NBA Fastbreak '98
NBA Action 98
DeveloperVisual Concepts
PublisherNA: Midway Games (PS); EU: GT Interactive (PS); WW: Sega (PC, SAT)
ProgrammerAki Rimpilainen
DesignerAlvin Cardona
ComposerMark Chosak
ReleasedNA: October 28, 1997 (PC, SAT)[1][2]; NA: November 21, 1997 (PS)[3]; EU: 1998 (PS, SAT)
GenreSports simulation
ModesSingle player
PlatformsMicrosoft Windows, Sega Saturn, PlayStation

NBA Fastbreak '98 is a basketball simulator released for the Sony PlayStation in 1997. It takes place during the 1997-98 National Basketball Association season. It was published by Midway Games and GT Interactive. Originally announced under the title "Hardwood Heroes",[4][5][6] the game was released with minimal changes as NBA Action 98 on Sega Saturn and Microsoft Windows, published by Sega, with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers as the cover athlete.[7][8] Another version was being developed by Z-Axis for the Nintendo 64 under the title "NBA Fast Break 64", with a prospective November 1997 release,[9] but it was cancelled.

Gameplay

NBA FastBreak '98 uses icon passing.[10] Players can choose from a simulation mode or a more simplified "arcade mode".[11] Unusual for a basketball game of its time, it also has a practice mode which allows players to learn moves outside the pressures of a game.[12][11]

Reception

Most reviews for the game ranged from middling to moderately positive. Critics overwhelmingly praised the advanced and detailed graphics,[13][14][15][12][16][17][10][18] but many also noted that they come at the cost of low game speed, making the gameplay feel sluggish.[13][14][12][16] The sound was also widely criticized, especially the weak crowd noises,[13][15][12][16] which Jay Boor of IGN compared to a "fizzled three-inch speaker", as well as remarking upon the poor quality of the rim sounds.[16] However, critics widely praised the controls,[13][14][15][17][18] the practice mode,[14][15][12][10] and the numerous options for customizing the game.[14][15][17][10] Sega Saturn Magazine added that since the options screens are kept simple, there is no loading when making changes, which encourages using these features.[17]

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) and GameSpot's reviews for the Saturn version commented that, while not in any way spectacular, the game is solid and enjoyable and, with the Saturn having had a fairly weak lineup of basketball games, it stands as the best basketball game on the Saturn.[14][12] While opining that the PlayStation version is slightly better due to its sharper graphics, EGMs review for this version was less enthusiastic, saying that the PlayStation offers superior basketball video games.[13] Contrarily, both GamePro and Sega Saturn Magazines reviews for the Saturn release considered it to be an excellent game even in absolute terms, with GamePro saying it "delivers with more authority than a Shaq tip-slam!"[17][18][a] and Sega Saturn Magazine naming it their "game of the month".[19] A different GamePro critic reviewed the PlayStation version and had a more middling response, commenting that "... FastBreak does a good job of capturing the NBA experience, but it's missing the attitude that pushes NBA Live to the top. Dunks aren't slammed with authority, players don't get shoved to the ground very often, and the game sometimes turns into a cherry-pickin' battle as long passes lead to some easy baskets."[10][b] GameSpot also had a different critic review the PlayStation version, who was more positive, calling it a "good first attempt", and commenting that while the game is not the all-around best basketball game on the market, it was strong on enough points to be a viable contender against its competition.[15]

The Saturn version was nominated for the "Best Saturn Game" award at the CNET Gamecenter Awards for 1997, which went to Virtual On: Cyber Troopers.[20] During the inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards, the PC version received a nomination for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' "PC Sports Game of the Year" award,[21] which was ultimately given to FIFA: Road to World Cup 98.[22]

Notes

  1. ^ GamePro gave the Saturn version 4.0/5 for graphics, 4.0/5 for control, 3.5/5 for sound, and 4.5/5 for fun factor.
  2. ^ GamePro gave the PlayStation version 4.5/5 for graphics, 3.5/5 for sound, 4.0/5 for control, and 4.0/5 for fun factor.

References

  1. ^ GameSpot staff (October 31, 1997). "VGS Game Calendar [date mislabeled as "April 26, 2000"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived April 22, 1999 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  2. ^ Johnston, Chris (October 28, 1997). "Sega Ships PC and Saturn Action [date mislabeled as "April 26, 2000"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived April 20, 1999 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  3. ^ GameSpot staff (November 21, 1997). "VGS Game Calendar [date mislabeled as "April 26, 2000"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived February 24, 1999 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  4. ^ "Hardwood Heroes: Midway Embraces Realism and Slows Down the Pace". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 99. Ziff Davis. October 1997. p. 188.
  5. ^ Johnny Ballgame (October 1997). "Sports Insider Previews: NBA Hardwood Heroes". GamePro. No. 109. IDG. p. 160.
  6. ^ "NBA Fastbreak '98". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 101. Ziff Davis. December 1997. p. 93. Midway is very close to releasing NBA Fastbreak '98 (the game formerly known as Hardwood Heroes).
  7. ^ https://www.nba-live.com/ww-nba-action-98-retrospective/
  8. ^ "NBA Action '98: Sega Juices Up their Roundball Flagship". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 100. Ziff Davis. November 1997. p. 51. If you look closely, however, you might recognize that this game is nearly identical to Midway's NBA Fast Break (formerly known as Hardwood Heroes), which is the PlayStation version of this game.
  9. ^ "News Bits". GamePro. No. 109. IDG. October 1997. p. 32.
  10. ^ Johnny Ballgame (February 1998). "FastBreak's Rookie Season Is Solid, Yet Unspectacular". GamePro. No. 113. IDG. p. 104.
  11. ^ "Preview: NBA Action '98". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 27. Emap International Limited. January 1998. pp. 36–37.
  12. ^ Lerhman, Darren (November 26, 1997). "NBA Action 98 Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived May 10, 2005 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Kujawa, Kraig; Hsu, Dan; Ricciardi, John; Rickards, Kelly (February 1998). "Review Crew: NBA Fastbreak '98". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 103. Ziff Davis. p. 118. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  14. ^ Kujawa, Kraig; Rickards, Kelly; Ricciardi, John; Hsu, Dan (January 1998). "Review Crew: NBA Action '98". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 102. Ziff Davis. p. 157.
  15. ^ MacDonald, Ryan (March 19, 1998). "NBA Fastbreak '98 Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived March 31, 2005 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  16. ^ Boor, Jay (November 20, 1997). "NBA Fast Break [sic]". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  17. ^ Cutlack, Gary (February 1998). "Review: NBA Action 98". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 28. EMAP. pp. 74–75. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  18. ^ The Rookie (January 1998). "NBA Action '98". GamePro. No. 112. IDG. p. 116.
  19. ^ "Out Now". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 29. Emap International Limited. March 1998. p. 10.
  20. ^ Gamecenter staff (January 28, 1998). "The Gamecenter Awards for 1997! (Saturn, Part 2)". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on October 2, 2000. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  21. ^ "The Award - Updates". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  22. ^ "The Award - Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved November 3, 2021.