NBA Showtime
- January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST
Welcome to the college of Phi Slamma Jamma, where hard-rockin' rim rammin' action is the only course they teach. It's time to for all you fantasy b-ballers to come correct with the follow rock, because Showtime is here, and it puts all other high-flying hoop games to shame!
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The Class Dunks
Those players who remember NBA Hangtime (and the original NBA Jam) know that these games were not about defense, setting up post plays, or making the correct substitutions. They were about flying through the air to make gorilla slams, shattering the backboard (or at least making it wobble violently) while you set up the alley oop, and sending a flaming basketball through a smoking hoop while opponents grit their teeth and try to stop you. In other words, they're about fun and fantasy, and not fact.
In NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC, the latest fantasy basketball incarnation from Midway, you play two-on-two with some of the games best players. Almost everyone can find a favorite on all twenty-nine NBA teams, like Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, or Shaquille O'Neal, as you zoom through the courts (including real stadiums and fantasy arenas) spinning, slam-dunking, and cross-dribbling your way to victory.
It's a Rim-Brandt!
The look of the Dreamcast Showtime surpasses all others, including the arcade version from whence it spawned. The players look amazing, so much like their real-life counterparts that it's almost narcissistic to watch if you're one of them. The action is flawless and speedy, and is just as much fun to watch as it is to play.
The voice, sound effects, and music are all on par, although a crack in the seam appears during the announcing. Some sound files skip and repeat, so don't expect to hear completely different commentary in each game. Like past fantasy basketball games, there's plenty of attitude but little variety in the announcing. But the taunts, sneaker squeaks, and halftime music more than make up for it.
Control is basic, requiring little dexterity. It's as uncomplicated as it's going to get, with one button for passing/blocking, one for jumping/passing, and one for turbo. Much like NFL Blitz, tapping the turbo button twice allows your player to spin past an opponent - but also like Blitz, too much of a good thing can lose you the ball.
Net Assets
It's not complex, it's not simulation basketball, and it's not a thinking game. But that's exactly what sets it apart from other b-ballers out there. Showtime is just plain fun, and the action it creates on the screen is something all us little guys hope for.
