NCAA: Road to the Final Four 2 is a complete improvement on the original. Everything from the graphics to the playability of this game is improved upon. Although the first version of NCAA: Road to the Final Four was very well designed I just think that this particular effort is much more enjoyable. The realism of the players on the court, the crowds in the stands and the improvement in the interpretation of the game rules are the main factors contributing to this added enjoyment.
I particularly like the detail that the programmers have gone into by customizing each individual home court. It's almost as if Bobby Knight himself was in on the consultation meetings when this game was getting put into production.
The game begins by offering you the chance to play as any of the teams from the major 12 conferences. Again, this is better than the original as it means there are many more teams to choose from. You can also see scouting reports of various high school prospects (fictional ones I think) and you can store all this knowledge for future recruitment. Once you have had training camp it is time for the regular season to begin. As I mentioned, each
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team's home court is reproduced in detail along with crowd noise so that when you're on the road you know all about it. As the object of the game is to qualify for the NCAA final tournament you are aiming to have a strong regular season so you can qualify. Once the final tournamnet begins the pace of the game shoots up and if you are seeded any lower than 6, I would say it is too difficult to get into the Final Four, but good luck trying. The animation and detail of this game is utterly impressive for example a player shooting from long range just looks like the real thing. One aspect they could've improved upon is not keeping count of fouls. Obviously this can affect a team's tactics and is something I would like to see included in any follow-up game.
Overall though this game is superb value and for Final Four or just sports fans in general I would recommend it. If only there was a good NBA game out there, my basketball craving would be satisfied all year long. For now, NCAA: Road to the Final Four 2 will have to work.
