When reviewing a game, a lot has to be considered. Sure, there are the basics of graphics, gameplay, framerate, modes of play and such, but one also should take into account where the game has been and where it is going.

For example, in considering NCAA Basketball from EA Sports, you can think back to the area where the creation features were a bit more robust. It is understandable that developers fiddle with the formula each year and try to deliver the best game they can. And in that regard, NCAA Basketball 09 has some very good elements. While the game does not quite reach the level of EA’s NBA title, with the Dynamic DNA features, it still provides entertainment value.

One of the newest additions to the title is the inclusion of the tempo meter. Each team has a tempo, whether it is up-tempo, half court or balanced. This plays into the way players are expected to move the ball. If you are an up-tempo fastbreak kind of player, then heading into franchise mode with a coach that manages the game that way is best. If you go in as a balanced kind of coach, or half-court, and then try to run and gun, you will throw your team out of whack with that tempo meter and swing momentum to your opponents.

Why does this really matter? Well, because you are expected to play within the framework of your team. If you don’t, you will start to miss shots, even layups, and your opponent can take advantage of that by establishing their team’s momentum. Conversely, if your opponents are within their tempo meter zone, you can take that momentum away from them by playing defense very well.  A coaching guide (in the form of a coach) appears in the top portion of the screen to let you know if you are succeeding or failing and how to improve either by pressuring the other team or by increasing your own pacing (or, if you are a half-court team, slowing it down).

Yes, this does matter; not only does it matter to the season at hand, but it matters in the type of player you go after, recruit-wise, in the game’s main thrust, dynasty mode.

Other new features include a contextual playcalling system. You hold down the L1 button to bring up a list of set plays that pertain to the action of the moment. The L2 button comes into play for the new Pick and Roll control scheme that will allow players to not only control two players, but will allow you to call for the screen and by continuing to hold the button, the player providing the screen slips the coverage and rolls to the basket.

The pick-and-roll element is part of a couple of new ballhandling moves implemented into the game that includes the quick-strike ankle breakers (hold R2 and then use the right thumbstick to perform a quick strike move), and quick-strike ball-handling abilities.

In the game modes, you have the dynasty mode, and the dynasty yearbook, which allow you to revisit stats and moves from previous seasons. You can create a player and drop him onto the team of your choice and then build throughout the year for a run at the national championship. Two new modes making their debut are the Tournament of Legends (a field of 64 teams featuring some of the greatest teams of all time) and the Rival Challenge.

The controls are intuitive and if you have ever picked up a copy of the game before, you won’t be struggling with the controls here. While there are a few new moves to learn, you won’t find yourself struggling too much, which allows you to enjoy the game.

Graphically the game is very good and the tempo changes to reflect the time in the game and your team’s momentum or lack thereof. Your team will get tired and slow down, but you won’t get that feeling that the game is being played in slo-motion. The environments are nicely rendered out and the animations are very solid. The PS3 version is operating on a new gameplay engine that brings in a lot more animations (EA Sports estimates there are more than 1,000 new animations in the game).

The audio is a bit of hit and miss with the announcing duties (especially on the part of Dick Vitale) stuck with some repetitious phrases that at times don’t make a lot of sense. But the game counters that with up-tempo music and ESPN radio.

As mentioned, there is a creation zone in the game where players can create a player, choose a name from a recognized list (or type in your own), and then load that player onto a roster and into a game. It is not quite the experience that was realized with NCAA football that plays off the Be a Pro element with players creating and then tracking a player through their college career, but it is still a nice adjunct to the game (sorry, no create a school like in earlier iterations – and that’s missed but what EA offers up here is solid gameplay).

NCAA is a decent game. There could have been a few more options in terms of game modes but generally speaking, what is here is decent enough. The tempo meter certainly does affect the way the game plays out. In the end though, it is all about the way you control your team that matters the most. This is a title that is better than what has appeared in the recent past, but should be considered a stepping stone for what, hopefully, will be a more robust experience the next go-round.

Gameplay: 7.4
Some nice new elements, but there are load times that feel a little long. The game’s tempo meter helps liven up the pacing, and the control scheme is intuitive.

Graphics: 8.0
Solid player models and animation.

Sound: 7.0
Good and bad here – the good is the music and ESPN Radio, and some of the announcing that gives it a television feel. The bad are the repetitions in some of the announcing duties.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 7.0
A good step in the right direction but this just feels a little limited.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Go online and battle it out with other players.

Overall: 7.4
Better than previous outings, NCAA Basketball 09 is a decent game that should challenge and entertain. Add in more game modes, and this game will nail that three-pointer from beyond the arc.