'Final Four' drops out in first round

NCAA Final Four 2002\nRating: E for Everyone\nFor: Playstation 2\nBy: 989 Sports \nWith March Madness upon us as another college basketball season winds to a close, basketball junkies of the world are united with glee. It's a month full of single elimination basketball where every shot can make the difference between going on to play again or going home for the summer. Yet, even with all the possible games available to watch between the conference championship games as well as the NIT and the NCAA tournament, sometimes you still just can't get enough basketball. If you are one of these people, hopefully you own a video game system so you can get your fix.\nThe most recent entry in to the college basketball realm from 989 Sports, "NCAA Final Four 2002," has lots of elements that will make the college basketball fan go wild, such as more than 300 Division One teams, conference tournaments and All-Conference and All-American teams. And, I'm always a big fan of the franchise/dynasty mode. This game has that, so you can lead your team up from the lower end of the conference to national superpower rankings, if you are so inclined. \nThis being said, there are also several downfalls to the game. Shooting is a bit odd as every time you do it a little meter pops up that you use to determine how the shot will go in. The first time I played, I was a little taken aback by this and didn't know what to make of it, but after a while I got the hang of it. While it's true that there is a dynasty mode in the game, the recruiting leaves a ton to be desired. In fact, it's pretty much the worst recruiting set up that I have played in any game. Finally, while the rosters are kept as close to reality as possible, there are some differences that are bothersome to a true fan. For example, A.J. Moye, my favorite Hoosier, isn't even on the game, Jared Jefferies is number "00" and doesn't have any hair and Tom Coverdale doesn't have his trademark red hair. The game also lacks the option of changing the appearance of the players, so you can't remedy these problems. \nForemost among the problems with this game is the incredible ease with which you can defeat your opponents. My roommate and I went through a season with the Hoosiers completely undefeated and won the national title, defeating teams like Duke (best team in the game) by about 30 points. So, this game doesn't provide a whole lot of challenge. It is somewhat entertaining in a two-player form, though, since it evens out the talent level. \n"NCAA Final Four 2002" can be entertaining at times, but all in all, the game leaves a little to be desired. To describe this game in basketball terms, it's the guy on the end of the bench who comes in for garbage minutes, nothing more. But at least it's getting of the bench, right?\n

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