A sign that my video game collecting has gone too far
Sega Genesis
Released in 1993 by Sega
Grade: F
Some people might play NBA Live 95 and think, “Man, I can’t believe we thought this trash was fun back in the day!” And some people might play NBA Action ’94 and think, “Is the cartridge broken?”
Where it falls in the series
It’s Sega’s third basketball game on Genesis. This first two STINK! But the last, NBA Action ’95: Starring David Robinson, is a clear upgrade.
Gripes
I picked up this game for $2.99 without even Googling it, just to try out different games of the time. And after playing one period, I pulled it out and stocked it away forever.
The controls are jumpy, the graphics make it hard to tell what’s going on, fouls and violations occur randomly, and it just doesn’t feel like basketball. They tried to be innovative — it’s got the same type of diagonal view that would later show up in EA’s NBA Live games — it just lacks all the stuff that makes games fun. It also has a big camera rotation when you bring the ball across the court. It’s horribly executed, but to be fair, that general technique was used forever in basketball games after this, so hey there’s that.
Published May 10, 2017
Updated September 28, 2022