If you've been craving more b-ball action, Sega and Visual concepts have just released ESPN College Hoops 2K5, and boy is it amazing. While it lacks the personality and flashy offensive flow of NBA 2K5, College Hoops is an intense sim experience that favors hard-nosed defense to run-and-gun play, though once you get the hang of things you can certainly race down the court with reckless abandon. But no matter what your style of play, this game has something for everyone, and is to basketball purists what Mario is to Nintendo fan boys.

Despite reports from other websites/magazines that College Hoops is all about intense offensive play, I found it to be quite the contrary. Unlike NBA 2K5, this game leans more heavily toward building a solid defensive foundation to win ball games. Each time I tried to engage the computer in a wild shoot out I came up on the losing end, and that was because the AI was relentless in its pursuit to stop my forward progress. Holes closed in less than a second, double and triple teams popped up before I had a chance to select a play, and bad passes were picked off and returned for two points. To that end, I really needed to strategize to win, as I couldn't depend on the same wild shots that have become a staple in NBA 2K5. Players will oftentimes miss both contested and uncontested lay-ups, and jump shots from five feet away sometimes catch iron and rim out. Don't be surprised if you and your opponent score 120 points between the two of you, though if you play the better teams, you'll be able to run up the totals considerably.

In order to set the game apart from its big brother, Visual Concepts made various changes to the presentation and how College Hoops plays. The presentation is the most noticeable. The crowds chant a lot more, there's tons of band music, and the commentators are different than in NBA 2K5. Also, there's Legacy and Coach Mode. In Legacy Mode, the goal is to become the most successful coach in NCAA history by starting out small and recruiting local talent, gaining a good rep and moving on to bigger and better programs. It's a lot of micromanagement, as you'll need to make sure that your existing players are improving their skills and that you're always on the lookout for new talent, but it's a deep and extremely satisfying experience that you'll be lost in for hours.

Coach Mode allows you to watch the game and call plays/make substitutions from the sidelines, so really, it's just like normal, except you don't have any true control over the players, which is sort of frustrating seeing as how you can do all of this from just playing a game. Also, it would've been cool if you could watch the game from where the coach is standing, but the only camera modes you have to choose from are the standard ones that you always have access to. What Sega should've done is made this more like its first person football, where you can call players over, call group meetings during time outs, and diagram plays. Instead, it just feels like you're a fan watching the game.

In addition to the modes, Visual Concepts tweaked the gameplay to make it more realistic. You can use the Left Trigger to send a player to the basket so you can feed him a pass, and you're able to perform a sort of give-and-go while running up the floor, so rather than pass the ball and have your previously controlled player go back to running AI patterns, you can catch the pass and then give it back to him. It's great to use when you've got numbers running up the floor, and it'll usually avoid a nasty foul since you'll fool the AI opponent by giving up the rock.

Also new is the game's free-throw system. Tossing aside the meters from its previous b-ball games, Visual Concepts put in place a gameplay mechanic that requires you to hold A and then release it when the player is at the peak of his shot. It's a tricky system because players have different shooting styles, so making free throws is initially this annoying trial and error process. However, it is a lot more realistic, especially since when I actually fire a free throw I never know for certain whether it's going to go in. In that sense it makes the gameplay a little more intense, but on the opposite side of this, the second player cannot make the controller rumble (it pulses on its own), meaning that it's a lot harder to get inside the other player's head and mess him up. If you master the free throw system (and it won't take long), you'll rarely miss with the great shooters.

Just as in all of Sega's sports games, College Hoops looks absolutely gorgeous. All of the players are highly-detailed and look fantastic, and the arenas as well as the crowds are equally impressive. The character animations are fluid, and the various cut scenes of fans acting stupid are rather funny. There are some clipping issues during gameplay, but they don't mar the overall experience. Well, unless you don't factor in the times a player's hand clips through the rim and blocks your shot. That's annoying.

Despite ESPN's greatness, it's not as fantastic as it should be. Sound as well as AI problems occasionally pop up and keep the game from perfection. Aurally, despite the crowd's involvement in each game, they sometimes go eerily silent right before you shoot free throws, and music will start to play after you make a big shot and then will be abruptly cut off for no logical reason. Also, the commentators, while impressive, often repeat phrases and once in a while inaccurately call the game. For example, they may remark that your team's behind when in fact you're leading by five points.

As for the AI, while it's good for the most part, it sometimes makes stupid decisions, such as stepping out of bounds and making horrible passes that result in back court violations. It's also a danger to each of your teammates, because on the default settings it fouls quite a bit, and the ref's whistle became so annoying I was wishing he'd choke on it. It gets so bad that if you truly want to frustrate a human opponent, making just about any play on the ball will eventually send him/her to the line, and if they can't hit free throws, the game's yours for the taking.

Lastly, despite the crazy crowd antics, chants, and fight songs, I felt that the lack of big name stars in the game hurt College Hoops' personality. There's just something more satisfying hitting a baseline jumper with Dwayne Wade rather than "Number Zero" (or a randomly generated name). Of course, that's going to be a matter of taste depending on what you care more about. If you'd rather run up and down the floor with well-known stars you pick up NBA 2K5, but if you want a more solid b-ball experience that features subtle improvements to NBA's gameplay, you go with College Hoops.

Like all of Sega's sports games, College Hoops features online play via Xbox Live (and through Sony's network if you own a PS2) and it's a very smooth experience that features very little lag. Many of the options are very familiar, but the biggest draw is the ability to take part in tournaments with up to 63 other teams! It's a great way to find out who's truly the NCAA champion.

So which ESPN basketball game is better? It all depends on what you're looking for, though I encourage you to pick up both games since they're $20 each. NBA 2K5 is loaded with personality and features frantic and in-your-face gameplay, but College Hoops is pound for pound the more solid b-ball title. Its innovative gameplay features and modes make it a must buy, but don't take my word for it. Lace up your Jordans and hit the hardwood. This gym's always open late.