NBA Showtime is a basketballvideo game by Midway. It is similar to NBA Hangtime; Showtime is modeled after the NBA presentations on NBC though using the same control scheme as Hangtime. The original arcade version features team rosters from the beginning of the 1998-99 NBA season, while the console versions feature team rosters that were accurate just prior to the 1998-99 NBA season. A "Gold" version for arcades features another roster update from later in the 1999-2000 NBA season. Showtime was also featured in a dual game cabinet along with NFL Blitz 2000. Midway followed up the game with the console exclusiveNBA Hoopz. The home versions have Shaquille O'Neal as cover athlete after the contract mismanagement lawsuit was handled for his exclusion from Hangtime.
Overview
The game features gameplay similar to its predecessors NBA Jam and NBA Hangtime. Rather than typical 5 on 5 action, this game features 2 on 2 play with the ability to pick two players from any NBA team's starting line-up for the first half and can choose again for the second. The game introduces personal fouls for each shove on another player; after a certain number of fouls the opposing team gets a free throw. The game retains the series standard "on fire" feature. After a player makes three consecutive shots he becomes "on fire", which allows him to easily make shots from almost anywhere, as well as goaltend without penalty and push opponents without being charged a foul. Play otherwise is similar to NBA rules. The arcade version accommodates up to four players, as do the home versions produced for the Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast. The players featured in the game include many of the most popular players of the particular year and era of the NBA season, but like the previous games in the arcade-style basketball series, many players were left out and each team has a limited number of players per position to choose from. As with the previous NBA Jam and NBA Hangtime games, the game contains many secret characters. The arcade version features the Universal MonstersFrankenstein's monster, Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolf Man and Creature from the Black Lagoon as secret characters. Many Midway Gamesstaff are also secret playable characters. The game-time commentary is particularly varied and colorful for basketball games of that period, featuring such phrases as "The dejection of the rejection!", "He just flat-out leveled him!", as well as "With the silky smooth move!" and "Look Ma, no rim!" The original announcer from NBA Jam, Tim Kitzrow, returned, after Midway used the Bulls radio announcerNeil Funk in NBA Hangtime. Jon Hey produced all the sound, music and script save for the NBC basketball theme "Roundball Rock" by John Tesh. At the time, the music was influenced by 2Pac and Dr. Dre's "California Love" and Master P's "Make 'Em Say Uhh!" and previous NBA Themes written by Jon Hey for NBA Jam and NBA Hangtime. The N64 version does not feature a "back" button, having every button advance through the menus.
Reception
Doug Trueman reviewed the Nintendo 64 version of the game for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Arcade-style basketball action captured remarkably well on Nintendo 64." The Dreamcast version received "favorable" reviews, and the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation versions received mixed or average reviews, while the Game Boy Color version received "unfavorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator GameRankings.
