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NBA Hangtime

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NBA Hangtime
NBA Hangtime
Arcade flyer forNBA Hangtime
Developer(s)Midway(Arcade)
Funcom(SNES, Genesis)
Midway Studios San Diego
Director's Cut International (PlayStation, Nintendo 64)
High Voltage Software(Windows)
Publisher(s)Midway
Platform(s)Arcade,Nintendo 64,PlayStation,Super NES,Genesis,Windows
ReleaseArcade
  • NA:April 16, 1996
Nintendo 64
  • NA:January 16, 1997[1]
  • EU:September 1, 1997
PlayStation
SNES
  • NA:November 6, 1996
  • EU:1996
Sega Genesis
  • NA:November 6, 1996
  • EU:1996
Windows
  • NA:December 4, 1996
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single player,multiplayer
Arcade systemMidway Wolf Unit

NBA Hangtimeis a 1996basketballarcade gamedeveloped and released byMidway.Home versions were released for theNintendo 64,PlayStation,Super NES,Sega Genesis,andMicrosoft Windows.

Hangtimewas the third basketball game by the original development team behind theNBA Jamseries. The title was changed due to theNBA Jamname being acquired byAcclaim Entertainment,the publisher of the games for the home market. Acclaim'sNBA Jam Extremewas released the same year asHangtime.Features introduced inHangtimeincludedcharacter creation,alley oops,and double dunks. A software update known asNBA Maximum Hangtimewas released for the arcades later in the life cycle. A sequel,NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC,was released in 1999.

The theme song "Whatcha Gonna Do?" was produced by rapperM-Docof Indasoul Entertainment.

Gameplay

[edit]

The gameplay is largely the same as the Midway'sNBA Jamgames, with some additions. One of the most prominent additions is the "Create Player" feature, which allows players to create a custom basketball player, specifying height, weight, power, shooting, and defensive skills using a limited number of attribute points. Created players can be made more powerful as players earn additional attribute points by winning games.[4]

The game retains many of the same rules ofNBA Jam: Tournament Edition,including the two-on-two match ups, statistics tracking, legal pushing and "on fire" mode. Additions to the gameplay include spin moves,alley oopsand doubleslam dunks- a slam dunk performed after one team member in the middle of a dunk passes to the other member. Alley-oops and double dunks can trigger the new "team fire" mode in which both team members are on fire.

Each team now has five members of the roster to choose from. The original arcade version features team rosters from the1995–96 NBA season,while the home console versions feature team rosters that were accurate to the1996–97 NBA season.The player can select from any of the 29 NBA teams and match them in four quarters of NBA basketball (three minutes each), with three-minute overtimes if necessary. Just as in theNBA Jamgames, the game can keep track of the teams a player has beaten using a player's created ID andPIN.Optionally, the player can load their created player. Players using their ID face off against a series of NBA teams, starting with theVancouver Grizzliesand ending with theChicago Bulls(who were on their way to being NBA champions at the time of the game's release). After beating all 29 teams, the player faces off against a number of secret characters.

New to the game is a three-digit "combination lock"feature. Similar to the"Kombat Kodes"inMortal Kombat 3,the feature allows players to enter codes on the Match Up screen that alter the game's appearance and/or gameplay.

The initial arcade version and the home versions included an NBA trivia quiz at the end of each game played. Answering enough trivia questions correctly in the arcade game originally qualified players for a prize drawing, while on home versions it gives players more attribute points for their created players.

Home versions

[edit]

Midway released home versions of the game for thePlayStationandNintendo 64,as well as for the previous generation's consoles, theSega GenesisandSuper NES.Funcomdeveloped the Genesis and Super NES versions, whileHigh Voltage Softwaredeveloped aMicrosoft Windowsand was also working on aSega Saturnversion, but it was never released[5][6].A version forGame.comwas also announced,[7]but cancelled.

Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal is not licensed in either version of Hangtime as he was given clearance for NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC.

In 2020, Tastemakers LLC, under its Arcade1Up brand, released a 3/4 scale arcade cabinet that includedHangtime,alongside its precursorsNBA JamandNBA Jam: Tournament Edition.[8]Code Mysticsdeveloped this version ofHangtime,a largely faithful emulation of the arcade original, but with some players omitted due to issues with licensing.

Reception

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Computer and Video GamesdubbedHangtime"the real, and quite worthy, successor toNBA Jam TE".The graphics improvements were lauded, as were the new features, moves and the created player feature.[21]A reviewer forNext Generationlikewise attested that "NBA Hangtimehas all the playable qualities ofNBA Jam,plus a slew of perks that make this worthy of your arcade quarters. "He was particularly impressed with the Create a Player mode, and said the fact that this costs an extra quarter is more than balanced by the fact that the custom player is permanently written into the arcade cabinet's memory. Despite this, he scored it only 3 out of 5 stars.[4]

The home ports received mixed reviews. In contrast to their reviews for the arcade version, most critics remarked that the game does not offer enough new features overNBA Jam,though they disagreed as to how much of a problem this is.[9][11][16]Reviewing the Nintendo 64 version, Air Hendrix ofGameProconcluded that "Jam-style hoops is nothing new, but Hangtime does it with enough flash and freshness to keep you happily dunkin' like a fool." He cited the selection of players, numerous secrets, smooth graphics, multiplayer matches, and create-a-player mode.[22]He rated the Genesis version lower in every category except control, noting the weaker sound effects and announcer's voice. However, he gave it a similar recommendation.[23]GamePro's The Rookie found that the Super NES version likewise suffers from inferior graphics and sound but is still highly enjoyable to play.[24]Doug Perry ofIGNalso praised the create a player feature, calling it "easily one of the coolest elements of the game, and separates it from the pack." Perry wrote that the port didn't make much use of the N64's capabilities, but called it a "fun, arcade-perfect port that will bring most basketball fans lots (sic) enjoyment. "[14]GameSpotwas far more negative, withJeff Gerstmannreviewing the N64 version and writing that the game only featured "minor changes" and concluding "Unless you've been shooting digital hoops in a cave for the past few years, you've seen it all before."[11]A reviewer forNext Generationagreed: "Basically, if you've playedNBA Jam,then you've played most ofNBA Hangtime."He further criticized that aside from the support for four players without the use of amultitap,the game make poor use of the Nintendo 64's capabilities, with 2D graphics and a low frame rate. He went so far as to say that the Super NES version ofNBA Jamlooks equally good and plays better due to the more appropriate controller.[16]The two sports reviewers ofElectronic Gaming Monthlyhad a more middling response. Joe Rybicki, similarly to Gerstmann andNext Generation,said the game "offers basically nothing new, except updated players and bigger character sprites." Co-reviewer Todd Mowatt, while criticizing that the AI tends towards goal-tending, felt the game was an overall improvement over the 16-bit basketball games.[9]

The PlayStation version was criticized for its long loading times and rampant slowdown, and reviews uniformly recommended buying the Nintendo 64 version instead.[10][12]Kraig Kujawa was far more positive about the PC version, saying that it was an accurate conversion, although lamenting that it didn't includeonline play.[13]

In 1997Electronic Gaming MonthlylistedNBA Hangtimeas the 5th best arcade game of all time.[25]

Maximum Hangtime

[edit]

NBA Maximum Hangtimeis an upgrade released in late 1996 to the arcade version ofNBA Hangtimefeaturing the 1996-1997 NBA rosters. Otherwise, the gameplay is essentially the same except for the addition of a hidden "hot spot" on the court for each player where they shoot more accurately. "Maximum" also has some additional secret codes and hidden players.[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^I. G. N. Staff (17 January 1997)."NBA Hang Time Hits Store Shelves".IGN.Retrieved9 April2023.
  2. ^"Next Generation".5 June 1997. Archived fromthe originalon 5 June 1997.Retrieved12 April2023.
  3. ^I. G. N. Staff (4 June 1997)."NBA Hang Time".IGN.Retrieved12 April2023.
  4. ^abc"NBA Hangtime".Next Generation.No. 18.Imagine Media.June 1996. pp. 126, 129.
  5. ^https://web.archive.org/web/20090208104215/http://www.high-voltage.com/games_add.htm.Archived fromthe originalon 8 February 2009.{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title=(help)
  6. ^"SEGA Saturn unreleased Games: NBA Hang Time - Midway".
  7. ^"The Game.com".GamePro.No. 111.IDG.December 1997. p. 57.
  8. ^Ocal, Arda (10 July 2020)."NBA Jam esports? Arcade1Up hopes to make it happen".ESPN.Retrieved7 October2020.
  9. ^abc"Team EGM Box Scores: NBA Hang Time".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 90.Ziff Davis.January 1997. p. 223.
  10. ^ab"Team EGM Sports: NBA Hangtime".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 97.Ziff Davis.August 1997. p. 115.
  11. ^abcGerstmann, Jeff (9 December 1996)."NBA Hangtime Review".GameSpot.Retrieved24 June2012.
  12. ^abLehrman, Daniel (13 June 1997)."NBA Hangtime Review".GameSpot.Retrieved24 June2012.
  13. ^abKujawa, Kurt (14 February 1997)."NBA Hangtime Review".GameSpot.Retrieved24 June2012.
  14. ^abPerry, Doug (27 January 1997)."NBA Hang Time review".IGN.Retrieved24 June2012.
  15. ^Jon (September 1997). "NBA Hangtime".N64 Magazine.No. 6. pp. 46–49.
  16. ^abc"NBA Hangtime".Next Generation.No. 29.Imagine Media.May 1997. pp. 142, 144.
  17. ^"NBA Hang Time Sega Genesis Review Score".Archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2019.
  18. ^"NBA Hang Time Nintendo 64 Review Score".Archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2019.
  19. ^"NBA Hang Time PC Review Score".Archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2019.
  20. ^"NBA Hang Time PlayStation Review Score".Archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2019.
  21. ^"NBA Hangtime".Computer and Video Games:12. 1996.Retrieved24 June2012.
  22. ^"NBA Hangtime Buries the Rock on the N64".GamePro.No. 101.IDG.February 1997. p. 89.
  23. ^"NBA Hangtime".GamePro.No. 101.IDG.February 1997. p. 93.
  24. ^"NBA Hang Time".GamePro.No. 102.IDG.March 1997. p. 91.
  25. ^"The 10 Best Arcade Games of All Time".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 100.Ziff Davis.November 1997. p. 130.
  26. ^"Dan's Mostly Maximum Hangtime Shrine".Bunnyears.net. 11 January 2003.Retrieved18 October2012.
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