When it comes to capturing the look of NCAA basketball, Final Four flounders. Although I can't speak for all of the college courts, the Pete Maravich Center (where LSU plays) looks pretty dead on, which leaves me to believe that many of the other more 'well-known' courts are also modeled rather accurately. Of course, this is to be expected since 989 always does a stellar job at recreating still, motionless areas. It's the moving things that fill the area that they usually have a problem with -- and Final Four is no exception. Players look okay, but are severely lacking in detail and all look nearly identical. Granted, this is a college game and certain NCAA rules prohibit the actual players from being in the game, it would be nice if there was at least some effort to make characters stand out. Animation is just as detailed -- which isn't a good thing. All of the players move with a stiff grace that just doesn't work.

College sports is 90 percent tradition. Part of this tradition is the sound of the game, namely the fight songs. Final Four does well in actually containing the fight songs, but the 'feeling' just isn't there. Music inside a confined dome sounds just a little different; a feeling that just isn't present during the game. There's no echo or anything -- it sounds like the music is just running off a CD totally separate from the game. This isn't a major issue, but it does cramp the atmosphere the game is trying to create. Commentary is bland and uninteresting. Sayings are repeated multiple times in just a matter of minutes and lack flair. The fact that the announcer sounds bored says a lot about the game.

NCAA Final Four 2004 has the market cornered when it comes to game modes. Practice mode lets you spend some time getting comfortable with the game. The game also features Quick Start and Exhibition modes that allow players to jump right into the action -- the only difference is that Quick Start randomly picks teams whereas Exhibition lets players choose. Season mode is for players who want to play a full season with their team, but don't feel like sinking the time into a Dynasty. As with most modes where you had to choose teams, I found the team selection process to be annoying. Final Four uses the same system used in other games -- you flip through teams until you find the one you want. This system works great -- but only where there are a few teams. This isn't the case in college basketball. To make things worse, there's not real rhyme or reason for team placements on the list, so you could literally spend 5-10 minutes scrolling through teams in hopes that you'll find the one you're looking for. There has to be an easier way to do this. Even if teams were grouped by league (SEC, Big East...) it would be easier to find teams. Players can also take part in a 64 team Tournament mode.

Dynasty and Career modes are where the hardcore fans are likely to find a nice home. Dynasty mode is essentially Season mode, only it follows multiple seasons (instead of one). In addition to playing games, players will also have to manage rosters, recruiting and scheduling. The options available are rather deep and should keep people busy for some time. Career mode places players in the role of a head coach trying to make it in the NCAA. You start at a small school and slowly work your way up to a National Title contender based on how well your teams do.

As most of you already know, I'm a big fan of Online modes in games. I was very impressed with the online options in Final Four 2004. Like court detail, online is one of those areas that 989 seems to always get right. After setting up an account, players can compete against others online. The online mode also offers an email system, tournaments, message boards and voice chat. The mode even allows people to check their stats, email and tournaments from their PC by visiting the 989 site.

NCAA Final Four 2004 is hard -- but this is not due to A.I. nor other gameplay options. Instead, Final Four is it's own enemy given the game's horrid control scheme. If you're able to get past the scheme (which isn't likely if chat during online games can be believed), the game isn't all that challenging. Even a rank basketball novice like myself (really, I suck at basketball) was able to give the A.I. a pretty good game. I didn't go on a massive win streak in my season, but I didn't fail miserably either.

Arrgg... the controls. In short, the controls are bipolar -- sometimes they're nice and agreeable, other times they're kicking your ass. Trying to run plays is a chore since players never react the same way twice. Yes, that's how it's like in real life, but players in the game don't even come close and sometimes end up running completely different plays. There are even times when your player won't even shoot the ball and will instead just jump up in the air. During times where you're able to get the ball off, it's usually not likely that it will go in -- even when you're standing right at the hoop. I can handle a few missed shots, that's to be expected in a game, but when I'm missing because of control deficiencies, that's just plain wrong. Final Four 2004 tries to implement a spin and crossover scheme similar to the Freestyle Controls found in EA's offerings. This setup is a little more reliable, but not by a whole lot.

As a bit of a personal note, I'm a little confused at one aspect of the game. I know I don't go to THAT many LSU basketball games, so I may not be totally up on everything that goes on at the games, but I was a little confused as to why a giant lizard began dancing with the cheerleaders at the beginning of every LSU game. Last time I checked, our mascot was a Tiger, not a big stupid looking lizard with Phyllis Diller's hair.

In the end, NCAA Final Four 2004 just isn't a good game. Nearly every aspect of the game, with the exception of the online mode, feels incomplete and at times, unplayable. If you are a die-hard college basketball fan, you're better off with another game or spending your money on game tickets.