NCAA March Madness 08

There’s enough new in here to warrant a look at the game even if you played the last one to death. It won’t blow your socks off, but it will any aspiring collegiate hours upon hours of enjoyment.

A run of the mill sports title.

What was once a very good franchise is starting to become a generic rehash with a few tweaks thrown in each year to sate the need to say something new was added. Yes, it is still entertaining, but it’s not the game one would have hoped it would be.

NCAA March Madness 08 definitely gives it the old college try and is still a solid college basketball game overall, but just the act of trying to be great isn’t good enough, particularly when there’s not much of an upgrade from its predecessor in the franchise.

NCAA March Madness 08 has a few flaws such as some transitions of animations, easy fast break opportunities, and a few game play quirks, but nothing will distract any college fan from getting excited about the team they love.

A solid basketball title and is definitely a step above what we saw from Live 08. The fluidity of the game has been ironed out a bit and even though the basketball itself doesn’t behave as well as we’d like, the March Madness franchise is definitely making strides (albeit short strides) in the right direction.

This is a classic example of graphics look better but the gameplay isn't as compelling as the competition.

Basketball fans who want more arcade-like action than the sim-heavy "College Hoops 2K8" may find some fun in March Madness, but serious hoops fans should stick with 2K.

Maybe the only real progress that EA Canada has made this year is the college basketball atmosphere. However it doesn’t make up for the other overlooks.

The online quickplay is pretty slick and there's even(gulp)online leagues, which will give this baller more legs than the normal yearly update that NCAA hoops games often are. [Jan 2008, p.67]

The game feels a little off. For example, at one point I was fouled six or seven times in about 30 seconds as I tried to pass a ball in from the sidelines. Even odder are the game’s television announcers, who range from psychic to clueless.

The ball physics are sometimes off (especially during rebounding), the animations are repetitive and there's not enough new content. Leave this one on the bench.

I would love to say that I recommend everyone to pick up this game, but if you already own NCAA March Madness 2007 the need for an upgrade probably isn't necessary for this game.

NCAA March Madness 08 has a fair amount of improvements over the previous year; the modifications of the dynasty mode and changes to the low post play. Rent both NCAA titles to see what style of play fits you best.

What a letdown! I had high hopes for March Madness this year, but this one's all sizzle and very little steak. [Jan 2008, p.90]

March Madness 08 tries to woo new players with new low-post play and classic rosters, but it doesn't quite work. Maybe next year we'll see a real revamp?

March Madness 08 has some new moves, but it's still not ready for the big dance.

Overall, March Madness 08 is a pretty good basketball game. The problem is that it isn't the best basketball game available by far. It can probably easily claim second best, but College Hoops is a much better basketball experience.

March Madness is decent, no question, but it dashes our high hopes. This one has a long way to go to feel like real college basketball on the court, and not just off of it. Even with all its glitter, it's dim when compared to the shiny "College Hoops 2K8."

March Madness 08 is the kind of game you like less the more you play it - and we didn't like it all that much from the beginning. It's not even in the same league as College Hoops 2K8, even though that title isn't perfect. Instead of stepping up like its professional counterpart did this season, March Madness took a giant step backwards.