[TheGame]

March Madness 2004
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/401/401357p1.html

"May 08, 2003 - You have to give the development teams at Electronic Arts proper credit; the last two years have seen some aggressive changes in how the company approaches its sports games. No longer settling for minor upgrades to existing engines, EA is pushing the boundaries for every franchise it has; even giving the oft-ignored college basketball genre a facelift by injecting its 2004 version with tons of new features and extras. Set to be publicly unveiled for the first time at the Electronic Entertainment Expo next week, NCAA March Madness 2004 is officially coming home.

Developed by the talented squad at EA Canada, MM 2004's immediate claim to fame will have to be its planned online support. Working in an identical way to NBA Live, gamers will be able to log onto their favorite March Madness servers to chat in lobbies and arrange worldwide competitions at the tap of a button. But that's not all: Gamers can also meet up in groups to compete in EA-sponsored online tournaments and download the latest rosters, players, and other undisclosed goodies that offline players would otherwise never have access to. The only real downside is for Xbox owners. As this feature will be implemented in the PlayStation 2 version only with no current plans whatsoever to bring Live support to the green machine.

Luckily owners of all versions will be able to enjoy March Madness' remaining features without a hitch. One of the biggest of which, is the improved dynasty mode that allows for 30 years of realistic basketball simulation. As would-be coaches take their team from nothing to greatness, you'll be able play in such events as the EA Sports Roundball Classic, train your players in the off-season, customize your non-conference schedules, and work your way into the Top 25 on the road to the national championship. To thicken the plot though, every other school in the conference will be making their own moves and changes to stay competitive. With a living, breathing, collegiate national sports program pulsating around you at all times. And if you don't think it'll bring any kind of challenge, consider who helped advise on some of the particulars: Rick Majerus, Gary Williams, and Billy Donovan.

March Madness 2004 will also make use of the all-new EA Sports Bio feature that's pumping up so many sports gamers since its announcement earlier this morning. Recognizing past and present EA Sports save files, the internal system will identify company products and unlock special teams, rosters, and features as a reward for playing other EA games and give you even more stuff if you play those games well (for more on the EA Sports Bio, click here). And if that doesn't sound cool enough for you, how about the 150-plus schools added to the existing roster (over 300 total)? Counting the new lineup, that means that every single Division I program in America can now be played in March Madness 2004 Best of all, each one of them has their very own team specific plays, and you as the gamer can use the same strategies.

Speaking of teams, School Sprit will play an important role this year as the atmosphere has been ramped up with all-new cheerleader animations, mascot antics, post-game celebrations, and team-specific chants and fight songs. Several arenas have been remodeled as well, and the better crowds should be a lot more realistic. Oh and did we mention that MM has taken a cue from college football and included Mascot and Rivalry games?

Slated for Fall 2003 (most likely November), NCAA March Madness 2004 could give Sega's own college hoopster quite the competitive battle. With freestyle control, online play, and the additions we mentioned above (plus several that we didn't), it could be one of the toughest years yet to pick a winner in the college basketball field. Check back with us again next week on the show floor for additional details."