NBA Shoot Out '98
- January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST
If you're a hoops fan, you'd be a fool to miss out on all of the smack-talkin' fun and 360-degree slams Shoot Out has to offer. It's the best basketball game of the year. Buy it!
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The Slams and the Slam Nots
Shoot Out fires onto the PlayStation with an impressive repertoire of moves, from no-look passes to fadeaway jumpers, but it's the intense dunk confrontations at the rim that'll have you screaming for more. The game features 30 amazing slams, from backboard-rattling Shaq attacks to the East Bay Funk Dunk. And while everyone loves to jam, it's Shoot Out's dunk rejections that'll really get you hyped. Shoot Out is the first basketball game that lets you frequently block dunks, finally giving the defense a chance to stop their opponents from scoring on almost every play.
Other options include Exhibition, Season, and Playoff modes, along with a fantasy draft, authentic plays, player creation, and trades. Unfortunately, though, Shoot Out fails to deliver the three-point contest featured by its main competitor, NBA Live '98.
Hoop It Up
Shoot Out's player control is the best of any basketball game on the market. Adding to last year's list of innovative controls, Shoot Out '98 brings icon cutting to the court. Similar to icon passing, with icon cutting, you hold R2 to toggle the player icons, then press the desired icon to make that particular player cut to the basket. Other advanced controls enable you to cherry pick on defense, control any defensive player you want through icon switching, and select which slam you wish to perform using Total Control Dunking.
Graphically, Shoot Out slams its competition through the hardwood. Jerry Stackhouse was motion-captured to lend his slick moves to the game and the result is remarkable. The crazy dunks and smooth-looking shots are almost as fun to watch as the game is to play.
The sound, however, doesn't live up to the high standard set by the rest of the game. The announcer becomes annoying by halftime, while the crowd simply chants "Defense!" repeatedly just like in NFL GameDay '98.
The Bucks Stop Here
If you're a hoops fan, you'd be a fool to miss out on all of the smack-talkin' fun and 360-degree slams Shoot Out has to offer. It's the best basketball game of the year. Buy it!
