NCAA March Madness 06

Next Level Gaming

The gameplay is improved a good deal from last year, giving you more of a realistic feel while maintaining a fast-paced arcadey kind of feel.

IGN

The Lockdown Stick is a feature that doesn't seem like a big deal at first, but adds whole new dimension of authenticity to the game, especially when playing head to head.

PGNx Media

The game very accurately recreates the college atmosphere, though the spotty visuals and lacking dynasty mode don’t let it become as good as it can be.

Game Over Online

It’s not often that you can say it, but this year the college game actually comes off better than the professional title. NCAA March Madness 06 features a more complete presentation of the emotional and tactical facets of the game.

Talk Xbox

The sound is solid as well, with the only hiccups involving the commentating. The control scheme is excellent and the game will offer an acceptable amount of replay value.

Gaming Age

Even long time fans of the series will find plenty of new and exciting things to do to last you another full year.

Armchair Empire

Partnered with the excellent look of arenas is the aura that only comes with a frenzied crowd.

Xbox Solution

Despite a few areas in the dynasty mode, the game is solid and well balanced.

Game Chronicles

While I was really impressed with the implementation of the Lockdown Stick and Floor General play calling, I was turned off by the sub-par graphics, robotic animations and otherwise glitchy visuals.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

A frenzied student section, suffocating full-court presses, Dickie V. shouting about God knows what - that's college basketball, all right. And it's exactly what you can expect from EA's university hardwood. [Nov 2005, p.131]

GameSpy

The game's minor tweaks here and there do a lot to smooth out some of the weakness from before, and the new gameplay features add just enough to the game's familiar formula to make things interesting.

GameZone

This year March Madness may provide you with an enjoyable game of basketball, but even with the new defensive features and improved Dynasty Mode, 06 still somehow gets ousted from the tournament earlier than expected.

TeamXbox

Being that March Madness 06 is essentially an identical game as last year’s it’s hard to give this one props for advancing the series. The lockdown stick does improve on defensive mechanics but winning half of a battle won’t win many wars.

Gaming Horizon

The new lockdown stick makes defense in a basketball game fun again, and the return of the field general play calling easily make this feel like you’re playing a true college basketball game. Despite some of the horrid blemishes that make this feel like a somewhat incomplete game, NCAA March Madness is still a decent college basketball title.

Xbox Evolved

A great college atmosphere topped on with some pretty solid gameplay.

Operation Sports

With a few slider tweaks, March Madness 06 plays a darn good game of basketball. The major issues are off-the-court bugs and features that should have been included.

Game Informer

The game controls like an awkward 6'7" giant. [Nov 2005, p.148]

GameSpot

While some great strides have been made since last year, as far as the actual gameplay is concerned, the dynasty mode is still broken, which makes the game feel like an incomplete product.

eToychest

The lockdown stick is a terrific addition, and is a step in the right direction for future basketball games to include in making the defense more player-friendly. However, the slow tempo and the blurry graphics completely bring down the in-game experience, which are really the meat and potatoes of any sports game.

Official Xbox Magazine

There are too many holes in March Madness to really get crazy about it. [Holiday 2005, p.70]

Game Revolution

Though it sees a nice addition in the lockdown stick, the game stays stubbornly true to its already paid-for code, repeating the fouls of its past and failing to graduate to the next level.