NBA Showdown '94
From Sega Retro
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NBA Showdown '94 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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System(s): Sega Mega Drive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Electronic Arts (US, Europe), Electronic Arts Victor (Japan) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer: EA Creative Development | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Supporting companies: E.J. Sarraille Design Group (package design) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributor: Electronic Arts Australasia (AU) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Licensor: NBA Properties, Topps Company, Starter Corporation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Peripherals supported: 4 Way Play, Team Player | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genre: Sports[1][2] (basketball) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1-4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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NBA Showdown '94, known in Japan as NBA Pro Basketball '94 (NBAプロバスケットボール'94) and in Europe as simply NBA Showdown, is a 1994 basketball game by Electronic Arts for the Sega Mega Drive.
Contents
Gameplay
The game is a five-on-five basketball simulation and the last game in the NBA Playoffs series by Electronic Arts. Unlike the previous games in the series, which only included teams that were in the playoffs, this entry features all 27 teams from the 1992-1993 NBA season (plus two All Stars teams). It can be played by one to four players, using the 4 Way Play adapter (and later versions of the Team Player). Gameplay is faster and smoother, and new features include a full season mode, player ratings (skill data provided by Topps), injuries, an "Arcade Custom" mode with numerous options for customizing the realism of the game, coaching options including playcalling, a horizontal line-scrolling effect on the court to simulate perspective (though there is still only one court), and a 3D view for free throws. The cartridge has a battery backup for storing season progress and four custom teams.
Games are broken into four periods, and the team with the most points at the end wins. A basket from inside the three-point line is worth two points, and any other basket is worth three points. In the event of a tie, the teams play five-minute overtime periods (two minutes when playing with two-minute periods) until a winner is decided.
Fouls are called for traveling (if a player moves after he stops dribbling), charging (running into a defensive player who is set), failing to shoot the ball after having it for 24 seconds, failing to advance the ball into the defense's half of the court within 10 seconds, crossing back into the offense's side of the court after crossing into the defense's side, failing to throw the ball back into play within 5 seconds, and running out of bounds with the ball. Most fouls give possession of the ball to the other team, but under some conditions, the fouled player gets a free throw.
Substitutions | |
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Players can make substitutions before every period, when a time-out is called, or after a foul has been called. A time-out can be called by pausing the game with START , then pressing ![]() Each team has five starters (two forwards, one center, and two guards) and seven substitutions. Pressing | |
Tip-Off | |
At the beginning of the first period, the teams meet in the center of the court and try to gain possession of a jump ball to start the game on offense. The tip-off starts by pressing START , then a player from each team jumps with ![]() | |
Defense | |
The player under control has a white shape follow him on the ground (a star for player one, a circle for player two, a diamond for player three, and a trapezoid for player four) and moves in any direction using the D-Pad. The player under control can be switched to a different player by pressing ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Offense | |
The player with the ball has a shape follow him on the ground (a star for player one, a circle for player two, a diamond for player three, and a trapezoid for player four) and moves in any direction using the D-Pad. The player dribbles automatically while moving.
The player starts a jump shot by holding The player can pass to ball to a teammate by pressing After the other team scores or commits a foul, the player's team gets possession of the ball. A player stands on the sidelines and throws the ball to the nearest teammate he is facing by pressing | |
Free Throw | |
An offensive player is given free throws if fouled by a defensive player. The offensive player gets one free throw if fouled while shooting and the shot goes in; the offensive player gets two free throws if the offensive player is fouled while shooting and the shot does not go in or if the defensive team has committed 5 or more team fouls. The second free throw is only done if the first makes it in.
Free throws use a "T-meter" that works similar to a golf game. A basketball moves back and forth through the horizontal bar first. Pressing | |
Instant Replay | |
Instant replay can be accessed by pausing the game with START , then pressing ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Coaching Options | |
Coaching options can be accessed by pausing the game with START , then pressing ![]() When Playcalling is enabled, the player can choose from several offensive or defensive plays to add to the playbook. Pressing Selecting Defensive Match-up lets the player choose which members on the player's team guard which members of the opposing team. Selecting Hustle Board shows a screen with some defensive stats for both teams. |
Modes
There are three game modes:
- Exhibition: Plays a single match. Players can select the same team twice for a mirror match.
- Season: Plays a full season of 82 games or an abbreviated season of 26 games. Matches are chosen from a calendar, and the player can start a game with START or simulate any game with
to skip playing it. The top eight teams in each conference at the end of the season advance to the playoff series, with multiple playoff formats (5-7-7-7, 3-5-5-5, or 1-3-3-3) available. Progress is saved to the cartridge after each game so the season can be resumed at a later time. The game also saves season statistics, including points per game, minutes per game, rebounds, steals, and assists for each player.
- Playoffs: Plays a playoff series, skipping the regular season. The playoff tree can be edited before starting to change the teams (with
or
) and change whether each team is controlled by a human or a computer player (with
). Games with human players are played, while games with only computer players are simulated. There are three rounds: quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals. The first round is played to the best of five games, and the last two rounds are played to the best of seven games. Progress is saved to the cartridge after each game so the series can be resumed at a later time.
Every mode can be played by one to four players. Before a match starts, any player can assign control to either team (including all four players on the same team, no players assigned to a team to let the computer control it, or any combination in between). Player assignments can also be changed in the middle of a match on the Controller Setup screen under Coaching Options. There are three difficulty levels (Rookie, Starter, and All-Star) for computer players, and players can select the length of each period (2, 5, 8, or 12 minutes) and the play mode (Arcade, Arcade Custom, or Simulation). Unlike the previous games, all of the options are available for season and playoffs games as well.
There are three play modes:
- Arcade: Players never tire or get injured and cannot foul out of the game.
- Arcade Custom: A custom mode where the player can enable or disable fatigue, injuries, foul-outs, fouls (traveling, lane violations, shot clock, 5-second calls, 10-second calls, backcourt calls, out of bounds calls, or all fouls) and adjust the run speed (between 1 and 5).
- Simulation: Players become fatigued over the course of the game. Players have a fatigue meter (FTG) with 1 to 7 bars (with 7 being full strength) and start to move slower, jump shorter, and miss more shots when their fatigue level decreases to 4. Slams tire players out faster. Players must be rotated in and out of the game during time-outs or between periods so they can rest. There is a chance that a player is injured during a game, in which case he must be substituted and he is unavailable for up to three subsequent games (when playing in a season or playoffs game). Referees call all fouls and eject a player after committing six fouls.
Teams
The game includes all 27 NBA teams of the time with 12 players for each team. However, it is notably missing the two star players from the teams in the 1993 NBA Finals, Charles Barkley of the Phoenix Suns and Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls.
Each team is rated from 1 to 10 on four criteria (Scoring, Rebounds, Ball Handling, and Defense).
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Jersey Nets
New York Knicks
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trailblazers
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Seattle Supersonics
Utah Jazz
Washington Bullets
East All-Stars
West All-Stars
- Custom Flyers
- Custom Jammers
- Custom Slammers
- Custom Skyers
Custom teams
There are four custom teams that can be selected (Custom Flyers, Custom Jammers, Custom Slammers, Custom Skyers) and modified. Selecting one of these teams brings up the Custom Team Builder, which lets the player form a custom team from the players of any of the 27 teams in the game. The same player can be added to the team multiple times. Modifications are automatically saved to the cartridge.
The top half of the screen shows the custom team. and
scroll through the players on the custom team. The bottom half of the screen shows another team. Pressing
or
chooses a player on the other team, pressing
or
changes to the previous or next team, and pressing
adds the selected player to the selected place on the custom team. When the player is done, pressing START finishes.
Versions
Localised names
Language | Localised Name | English Translation |
---|---|---|
English | NBA Showdown | NBA Showdown |
English (US) | NBA Showdown '94 | NBA Showdown '94 |
Japanese | NBAプロバスケットボール'94 | NBA Pro Basketball '94 |
Production credits
- Programming: Lisa Ching, Mark Phoenix, Paul Shaw, John Novak
- Graphics and Animation: Paul Vernon, Jeff Stokol, Paul Watts, Leon Cannon, Maurine Starkey, Mark West, Muffy Vasale, Greg Williams, Sam Comstock, Will Noble, Lynne Gura
- Sound: Dave Whittaker, Traz Damji
- Technical Directors: John Brooks, Edwin Reich
- Producer: Rob Martyn
- Associate Producer: Scott Gilliland
- Assistant Producer: Todd Gilliland
- Testers: Dave Costa, Yun Shin, John Bruce, James Fairweather, Marc Gilliland, Jeff Hasson, Brian Reed, Mike Schmitt
- Based On Original Design By: Robert Weatherby
- Programming: Lisa Ching, Mark Phoenix, Paul Shaw, John Novak
- Produced: By Don Traeger
- Producer: Rob Martyn
- Associate Producer: Scott Gilliland
- Assistant Producer: Todd Gilliland
- Graphics: Paul Vernon, Jeff Stokel, Paul Watts, Leon Cannon, Maurine Starkey, Mark West, Muffy Vasale, Greg Williams, Lynne Gura, Will Noble
- Sound and Music: David Whittaker, Traz Damji
- Technical Director: John Brooks, Edwin Reich
- Product Manager: Gary Gettys
- Package Design: E.J Sarraille Design Group
- Package Art Direction: Nancy Waisanen
- Documentation: David Lee
- Documentation Design and Layout: Corinne Mah
- Testing Manager: Al Roireau
- Product Testing: David Costa, Yun Shin, Jon Bruce, James Fairweather, Mare Gilliland, Jeff Hasson, Brian H. Reed, Mike Schmitt, Ted Fitzgerald
- Quality Assurance: Walter Ianneo, Phil Engstrom, Dave 'Fireball' Schenone, Stewart Putney
- Original Game Design: Robert Weatherby
- Special Thanks To: Sarah Smith, Sue Manley
Magazine articles
- Main article: NBA Showdown '94/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
Physical scans
Sega Retro Average | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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72 | |
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Based on 37 reviews |
Technical information
- Main article: NBA Showdown '94/Technical information.
References
- ↑ File:NBAShowdown94 MD JP Box.jpg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software_l.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-02 23:21)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Game Players, "Vol. 7 No. 4 April 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 82
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mean Machines Sega, "April 1994" (UK; 1994-02-28), page 23
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mean Machines Sega, "April 1994" (UK; 1994-02-28), page 86
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mega, "March 1994" (UK; 1994-02-17), page 23
- ↑ File:NBA Showdown 94 MD US Manual.pdf, page 15
- ↑ File:NBA Showdown 94 MD credits.pdf
- ↑ File:NBA Showdown 94 MD US Manual.pdf, page 40
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 208
- ↑ Aktueller Software Markt, "August 1994" (DE; 1994-07-04), page 39
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "July 1994" (JP; 1994-06-08), page 18
- ↑ Console Mania, "Maggio 1994" (IT; 1994-0x-xx), page 76
- ↑ Consoles +, "Mars 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 108
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-15), page 104
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "May 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 34
- ↑ Gamers, "März/April 1994" (DE; 1994-03-04), page 17
- ↑ GamesMaster, "March 1994" (UK; 1994-02-17), page 39
- ↑ (UK) "Series 3, episode 22" (1994-02-01, 24:00) (+7:44)
- ↑ Game Informer, "May/June 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 21
- ↑ Hyper, "March 1994" (AU; 1994-xx-xx), page 36
- ↑ Joker, "Junij 1994" (SI; 1994-xx-xx), page 24
- ↑ Joypad, "Mars 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 68
- ↑ Joypad, "1/1994" (HU; 1994-xx-xx), page 20
- ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "April 1994" (UK; 1994-xx-xx), page 28
- ↑ Mega Action, "March 1994" (UK; 1994-02-24), page 28
- ↑ Mega Fun, "03/94" (DE; 1994-02-23), page 108
- ↑ Mega Power, "March 1994" (UK; 1994-02-17), page 72
- ↑ MegaTech, "March 1994" (UK; 1994-02-20), page 62
- ↑ Megazone, "March 1994" (AU; 1994-02-23), page 32
- ↑ Player One, "Mars 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 109
- ↑ Play Time, "4/94" (DE; 1994-03-09), page 159
- ↑ Sega Magazin, "März 1994" (DE; 1994-02-16), page 22
- ↑ Sega Power, "April 1994" (UK; 1994-03-03), page 54
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1994" (UK; 1994-02-24), page 53
- ↑ Sega Zone, "March 1994" (UK; 1994-02-24), page 58
- ↑ Sega Force, "5/94" (SE; 1994-08-10), page 18
- ↑ Sonic the Comic, "June 10th 1994" (UK; 1994-05-28), page 10
- ↑ Super Juegos, "Abril 1994" (ES; 1994-0x-xx), page 86
- ↑ Todo Sega, "Abril 1994" (ES; 1994-0x-xx), page 36
- ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 128
- ↑ Video Games, "3/94" (DE; 1994-02-23), page 97
- ↑ VideoGames, "May 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 89
NBA Showdown '94 | |
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