NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC

"Considering the system, this is as good as it gets."

I got slightly suckered into this game as a result of playing it at the arcades. The graphics on the arcade version were so incredible, I had figured they had to be good on the N64. Truth be told, they're not great, but the game makes up for it in sheer fun.

Graphics: As I said before, there's nothing special here. Since it's 2 on 2, and the players are normally different sizes, you're not going to get them confused, but they are similar looking. Normally, one of you is a fun custom guy anyway, so it's not much of a problem. All things considered, the graphics are pretty good. The indoor courts are kinda bland, but put in the code for the island or street courts, and you'll have more fun. I wish the faces had a little more detail, but overall, they're fine. 7 out of 10.

Sound: A N64 trademark, the sound isn't great. The NBA theme song is dead on, and the commentary is certainly repetitive, but fun. 3 years later, I still have ''Boomshakalaka!'' running through my head. The dribbling and dunking noises are all there, as well as the generic foul noises. Although I doubt Shaq's voice is as high as the actor they have, it sounds fine. 7 out of 10.

Control: Nothing special or hard here, classic A shoot/block, B Pass/Steal. Control stick is smooth feeling, and everything goes fine. The controls are quite simple, but utilizes them for a carefully planned drive is a thing of beauty. My favorite thing to do is to use my custom Houston Rockets Bear to get the ball, turbo, do a crazy spin and bank a three pointer from forty feet. Ah, good times. 10 out of 10.

Gameplay: The Gameplay is the best part. You can have a fun time with one person playing the computers, but playing with four is the ultimate part game. NBA Showtime incorporates what I like to call ''Stupid Human Mode'', where no matter how bad your opponent is, he manages to keep the game close, always down to the last shot at the final buzzer. It's the most frustrating thing in the world to lose, but the greatest to win. There's always lots of screaming when the ball flies and the games on the line, and it has plenty of hangtime. This game is tons of fun, pure and simple, and the more players the merrier. 10 out of 10.

Customization, One thing that's kinda a drag is the relative lack of customization. Your custom players have numbers, but they don't appear, and you need a memory card to save everything, mine erased in the middle of a 30 game win streak, and put me off of the game for months. You can't rearrange the rosters, and since this game is so old, it kinda screws you up as to who to pick. My advice? Shaq and Kobe. Shaq modeled for this game, so he's more dominant then ever, and Kobe's still Kobe. Overall: 6 out of 10.

Overall: You can't have a better twitch party game. In terms of instant thrills, you can't have something more than a timely steal, block, or dunk. This game is a must-have party game, for the ultimate party system, the Nintendo 64. If only it had more games like this. Overall: 8 out of 10.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/26/02, Updated 05/26/02