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Basketball was a big part of the Genesis’ success, and Electronic Arts lead the charge with its superb NBA Live series. So powerful was the impact felt by the franchise’s thunderous 1994 debut that the brand name became an EA staple and continues to sell well today. We have a full review of the first game, NBA Live ’95, one of the premier games in the genre on the console, so read up and get ready to get your B-ball on!
Before NBA Jam, Midway tested the waters with another two-on-two basketbrawl game called Arch Rivals. Regardless of arcade success, the formula didn’t translate well at all on the Genesis, and what we got was basically a shell of the coin-op. Even so, we’ve bravely set out onto the court for a hands-on, and we’ve come back with a full review, so read it before someone pulls our pants down!
The early days of the Genesis were marked by big name licenses attached to… not so big games. Buster Douglas Knockout Boxing, Tommy Lasorda Baseball, and Pat Riley Basketball were just a few of the titles that were pushed based on their endorsements, rather than their features and gameplay. Pat Riley was particularly offensive in this regard, sporting – no pun intended – dull gameplay and some wacky physics.
Street basketball is well-represented in video games. From early classics like Jordan vs. Bird to the immensely popular NBA Jam series, there are quite a few games from which to choose (so long as you ignore White Men Can’t Jump on the Jaguar!). Jammit, Virgin Games’ entry on the court, may lack the real players of NBA Jam, but it sure does make up for it in attitude!
Electronic set the gaming world on fire with its incredible Lakers vs. Celtics & the NBA Playoffs for MS-DOS, and the Genesis port was the proverbial “bigger, badder, better” in all areas. Take control of Magic and sweep Boston or guide Bird and the Celtics to yet another championship. Heck, why not take Barkely’s ’76ers and finally give him that ring?