by Jeff McKinney and Erik Kieckhafer
The most exciting month in college sports comes to an end tonight when the University of North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels take on the Michigan State University (MSU) Spartans to crown the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champion.
UNC is favored by 7 points, but MSU has proven their worth by already beating two #1 seeds and defending national champion Kansas in the tournament, so an ‘upset’ wouldn’t be a big surprise.
The boys (and girls) in your life have probably been glued to the television for the past few months watching the action. Just because the college season is coming to an end tonight doesn’t mean their basketball thirst needs to go unquenched until next season. Today we take a look at three b-ball games with something that should appeal to all the gamers in your life.
NCAA Basketball 09
Rated Everyone
PS2, PS3, Xbox
Our fist game is the definitive NCAA Tournament title, which will appeal to gamers from High School through adulthood. NCAA Basketball 09, from Electronic Arts, re-creates the atmosphere and intensity of March Madness by enabling fans to authentically replicate the entire Tournament and play through a “virtual bracket” with their favorite team. Xbox users score an added bonus with the downloadable, March Madness Edition, which updates the video game to reflect what is happening in the real-life tournament
Backyard Basketball
Rated Everyone
DS, PS2, PC
Up next we have a basketball game for the younger gamers out there who aren’t ready for the complexities or difficulty of NCAA Basketball 09. It’s Atari’s Backyard Basketball, the best selling kids’ basketball videogame of all time. Backyard Basketball is the only official youth basketball game licensed by the NBA and includes all NBA teams, uniforms, and logos as well as a roster of animated kid versions of popular NBA stars.
High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance
Rated Everyone
PS2, PC, Xbox360, Wii
Ok, High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance from Disney Interactive, isn’t actually a basketball game. It’s a dancing game where players have to hit the dance cues in real-life to get their on-screen character to move. Players experience the music, familiar locations and popular characters from all three movies including, a dance number on the basketball court.