NCAA Final Four 2000
NCAA Final Four 2000by Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PlayStation
ESRB Rating: Everyone
ASIN: B000034DC5
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GameSpot Review: While NCAA Final Four 2000 isn't by any means the best basketball game for the PlayStation, it is a sound college basketball game. It's loaded with all the modes and options you've come to expect, and it features moderately good graphics and gameplay. Though it won't wow the veteran video-game basketball fan, it should make any college-hoops fan happy. You have your choice of several modes of play, such as exhibition, season, tournament, and arcade. Each mode lets you adjust the game's parameters, such as length, difficulty, and speed. You can also select the difficulty of your computer opponent from four settings: freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior. At the freshmen level, the computer team is fairly competent but not very aggressive. At the senior level, the computer becomes quite aggressive and wastes little time in finding a man with an open shot. One thing that's true of the game on any difficulty is that both you and the computer can aggressively steal the ball and block shots. You really have to work at keeping the ball away from the computer when working it around the court, and you must also make sure that when you take the shot you are fairly open. Taking shots in NCAA Final Four 2000 is one of the best things about the game, since you use this great system called touch shooting. When you shoot the ball, a little meter comes up with a bar that rises as your player ascends to release the ball. When the bar reaches the shoot marker, you release the button. The closer the top of the bar is to the shoot marker, the more likely your shot will go in. The controls and overall feel of the game are pretty good. The controls are quite responsive, and you have a wide array of moves that you can execute to get closer to the basket. Some of the moves, like crossovers, spins, and behind-the-back dribbling are easy and effective to use. Equally as easy and effective to use are the plays, such as alley-oops and screen plays, which really do help you create an opportunity to score.
Visually, NCAA Final Four 2000 looks great. The game features more than 200 animations for the various moves that the players perform, including 22 different dunks. The animation of the players is very fluid and seems quite true to life. In addition, all the player models are individually scaled to size so that they accurately represent their real-life counterparts. In the audio department, the game does a nice job of re-creating the sounds and feel of a college game with play-by-play calls by Quinn Buckner, crowd chants, and school fight songs. In the end, NCAA Final Four 2000 is a good game that any die-hard college basketball fan will enjoy. Being able to play as one of the more than 300 Division I-A teams in the game should be a thrill for any college b-ball follower. --Ryan Mac Donald
From the Manufacturer: Ride the emotional wave to the Final Four! NCAA Final Four 2000 features an unparalleled amount of Division I conferences (31) and teams (more than 300), each ready for your guidance through the regular season and into the tournament. Bring the home fans to their feet in emotion-packed games featuring new, detailed 3D player models and graphics, actual team playbooks, TV-style presentation featuring ESPNs Quinn Buckner and updated animations that will bring you to your feet. It also features: New 3D Player Model and Arenas, Battle for the National Championship, and New Animations.
Customer Reviews:
This game [is bad], March 7, 2002
Reviewer: commencementm3 from Hilton Head Island, SC USA
Okay, the graphics are disgusting. The game control is horrible. It's physically impossible to block a shot, and you can never fail to steal the ball. Shooting is the worst thing in the world. The only thing that makes this worth 2 stars and not 1 star is that it has so many teams in it. I would give it 1 and a half stars, but that's not available. I would not suggest this game if you want a game that's even halfway decent. I'm glad I only spent [little money] on it used at [a local retailer], because I threw it out after 20 minutes of play.
Pretty fun for your first season, June 17, 2001
Reviewer: hhh ggg from Georgia
This is a fun game, but is easily mastered. The graphics are an obvious glitch and it is way too easy to block people. It's fun until you beat everything. This, for me, was my first season with Georgia Tech. This game has its flaws and such, like since when could a not even 6 foot tall number 3 from Georgia Tech dunk it almost from the free throw line? Last time I checked, he couldn't dunk at all. The fouls are a little messed up as well. With number 4, the center of GT, I tried to shoot a game winning three pointer and was fouled. The ref blew his whistle, number 4 grabbed the ball, ran in and dunked it and it counted plus he got three shots. It was very unfair, and an obvious glitch. The courts of teams aren't bad, designed pretty realisticly until you get into the jobber division. My friend and I were too good with GT, so we tried the Butler Bulldogs. Every team in their division has the same court with different colors! Except for one team, there's not even the team sign in the middle! Another question I'm asking is why do the time outs take 4:00? I know you can just resume, but why even put that on there??? If the player wanted to make a stratagy, he could just PAUSE it. I agree with a lot of the others... it's fun until you get too good and there a couple glitches. Thanks...
Not a Great Game, December 18, 2000
Reviewer: a gamer from NJ
After renting March Madness 2000, I was very upset in how bad that game was. I then bought Final Four 2000 hoping it to be twice as good. I was wrong. This game is the easiest game I've ever played. My 7 year old brother beat Michigan St with Harvard 93-4! How can that happen? Also, the graphics aren't as updated as they should be. A final negative thing, is where did they get the rosters. I was playing with my favorite team, Stanford and some of the starters had never played on the team. They got a lot of the players numbers wrong. Overall this is not a quality game.
Terrible game, February 22, 2000
Reviewer: A gamer from Ny
I dont know why but right now all college basketball games are really bad. First i bought March Madness 2000, the graphics were horrible. Then I bought this, wayyyy to easy. My 5 year old sister won against Maryland with one of the worst teams, Yale! I am a mega huge college bball fan, a fan of Michagan state and North Carolina. I hope 2001 college basketball games are good. I dont wanna throw out $100 again. This game deserves 0 stars.
The game is totally unrealistic, February 1, 2000
Reviewer: A gamer from New York, NY
I am a huge Michigan State fan, and with the exception of three players, the entire roster is wrong. Some of the players have numbers that actually exist on MSU's team, but they are the wrong color, play the wrong position, and their ratings are all wrong. Also, the game is way too easy. For instance, playing on the second most difficult setting, I led Kentucky at halftime 55-2, and Mateen Cleaves had 45 points. All you have to do on the game is wait until their guard gets in front of you and then you reach behind, steal the ball, and dunk it. I was extremely disappointed.
cool, January 17, 2000
Reviewer: A gamer from somewhere in the USA
NCAA Final Four 2000 is a good college basketball game.There are a few areas where it could improve such as the graphics(there all right).The dunks are my favorite on the game.The game is very easy to play for instance one time I was North Carolina and I beat Cincinatti 93-18.A good team like that YEP!But overall I would recomend this game to any college hoops fan!
it's ok, January 16, 2000
Reviewer: A gamer from Ashland, Ohio
if you like realistic basketball games this is a good one for you. but you'll soon find out it is really easy. One thing it has going for it is that all the floors are realistic to the real floors. I wish the people looked a little more realstic but hey what the heck. I suggest that you rent it first to decide if you want it
This is a pretty decent game, January 10, 2000
Reviewer: A gamer from North East, Maryland
This is a decent game but it does have some obvious flaws. In general, the graphics are a little bit better than last year's version, but not much. On the plus sides, the college areans are pretty realistic looking, at least in terms of what the court itself looks like. To me, the most obvious flaw in this game are the inaccurate rosters. For exmaple, for the Maryland Terrapins (my favorite team) # 40 is listed as the starting Center. There is no # 40 on the 1999-2000 U of M roster so why is # 40 even listed at all? Also, there is no conference tournament mode in this game--so the regular season ends and you go right to the NCAAS, which means if you've had a crappy regular season, there's no hope of redeeming yourself with a great run in the conference tourney to impress the selection committee enough to earn a NCAA tourney bid. Still, if you're a college basketball fanatic like I am, I think you'll enjoy this game.
awesome, January 9, 2000
Reviewer: A gamer from MONTGOMERY,ALABAMA(GO METS)
NCAA FINAL FOUR 2000 IS AN AWESOME GAME.THEY HAVE THE BEST DUNKS(360 IS MY FAVORITE).ITS GOT EVERY COLLEGE TEAM YOU CAN THINK OF.ITS ALSO EASY TO STEAL,DUNK,AND WIN.IF YOUR A COLLEGE HOOPS FAN YOU WILL LOVE THIS GAME!