NCAA Final Four 2004 Critic Reviews

I'm vastly disappointed with this game. I clearly remember being excited about last year's potential for the future. I thought 989 Sports would finally come through with a top-notch college basketball game, something that I don't believe has ever been done.

The controls are not reliable in any sense. It is not fun playing a game, when you are constantly worrying if the players will do the commands that you tell them to.

Perhaps the biggest downfall of Final Four is the sound area. The two broadcasters don’t do enough talking, and when they do, they make odd and frankly stupid remarks.

Many will be turned on by the plethora of game-play modes and options this game has to offer. Others will be turned off by the game-play AI, like I was.

Improved, but the AI is still ugly as hell.

Red flags like the frustrating controls, uneven flow, and the lack of voice-recognition capability present in its other games make it appear that this one was rushed out the door in time for the season.

The horrible shot controls simply aren't saved by a good presentation and online play.

The controls just don't cut it...Final Four's controls are quite sluggish, taking a split second or so before the corresponding action occurs onscreen.

By itself, the issues associated with it aren’t severe but put it side by side with either "March Madness 2004" or "ESPN College Hoops," and they fall to a distant third.

Inconsistent AI, weak defense, lame freestyle moves - bottom line is the game is incredibly sloppy.

Like "NBA ShootOut" this year, the defensive AI is such that before you take your shot, you can simply run around until your defender gets stuck on other bodies, and then try throwing down a dunk or three until you score.

There are just far too many problems with its basic mechanics.

Without a doubt, the worst basketball game released this year, college or pro. It offers a subpar effort--across the board--in graphics, sound, gameplay, and extras (like the simplistic dynasty mode, for example).

From the opening tip, literally, Final Four looks like a second-rate basketball game. No matter where you play, whether it's Comcast Center (home of the Terps) or the Carrier Dome (Syracuse), the opening intro looks like it's staged in a high school gymnasium.

This benchwarmer fails to meet the minimum requirements for a modern sports game and will continue to ride the pine until next year.

Whoever is coming up with ideas like the two Career modes and the ability to set practice schedules should get promoted. Then, they should go work for a series with more potential. Either that, or Sony should hire people who are serious about gameplay, because NCAA Final Four 2004 clearly is not.