Review: NCAA 2k2 Road to the Rose Bowl

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Review: NCAA 2k2 Road to the Rose Bowl

Post#1 » Fri Aug 13, 2021 8:27 pm

With the College Football season kicking off in a few weeks (Nebraska vs Illinois), I thought i'd write an honorary review for the sole Dreamcast College Football game: NCAA 2k2.

The gameplay is remarkably similar to NFL 2k2 (Due to them running on the same engine), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The amazing spins, jukes, and hurdles of NFL 2k2 return in full force. I did find it very hard to run the football, however. When facing a team of equal or greater skill level, the defensive line becomes a brick wall of destruction crushing all run attempts in it's path. Whilst it's easy to hang 40 on a team playing as the 100 Overall Miami Hurricanes, trying to compete with the lowly 60 overall Baylor Bears becomes a slog. Obviously a poor overall team shouldn't be able to compete with a higher overall one, but I would recommend playing as a mid-level overall team to get the most enjoyment out of this game.

As one might imagine, NCAA 2k2 contains all (at the time) 118 Division 1 FBS football teams. So sadly my Division 3 Alma Mater Hardin-Simmons didn't make the cut :cry: . These 118 teams can all be matched up in Play Now and Quick Match game modes, which allow you to easily enter a game between any teams you want, in any stadium you want. For those who are into playing a form of the brand new College Football Playoff, there's a 4/8/16 team fully customizable playoff feature. When Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Oklahoma inevitably make the playoffs once more, you know how to simulate it!

Then there are the Season and Legacy modes.

My biggest gripes with the game come through these modes, as they just feel completely shallow. Whilst i'm spoiled with the later NCAA games, it still feels like simply playing through matches with little depth. Season mode involves simply maneuvering your way through a single season with the team(s) of your choosing with the ultimate goal of winning a National Championship. After that, the mode promptly ends. Legacy mode ads a bit more depth with a ranking system, news headlines, and recruiting, it still feels really dull. Way too much menu navigation, with little visual variety. While the game does contain fully customizable teams and plays (Which can be used in all modes besides online), there is no way to realign conferences, or schedule games. Want to create a yearly rivalry with Notre Dame or Brigham Young? You better hope that the computer put them on your schedule. Obviously it was fine at the time (It was for me in 2003), it doesn't really hold up.

Finally, is the network gaming option. While I played this specific game online, thanks to the revival of the servers I was able to experience it for the first time about a year ago. In fact this game has the distinction of being the only other NCAA football game online (Other than the acclaimed NCAA 14). I would say it actually works rather decently. Instead of having a specific online style, it feels exactly like a couch co-op match (With lag spikes). Chat functions are easy to navigate, in game and lobby, and make full utilization of the Dreamcast's Keyboard. Plus, rankings create a huge drive to want to win and reach the top (Despite only a handful of players having at least one win). The online mode is a great addition to the game.

Overall I would give NCAA 2k2 a 7/10. The "Dynasty" style modes lack depth which holds the game back slightly, however the incredible gameplay variety and online modes give this game a definite reason to check it out.
John 3:16

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