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By Al Giovetti
Price:$60
Genre: Action Sports Simulatin
Release:
Developer:
Producer:
Publisher: Microsoft
Phone: 206-882-8080
Website: www.microsoft.com
Requirements: 486/66 or higher processor (Pentium® 75 or higher processor recommended), Microsoft Windows® 95 operating system, 8 MB of memory (RAM); 16MB recommended, Dual Speed CD-ROM drive or better , Super VGA or better monitor, Audio board, Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device; joystick or game pad recommended

Game play: There are over 100 plays. Five play calling keys makes calling plays on-the-fly easier but more keys should be used to assign plays. You can trade anyone for anyone. Play an entire NBA season.

Modes: Practice, single game, season, and playoff are included. Practice lets you run the plays and get better at the game. The game is easy so you should be playing season and playoffs soon. sneak1s.jpg - 29.0 K

License: All 29 NBA teams are represented with players and their statistics.

Interface shows the three dimensional window at the top with the player you are controlling with a picture and team on the boards display at the bottom left and the opposing player’s picture and team lineup at the bottom right. In the center bottom is a scoreboard just like the ones that hang in the center of the stadium. Support for leading PC joysticks and game pads.

Graphics: Third person perspective, 2D graphics that when compared to most of today’s 3D modeled characters and backgrounds looks very cryptic and cartoon-like. Play in resolutions of 640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, or 1280 x 1024. Fast 32-bit engine makes the game action oriented. The uniforms do not look realistic, since the colors do not match, and the players are often too small for good details.

Animation: Animation is smooth and seamless. There are more than 250 player animations including behind the back jams, alley-oop dunks, fade-away jumpers, finger rolls, behind the back passes and others. Motion capture of real NBA stars makes every denial, drain, dish, and dunk look true-to-life with more than 250 distinct motion-captured player movements.

Editors: Adjust rosters and edit players sneak4s.jpg - 25.9 K

Internet features: Dials the phone, connects with Microsoft’s website, and downloads updated stats from within the game.

Sounds: Kevin Calabro of the Seattle Sonics calls the plays. Authentic game sounds in all 29 NBA arenas pound from your speakers.

Multiplayer: Up to eight players in network and modem play. Utilities: There is an online manual, glossary and bibliography of basketball books. You can edit anyones statistics.

Playbook: Over 100 diagrammed and explained plays with the diagram on the left and a scrolling explanation on the right in a smaller pop-up screen.

References:
J. Green, Computer Gaming World, number 146, September, 1996, pg. 42.