass destruction, but instead run into some not-so-friendly creatures from another world. After dispatching those aliens, Echo Squad is sent to a town near Area 51 where strange things are happening. The gamer directs his squad, but with the odd exception of opening doors the rest of the team seems unnecessary; Pierce can take out most of the baddies himself. The graphics are a bright spot, but the bugs and clunky gameplay make this a rental at best.

"Unreal Tournament 3"

$60 for PS3 from Midway

Rated Mature

"Unreal Tournament 3" is actually the fourth Unreal game, but let's not quibble. There is a lot of genius here. This space-based first-person shooter doesn't reinvent the joystick, but it does about everything on an exceptional level with the stipulation that you plan to play it with other people. Don't buy this game if you're a hermit who doesn't link up with others online. Like most good shooters, this game is meant for a community. There is a single- player mode with a forgettable plot about factions starting a space war, but at best it's a warm-up for the fun online insanity.

The PC version of "Unreal Tournament 3" came out in late November to tremendous reviews for its impressive graphics and array of weapons, both old and new. The game offers the same things that made its predecessors fabulous: ridiculous action at incredible speeds. The sound effects are worthy of any surround sound system and, while most of the gameplay is the same deathmatch after deathmatch we've seen plenty of times before, it's still incredibly fun. A new Warfare mode adds another element by having gamers transport orbs from one place to another. It's not revolutionary, but this mode should prove to be popular.

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Copyright 2012 by Virginian-Pilot