2K Sports, JJ Redick host teleconference to chat about College Hoops 2K7 (gamezone)

- gamezone -

“The best way to mimic real-life college basketball is to study it”

2K Sports is no stranger to the world of basketball. Both the NBA and College Hoops titles have been top sellers and elevated not only the franchises year after year, but the overall gaming genre. It’s a new season for college basketball and that means a new iteration from 2K. Visual Concepts and 2K Sports have teamed up for College Hoops 2K7, which releases Tuesday, November 21, 2006 on the PS2, Xbox and 360. The PS3 version will follow in a couple of months.

The game is ramping up for its second season the 360 (with some new features) and will be making its debut on the PS3. According to the press release: “Leadership makes a difference this year as team chemistry plays a vital role in a team's performance - especially come tournament time. The college atmosphere is fully realized with updated mascots, improved crowd interaction and more fight songs. With over 325 NCAA Division 1 schools and the deepest legacy mode around, College Hoops 2K7 defines the college basketball experience.”

But that is just the tip of the iceberg. The dev team, in the form of project manager Zach Timmerman, along with former Duke standout J.J. Redick (an NBA rookie with the Orlando Magic), were in the spotlight for a teleconference on the title. The event started out with Zach providing a bit of an overview of the title. College Hoops 2K7 is the fifth in the franchise’s history and will take the atmosphere element to a whole new level with the chant creator (Ok, there will be a language filter). In addition, there is an upgraded legacy mode to accommodate those players that enjoy that aspect of the game.

The questions to both Redick and Timmerman were rapidly tossed and the answers were fast and furious.

Redick was asked what his initial reaction was to being named the cover athlete of the game.

“When I first heard about it, I was really excited,” he said. “I’m an avid gamer. I’m really excited about the release of the game.” What game systems do you own? “I own PS2, the original Xbox, 360 and my PS3 is coming in in a couple of weeks.” He stated that he likes to play NBA 2K7 with the Magic and likes to play as himself and get up some shots in the NBA cyber world.

Of course, when it comes to the college game, there is only one team that he likes to play as. “Duke is my favorite team. I had many great memories and will always be a Duke fan.” When asked how he thinks 2K7 ranks against other iterations of the title, Redick said that “I think the gameplay has improved every year and this year is no exception.”

During the NCAA 06 tourney, some note was taken about how Redick and Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison (now with the Charlotte Bobcats) were gamers and competitors through Xbox Live in Halo 2. Redick admits that “we still play some but not as much as in college. I still make contact with him on Xbox Live.”

So is playing video games prolific among pro athletes and how competitive is it?

Redick said “It’s very competitive among pro athletes. Pro athletes are highly competitive people and video games in just one way” to channel that energy. “We have a 360 console on the team plane.” So who is the best gamer on the Magic team? When it comes to NBA 2K7 “I would probably says Carlos Arroyo, or Dwight Howard. Other guys play different games.” But when it comes to the shooter game, “I would like to think I’m the best.”

And what is his all-time favorite video game? “I would have to say Coach K Basketball on the SEGA Genesis.”

Of course part of being in a video game, and the cover athlete, is the motion-capture work that goes along with it. Redick was asked what it was like to participate in that. “It was pretty cool. I felt a little uncomfortable at first. I’m not used to wearing the tight spandex that covers my entire body, including my skull,” but the people there knew what they were doing so it make things a little bit better.

How accurately do you think they captured you in terms of both the college and pro video games?

“It’s fun” he said. “Growing up as a kid, I was always hoping I would see myself in a video game.”

After brief open question period, the (proverbial) floor was turned over to Timmerman, who was first asked how hard is it to depart from the tried-and-true format of the NBA title and make the college title its own game.

“It is definitely a process that is enjoyable,” Timmerman said. “We get to see what NBA has done and how the fans like it. We get to work out some of the atmospheres elements that NBA doesn’t have.”

The 360 launch in 2005 forced the development team to turn around a stalwart current-gen (PS2 and Xbox) title and explore the technological avenues provided by the 360. Now that the team has had an entire development cycle (for a sports franchise) to work on next-gen, what is the difference between 2k6 and 2K7? “We did a lot,” Timmerman said. “We didn’t feel we had a lot of time to create for the next gen” with the 2k6 title. “We definitely had a lot more time this year.”

So how will 2K7 distinguish itself from EA’s March Madness? “First off, we are coming out this year,” he said. ”But we don’t really like to compare ourselves to March Madness; we like to compare ourselves to real life. We really feel we are taking some major steps forward in that regard.”

Ok, so how do you mimic real life in a video game? “We have game recordings from every team you have in college basketball. Its just a lot of research we do. The best way to mimic real-life college basketball is to study it.”

Like every developer, when it comes to creating games based on the college level, using player names and likenesses is not allowed. So rather than create a specific player, rather the dev team looks at the team concept and creates teams based on that.

What about online features? “We do just about everything that you see in the NBA game. We have the custom matches, the tournaments and the leagues. We are bringing back the Pontiac Virtual Final Four this year. We also added a few new things. We added a lot of customization for the user. They can exclude the biggest schools from their leagues. We have a lot of new rating features. Probably the biggest is the 2k Reel Maker, which allows players to capture highlights and use music and different commentary” to create their own highlight reel for online posting.

How will the PS3 version differ from the 360 version?

“We definitely feel it will be on the same level as our 360 version. We will also be taking advantage of the sixaxis controller. We have a few ideas,” he said, but declined to elaborate.

One of the final questions concerned the PS3 version. With the shortage of retail units, was any thought given to delaying the release of the 2K7 title?

“Absolutely not,” Timmerman said. “College basketball reaches its climax in March and we don’t want to wait.”