Sega Genesis
Released in 1996 by Midway
Grade: B
It’s another little brother of NBA Jam, and it feels out of place on Genesis, but it’s still fun.
Where it falls in the series
It comes after the great NBA Jam and NBA Jam: Tournament Edition. I had no idea a Genesis version even existed until I saw it in a store and I almost didn’t believe my eyes. I already reviewed Hang Time for Nintendo 64, where this game feels much more at home.
Praises and gripes
Reviews of this game are typically very negative, since it doesn’t compare to the other NBA Jam games available on Genesis, or to NBA Hang Time on PS1 and N64. It feels like a game being played on the wrong system, or like listening to a song that’s been recorded from a CD onto a tape. The graphics and sound are noticeably second rate.
That being said, I try to play games in a vacuum, without much consideration for how they compare to related games. And this game is certainly a fun time. It’s an exciting, fast-paced round of 2-on-2 arcade basketball that’s easy to control.
Hang Time gives the defense a bit more power to swipe the ball and block shots near the basket. It adds alley-oops, where your CPU-controlled teammate leaps above the rim and you simply pass to him, and there are “double dunks,” where you lob the ball in mid-air to your teammate soaring high above you.
It’s got the classic “He’s on fire” feature after you score three consecutive baskets, but the lack of attention given to the Genesis version really shows with how underwhelming the fire effects are.
Gameplay-wise, this game is somewhere in between NBA Jam’s super-fast, wide-open action and the N64 Hang Time’s more crowded, slower moving style of play.
I suppose only a game-collecting dork like me would find much value in owning this game in 2017. The NBA Jam games are certainly the gems of arcade basketball. Even Hang Time on N64 is pretty much forgotten these days. But if you find it collecting dust in a store with a $2 price tag on it, it’s not a terrible pick-up. You could do so much worse.
By the way, the screenshot shows the game on a rooftop court, which is accessed via a code. The typical games are still in a normal arena. Even Google Images doesn’t care much about this game.