NBA ShowTime was released in 1999 on arcades, with home console ports for the N64, PS1, and Dreamcast following later that year. As I’m going through these series, it appears that Midway had a better grasp on how to do a multi-console release. A little odd since they had previously left that up to Acclaim, who did a good job in the early 1990s.
This game uses 3D models instead of the 2D sprites used in the previous games in Midway’s series. It retains the 2-on-2 format because of slowdown issues when they tried 3-on-3. The arcade gameplay is still here, which I enjoy more than a traditional simulation of basketball.
Midway did a much better job of improving on their formula. Instead of dumping the arcade gameplay in favor of a simulation, they worked to improve it. Much of this has to do with them being a quality arcade company instead of a publisher, like Acclaim was. They also proved to be very competent when it came to porting their games to the home console.
TLDR: Solid graphics and gameplay make this a wonderful arcade port.
Narrative
There is no story in this game. While it has quite a few game modes, there isn’t a career or franchise mode. This is really due to the game being an arcade game, and the focus being on getting into the action quickly. There is a create-a-player mode, so you can always use your imagination if you feel the need to.
Gameplay
NBA ShowTime has very good gameplay. It is mostly the same as the previous NBA games from Midway, so it is easy to pick up and play. The controls are solid, and there were some minor tweaks to the gameplay.
This is a 2-on-2 game of basketball with relaxed rules. It is a fast-paced game where defense isn’t all that important. The rubber band AI is also present so you don’t get too far ahead or behind.
There is one big change to the gameplay. Unlike the other games, there are fouls here. If a player gets five fouls, then you get to shoot some free throws. I’m not really sure how I feel about this since part of the fun was how over the top this game was. It doesn’t break the game, but it is an interesting twist to the game.
Being able to pick your players is fun. Each team has a handful of players, and you can swap them out, which is neat. This is one of the things that wasn’t really needed in the other Midway game, but is a welcome addition as it adds a little strategy to the game.
The create-a-player mode is a fun twist on the game. It lets you get pretty ridiculous, much like one of the pro wrestling games. What I’m not sure about is if I like this more than having a bunch of unlockable characters or not.
Overall, NBA ShowTime is an improvement over Hangtime. The gameplay is familiar and easy to learn. There isn’t really much that you need to adjust to. While it can get repetitive, this is something that you can say about many games.
Visuals
The graphics look pretty good. Normally I don’t like the 3D graphics from the late 1990s, but these are a step up from other games. Character models look similar to the SmackDown games and WWF No Mercy. So, they aren’t amazing, but they’re better than average.
I really like how the players look in this game. The models are detailed, and the animations are good. Players do look different from each other, so it isn’t like the developers just reused one model.
The camera does feel a little hyperactive. It isn’t horrible, but it does feel like an early attempt at doing something different. Since this is the first game in Midway’s NBA Jam series to do this, I can forgive it. They get a little ambitious with the camera angles at times, which is something that I like.
The court and the crowd look good. I also like the more cartoonish approach that this game takes. You can tell that it isn’t supposed to be taken seriously, and that it is just some arcade fun.
Overall, NBA ShowTime looks very good. The developers handled the transition from 2D to 3D quite well. At this point, Midway had a few 3D games under their belt, so the developers had a good idea of what worked. While they took some chances with the camera, most of them worked for a game like this.
Reviews at the Time for NBA ShowTime
NBA ShowTime on the N64 received positive reviews. The scores were between a 6 and a 9/10. Most of the scores were in the 7/10s. I looked at four publications for this.
Game Revolution gave the game a C+. The review is a little confusing, but it comes across as being mostly positive. A number of flaws are mentioned, such as the hit detection and graphical oddities. This reviewer likes the Dreamcast and Arcade versions more.
GameSpot gave the game a 6.8/10. They said it wasn’t perfect, but the four-player game is fun, and it is “worlds better” than NBA Hangtime. The reviewer recommended renting this game.
IGN gave the game a 7.1/10. The reviewer pointed to a number of minor things that piled up over time. They speculated that the game was “rushed and/or a low priority.”
Nintendo Power gave the game an 8.2/10, which was the aggregate score of five reviewers. This is a short review and doesn’t provide anything useful. They liked the game, and that is about it.
Every time I read these older reviews, I’m surprised by how much weight the reviewer gives to graphics. Also, there is a wide range of what is considered “good” graphics. Either way, it is fun to look back and see how these older games were viewed by different publications.
8.5/10. This isn’t a perfect game by any means. It has a few things that I didn’t like, but most of it was a ton of fun. I really like how easy it is to get into this game, and the controls are very good. The gameplay is fast and fun, and the graphics held up better than some of the other N64 games.
Pros
- Good Graphics
- Fast Gameplay
- A lot of Fun.
- Create-a-player mode
Cons
- Awkward Camera at times
- Strange Animations
Conclusion
I think Midway nailed it with this game. NBA ShowTime would’ve been a spectacular weekend rental back in the late 1990s and early 2002. It came out long after my friends and I had transitioned away from the N64, though. I do remember playing a lot of GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, and Super Smash Bros around this time. Sports games weren’t really brought up.
I was the only one of my friends who really paid attention to sports. At least my friends that I actually hung around with. While I was on my high school’s wrestling team, I didn’t really hang out with them.
One thing that I do agree with from the reviews is that this game is more fun with friends. Many of the N64 games are, and Midway’s NBA games definitely fall into that category. It doesn’t take much to understand them, and you can easily learn how to play.
At some point, I’ll have to look at the other versions of this game. Specifically, the Dreamcast version, as that one was brought up in several reviews of the N64 game. That one is probably closer to the arcade version of the game. For now, I have one more Midway NBA game to get to before I can write up my thoughts on the series.
If you liked this post, check out some of my other posts on the NBA Jam games. Such as NBA Jam 2000 or NBA Hangtime.