March Madness will be in full force in November for Xbox and PlayStation 2 owners. ESPN Videogames today announced that ESPN College Hoops 2K5 has gone gold and will be ready to play on November 17. The sophomore entry in the ESPN-branded college basketball series continues copublishers Take-Two and Sega's price-slashing scheme, and will sell for $19.99.
Like the ESPN NBA 2K5 series, College Hoops 2K5 was developed by Visual Concepts and it sports the studio's acclaimed graphics engine. New features include the "pass-n-go" system, which allows players to execute give-and-go or alley-oop passes; the legacy mode, which puts gamers in the shoes of a coach as he deals with offseason concerns, such as recruiting and scouting; and the coach mode, which lets users influence the on-court action by calling plays and making key decisions from the sidelines. Commentary from real-life ESPN personalities Jay Bilas and Mike Patrick will also be featured in the game. ESPN College Hoops 2K5 is rated E.