ESPN College Hoops

ESPN College Hoops is the second of Sega’s college basketball games and follow-up to NCAA 2K3, to which it adds several new gameplay modes and other enhancements. It also carries over several of ESPN NBA Basketball’s improvements in controls and graphics.

Returning game modes include Quick Play, Exhibition, Season, Legacy, Tournament, Practice and Gym Rat. The Legacy mode has redesigned menus and adds full season recruiting via assistant coaches, scout visits of high school games and a new trophy room. New modes include Rival mode, which lets players set up quick games that feature classic school rivalries, and Slam Dunk Challenge. The Challenge offers five different dunk competitions: Beat the Clock, Style, Horse, Dunk-O-War (who can fire up the crowd the most, needs to be unlocked) and a Championship of all modes. Dunks are executed through QTE-style pressing of buttons in the correct order in quick succession. Players can create their own schools in the new Create-A-School mode, allowing for customization of mascot, fight song and even floor type.

On the court, major changes include IsoMotion controls similar to those seen in ESPN NBA, which allow a variety of new offensive moves and manual stealing on defense through use of the right thumbstick. Also new are ability icons, which quickly indicate a player’s special skill (speed, 3-point-shots, defense or star quality).

The game features many unlockables in the Campus Store. Currency for the store is earned by completing challenges on the court, which can then be spent to unlock mascot teams, alternate uniforms, professional and fantasy courts and classic teams.