NCAA 07 March Madness review

Just about all of us have those recurring dreams where we're back in school, the semester's almost over, and it's time to take a final exam. For some reason, though, we've missed all the classes, are completely unprepared, and happen to be dressed in only our skivvies. In many ways, NCAA 07 March Madness and those dreams go hand in hand - it shows up to this year's college hoops competition a couple of months tardy and a little confused (but, thankfully, fully clothed).

There's no doubt that it shoots - and scores - in a number of areas, like the in-depth Dynasty mode, a full slate of Division 1 schools with all school-specific gymnasiums (even the little guys), support for online play, and plenty of on-the-fly coaching options to put your cagers in the right spot for open jumpers or ferocious dunks. Mercifully, the folks at EA have even kept foul shooting simple, instead of trying to reinvent it like everyone else seems to be doing these days.

Unfortunately, for all its excellence in the locker room, the on-court gameplay is sluggish and dated. True, the next-gen basketball we've enjoyed for the past year has spoiled us some, but surely the PS2 can do better than this - after all, it has in the past. Just for kicks, we tossed in a copy of the 2004 version (three seasons old), and that game felt smoother and more "alive" than this year's effort.