EA Sports is gearing up for college basketball's "big dance" with the release of NCAA March Madness 08. This Xbox 360 college baller has several tweaks and additions that attempt to liven up the series, but a few of them end up being flaws instead of rim rocking features.

On offense, you'll find an arsenal of moves, such as shooting a lay-up around a defenseman or dazzling opponents with a powerhouse dunk. On defense, you can use guard positioning to try for the crucial block or steal. EA Sports makes proper use of the right analog stick for both of these styles, although they take getting used to if you're a newcomer to the series.

Impact Moments also play a tremendous role. Over the course of play, you build up energy into a Team Intensity meter. Once you activate it and pull off a key scoring moment in the game (such as shooting a three pointer), the crowd goes bonkers and your team becomes more motivated to win. It's all in the timing, but if you pull it off just right, Impact Moment lives up to its hype.

For whatever reason, the game is significantly slower than last year's effort, where EA focused more on speed and less on realism. Now the game's too slow, with players moving as if they have weights attached to their shoes. Very rarely will you see a fast break that lives up to its name. Having a smaller player run down the court for the quick score actually takes seconds longer than it would in real life.

Ball physics and rebounding are also serious issues that need fixing. When a ball bounces off the rim, everyone on the court jumps for it in unison. What should be a skillful grab for the ball turns into a crapshoot game of "whoever grabs it first wins".

NCAA March Madness 08's atmosphere represents the sport almost perfectly, with high-intensity crowds jumping about and slick-looking arenas. However, player animations tend to repeat, especially with spin moves and lay-ups. It's awkward to see a bigger player and smaller player execute the same moves.

Bill Nessler and Dick "It's awesome, bay-bee" Vitale once again provide lively commentary, along with sideline reports from new addition Erin Andrews. It's just a shame that they don't get to do a recap show afterwards. The rest of the game's audio holds up nicely, with plenty of crowd noise and band anthems to soothe your ears.

March Madness has a few extras worth exploring. Dynasty Mode returns with a refined player recruitment system and the ability to build up school pride for your home team. In addition, the game sports a new ESPN interface, complete with broadcasts and real-time stats that drag you further into the world of college b-ball. Online play also shows improvement with 32-team leagues, complete with customization options and stats. Finally, you can jump back into old-school b-ball territory with classic teams, including the Florida Gators, the Duke Blue Devils and the dominant North Carolina Tar Heels from the 1980s. Past this, however, everything that was in last year's effort returns with minimal changes.

Overall, EA's game just can't keep up with College Hoops 2K8's pacing and excitement. All the Impact Moments and low-post play in the world can't compensate for March Madness 08's slow and unbalanced gameplay. That's too bad, because everything else, from the Dynasty Mode to the inclusion of Dickie V., is in place for dominance. Maybe next year, bay-bee.