Daily Staff Writer

“March Madness ’99”

Sony Playstation

Since college basketball is the sport to watch this year (especially after the NBA left a sour taste in the mouths of many), EA Sports’ March Madness ’99 is raising the roof.

With sweet graphics, cool options and heated rivalries, this game offers hours of procrastination with your friends or by yourself.

The game has over 140 teams to choose from including women’s teams and dynasty teams (like North Carolina when they had Michael Jordan).

This is one of those games you can figure out as you go. You don’t have to extensively read the instruction booklet to get a game going, though the directions do help if you want to know all the secrets.

Once in a game, it is very exciting. You can choose camera options to get different views of the court, you can substitute on your own or have the computer do it. Or you can turn fatigue off and not substitute at all. It’s fun to injure other players, but that can be turned off also.

The players have different ratings to give the game a more realistic feel. For example, No. 5 on Iowa State’s team is much better than No. 55.

The music the game plays is cool but can get annoying. Hip-hop with some record scratching and funky beats isn’t always something you want to hear, especially when you are getting beat.

The only thing that is kind of difficult on this game is dunking the ball, more so when you are playing the computer. It’s one of those things that takes practice and is easier when the person you are playing isn’t very good.

4 stars out of five

— Kyle Moss

“Contender”

Sony Playstation

It’s no “Mike Tyson’s Punchout,” but Sony Playstation’s latest boxing game, “Contender,” is still an alternative to studying.

The porno-style music that blasts out when you first pop the game in gets a little annoying after a while (the music plays constantly as the player goes through all the different options before the game starts).

The choices that have to be made are confusing and frustrating. The different boxers all have very low ratings in the areas of power, life and endurance. The only rating that is high on some boxers is speed.

When a boxer is first picked for the main event, he has to go to a different ring and learn a special punch. The special punches are always the same buttons and are easy to figure out when you are doing a real match, so it is pointless to have to practice them every time you pick a new boxer.

The actual boxing matches are very hard. The opponent can be hit 50 times without getting knocked down, but he can hit you 10 times and knock you over. It is one of those games that require major practice if you want to be good.

When you finally start to get the hang of it, the game can get a little exhilarating. You may even knock the other boxer down if you’re lucky.

The only real fun this game provides is when you are boxing another person — then the matches are a little more evenly matched and it’s not as frustrating.

Compared to other games of late, “Contenders'” graphics don’t live up to the technology. But if it is being compared to “Mike Tyson’s Punchout,” it pounds that into the ground.

With the high price of games today, this one isn’t quite worth the money.

1 1/2 stars out of five

— Kyle Moss