NCAA FINAL FOUR

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Now Does This Remind You Of A College Player? Click to enlarge

"It's You're Only Ticket To The Final Four On The Ps2, But Is It Really Worth The $50?"


Gameplay:
The gameplay in Final Four 2001 is at best average. Like its older brother Nba Shootout 2001, the players run very awkward. This time instead of being hunched over they run like they have a stick up their butt. Their crossovers and other cheap moves just don't seem to work. If you try to do them and drive you will usually be called for a foul. This game has the most fouls I have ever seen in a videogame. You will get a foul called on you for looking at the other team the wrong way. Speaking of fouls, when you get to the free-throw line it is basically luck. There is a green bar flickering and you must press X when it is the biggest and let go when another bar traveling vertically comes up to line up with it. I've had times when I land in the green and I still miss it, and others when i come no where close to the green and end up somehow making the shot. This is a serious problem and should have been fixed. The dunks are very unrealistic, the players will go up for a dunk and their whole body just about goes over the rim , come on 989 this isnt Nba Jam, it's sopose to be a simulation game. If you go for a steal its like you are magnetically charged to the player with the ball and are usually called for a foul, very unrealistic. Playing this game just makes me feel like I've went back to 1997 when none of these bugs were fixed and it wasn't such a big deal, but its 2001 now and there is no excuse for this. 989 also left out the multiple season mode so you're stuck just playing one season and having to start over. Sure every Division I team is incorporated in Final Four but guess what? None of the teams even have the right player #'s , for example the Cincinnati Bearcats starting lineup are numbers 3,11,0,10,2 and only one of those numbers is a real player (#11-Kenny Satterfield) and they have him playing at the wrong position with totally awkward stats. So every team basically feels the same, very disappointing. If you're looking for a college basketball game this year, I'd suggest you pick up Ncaa March Madness 2001 for the regular Playstation, it blows this game away.

Graphics:
The graphics, just like any other 989 sports game, are a mixed bag. As you are in shock by the very nice and smooth court designs you come back to earth by realizing there are only about 5 different player models in the whole game. When you see that there are cheerleaders for each team , then you realize that every stadium is the same, the only difference are the court logos at center court. 989 could have at least got the stadiums right for the bigger Div. I schools like Duke,Temple,etc. As I mentioned there are only about 5 player models, about 3 of those are horrible (an old bald man, a guy who looks like Temple's head coach). These would be good if they were on PSX but this is sopose to be next generation? I don't think so. One nice feature is where the coachs pace the sidelines, but whats so fun about that when there are only about 5-7 coach models?

Sound:
The sound in Ncaa Final Four 2001 is very dull. The announcer just says the players name when they score, and usually he sounds like a dead man. Occasionally he will get involved in the game and yell "GET THAT OUT OF HERE!" but he only uses about 3 different lines so even that gets old. You just don't get the college atmosphere in Final Four 2001.

Sound: 5/10
Gameplay:5/10
Lasting Appeal:6/10
Overall: 6/10



- StainD