NCAA Basketball 10 News Post

NCAA Basketball 10 Hands-On Preview (IGN)

06:42 PM - October 15, 2009 by SageInfinite

IGN has posted their hands-on preview of NCAA Basketball 10.

Quote:


	"First things first, yes this game feels quite a bit like NBA Live 10. All of the gameplay refinements that were made for this year's NBA game make their way into NCAA Basketball 10. That means that you can size-up your man and take him to the hole or assume direct control of a player without the ball and make quick cuts to the basket. The one slight change that has been made to the core basketball gameplay is that NCAA moves at a slightly quicker clip than NBA Live. It's not a huge discrepancy, but it's certainly there. Another change that will please fans of the college alternative is the crowd. They're lively as all hell and will shake your speakers, especially if you're playing in a place like Cameron Indoor."

Game: NCAA Basketball 10Reader Score: 7.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 25 - View All

NCAA Basketball 10 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 vanderbiltfan87 @ 10/15/09 06:50 PM

December 1st release? hmm...

# 2 thaima1shu @ 10/15/09 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorBait06NC


	God I wish NCAA Football had this presentation. This game looks great. btw

Agreed on both counts.

Any new information just has me chomping at the bit and ready for this game to come out. I'm getting this game even if it's only for the presentation, honestly. If the gameplay is decent and dynasty is just serviceable at the very least, I'll be happy.

# 3 nccomicfan @ 10/15/09 07:15 PM

My only concern is how much faster this plays than Live.I already feel like Live plays fairly quick and I feel that the speed of the pro game should always surpass it's college counterpart

# 4 countryboy @ 10/15/09 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nccomicfan


	My only concern is how much faster this plays than Live.I already feel like Live plays fairly quick and I feel that the speed of the pro game should always surpass it's college counterpart

agreed. Hopefully there is a speed slider setting in the game that people can adjust accordingly to their preference.

# 5 Hawaii_Stars @ 10/15/09 08:02 PM

I hope it is still November 17th...

# 6 cdj @ 10/15/09 08:09 PM

I think he was just using the release date IGN has had in their listing since the cover athlete was announced. The official site still says the 18th.

# 7 Jab_Step @ 10/15/09 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanderbiltfan87


	December 1st release? hmm...

Release date is actually Nov. 17th.

# 8 Brandwin @ 10/15/09 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanderbiltfan87


	December 1st release? hmm...

I sure hope IGN got the release date wrong. I hope it's not too fast either.

# 9 Brandwin @ 10/15/09 08:20 PM

NCAA strategies tweeted the IGN article ad well. I tweeted them and asked about the release and they said ign must have used the date as a place holder from when
the cover athlete was announced.

I dunno too much!

# 10 catarsond @ 10/15/09 08:25 PM

thanks sage =)

# 11 Brandwin @ 10/15/09 08:26 PM

I didn't see that jab step responded to the thread. Sorry.

RT*@ncaaStrategies:*@Brandon_I*Just*saw*that*Dev*S ean*C.*confirmed*Nov.*17th*as*release,*which*is*a* Tuesday.*(Prob.*saying*18th*so*all*stores*have*it* by*then.)

# 12 joesto54 @ 10/15/09 09:31 PM

can someone copy and paste the whole article on here (ign is blocked at my place of employment) thanks guys

# 13 soxnut1018 @ 10/15/09 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joesto54


	can someone copy and paste the whole article on here (ign is blocked at my place of employment) thanks guys

NCAA Basketball 10 Hands-on
Drop your books and lace up your Nikes; the Madness is about to begin.
by Nate Ahearn

October 15, 2009 - EA Sports' NCAA Basketball series has always had a tough time establishing itself as a viable alternative to NBA Live. There's no question that Live is the bigger name, but NCAA Basketball runs into its biggest hurdles when trying to separate itself enough to deliver a substantially different experience. NCAA Basketball 10 hopes to clear the bar with the use of some fantastic new presentation elements courtesy of ESPN and CBS as well as new play calling that aims to deliver true collegiate basketball gameplay.

First things first, yes this game feels quite a bit like NBA Live 10. All of the gameplay refinements that were made for this year's NBA game make their way into NCAA Basketball 10. That means that you can size-up your man and take him to the hole or assume direct control of a player without the ball and make quick cuts to the basket. The one slight change that has been made to the core basketball gameplay is that NCAA moves at a slightly quicker clip than NBA Live. It's not a huge discrepancy, but it's certainly there. Another change that will please fans of the college alternative is the crowd. They're lively as all hell and will shake your speakers, especially if you're playing in a place like Cameron Indoor.

Click above to see how the CBS broadcast style is being integrated into this year's game.
Where the team at EA Canada is making some key changes is in the play calling and presentation. While calling plays in the NBA is more player-specific to gear towards the superstars of the squad, NCAA Basketball comes equipped with eight different types of motion play calls. While you can access all of the plays with any team, each has a specific play that they're defaulted to. There are plays like four-out where four guys roam the perimeter while one is down low, there's the flex offense, the triangle and zone motion among others. All you have to do to set a play in motion is tap the left shoulder button and your players will start setting screens and making cuts around the court.

Once a play has started your primary passing option appears with a Y button (triangle on PS3) icon over his head that will illuminate when the time is right to pass it to him. You can toss him the rock prior to that moment, but your pass isn't guaranteed to find its target. Your secondary passing option has a B button (circle on PS3) icon over his head if your primary target doesn't seem like the way to go. It's going to be interesting to see how this play calling system melds with the tempo mechanic that's still present in the game. It would be unfortunate to lose out on an attribute bonus for fast-paced run-and-gun basketball because I'm trying to formulate a play. I'll have to spend more time with the game to see if that really is an issue.

Play calling will play a significant role.
While the new play calling works fine in practice and makes it easy to hit an open man as players set screens and make cuts around the court, the real star of the show during my demo with NCAA Basketball 10 was the new presentation elements. EA Sports managed to get both CBS and ESPN broadcast graphics and announcers into this year's game and the difference is huge. Both presentation styles wonderfully mirror what you'd see on television. From the NCAA CBS logo's beating heart during the loading screen to the screen wipes that transition to a highlight package, everything is in there. Bill Raftery and Gus Johnson have even made the trip to fuel the action on the CBS side, while Dick Vitale, Brad Nessler and Erin Andrews take the ESPN duties. While you can select your own broadcast style for an exhibition game, during a season the appropriate station will air your games depending on where you're playing. And, as always, March Madness is all CBS.

When you couple the noise and energy that you get from a rambunctious crowd with the new presentation elements that actually do look like something you'd see on TV, passersby will undoubtedly have to do a double take when they see the game in action. So while the presentation is impressive, I'm still wondering if there are going to be any new college-specific game modes or feature additions to further widen the gap between NBA Live 10 and NCAA Basketball 10. If EA Sports can continue to deliver a unique experience, NCAA could not only match NBA Live in terms of quality, but it might even surpass it. Only time will tell.

We'll have more on NCAA Basketball 10 as it nears its December 1 launch on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

# 14 joesto54 @ 10/15/09 11:57 PM

Thanks my man. definatly nothing there we didn't already know.

# 15 ianlast @ 10/16/09 01:03 AM

Sorry, but this is a pretty pathetic excuse for a "hands-on preview".

"It's going to be interesting to see how this play calling system melds with the tempo mechanic that's still present in the game. It would be unfortunate to lose out on an attribute bonus for fast-paced run-and-gun basketball because I'm trying to formulate a play. I'll have to spend more time with the game to see if that really is an issue."

Really? Because it was such a problem in 09, right?

# 16 tril @ 10/16/09 01:44 AM

does NCAA basketball have a first/last names database like the 2k series or do we still have to use player #s. can we at least have an option?

the game does look nice, but the game kind of flow like NBA LIVE.
the players body types look too NBA like, and they also move like seasoned NBA vets. -thats a huge downside.

there is a distinct difference in NBA and college game-play and it is in the player movement. hopefully they'll correct this before the game releases.

The atmosphere looks nice, and the ESPN/CBS integration is huge. this will eventually lead to endless possibilities as far as incorporating stats, etc.

# 17 crques @ 10/16/09 02:32 PM

The only part I'm worried about is the speed of the game. I hope there's a speed slider or different game speed settings to choose from.

# 18 ty5oke @ 10/16/09 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crques


	The only part I'm worried about is the speed of the game. I hope there's a speed slider or different game speed settings to choose from.

Me too, I thought Live was already a little to fast for my liking and this is suppose to be faster.

# 19 kingdevin @ 10/16/09 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nccomicfan


	My only concern is how much faster this plays than Live.I already feel like Live plays fairly quick and I feel that the speed of the pro game should always surpass it's college counterpart

Reduce the game speed slider

# 20 marcoyk @ 10/17/09 10:44 AM

The presentation is something that's got me very excited. I'm really looking forward to this one.

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