Video Game Hall of Fame - 1. NBA Live 97
As an ongoing series, I plan to write about my favourite video games of all time. I will be compiling a sort of video game Hall of Fame. Inductees may include games that I still love today, games that I loved in the past, those that hold special memories and games that represent defining moments of the genre. It’s somewhat of a personal list, so there will of course be some glaring omissions, and some inclusions that many would question.
All comments are welcome.
So without further ado...
1. NBA Live ’97 (SEGA Saturn) (1997)
This will probably seem an unusual inclusion to most. The Live series has had a huge amount of success worldwide, but why would I nominate the 1997 incarnation? Well, quite simply because it has provided me with as much entertainment as any other game I have ever played.
I had NBA Live 97 on the SEGA Saturn. I remember buying it in 1997 from my local HMV. From the best of my memory, the release date was constantly being postponed and I had all but given up on having the opportunity to play it on my beloved Saturn. I remember calling game shops every week to confirm when exactly the game was coming. Then one day, when perusing the shelves of my local HMV, there was Mitch Richmond, the cover star, staring back at me. I almost lost control of my bowels. Even the £44.99 price tag didn’t dampen my spirits. I proceeded to play the game non stop for the next year. I remember doing little else that very summer, except playing basketball in the sunshine and then coming inside for some NBA Live action. It was an idyllic summer, and one that I perhaps now over romanticise.
My first venture into the game was a full 82 game season as my favourite team, the Phoenix Suns. It was in the days of Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd and Rex Chapman and I knew their stats off by heart. I played every single game, with each lasting around 40 minutes. As a stat geek, I ensured that each player’s contributions reflected their real life stats, with the exception of some stat padding for my favourite player, Kevin Johnson. We steamrolled through the playoffs and won the championship. Of course, the result was never in question. After playing that many hours, the reset button would ensure my eventual victory.
Once the season was over, and I had given myself a well deserved congratulatory pat on the back, I played yet another full season. I took the New York Knicks all the way in another 82 game marathon undertaking. The game enthralled me, and was the beginning of a long relationship with the series. I was so enamoured with the game, that when I finally sold my Saturn, peripherals and all my games a year later, I couldn’t bring myself to part with my copy. It still sits, obsolete, somewhere in my bedroom back in England.
Back in 1997, being an NBA fan in England was somewhat tough. I had to make do with an hour a week of Channel Four’s excellent magazine show, my basketball cards and Teletext! NBA Live 97 was the closest I could get to the game I loved, and I embraced it. I could control the players that I had seen so little of, but knew so much about. When I had time during my demanding regular season schedule (!), I would play my brother in an ongoing playoff style tournament. We argued almost as much as when we played a real game of basketball!
At the time, the game looked great. The level of presentation was excellent, the stats and rosters exhaustive and the difficulty was well balanced. You could also make custom players, which was the only way you were going to play as Michael Jordan. Earlier today, I checked out a contemporary review form gamespot, which claimed that “The animations are so smooth and realistic that you'd swear you were watching a real game”. Of course, considering what the NBA Live games look like nowadays, this quote seems absurd. But for its time, it seemed pretty special.
A month or so ago, I was rummaging through a bargain bin when I spotted a Playstation copy of the game. Although it was in Japanese, I couldn’t resist picking it up. I got home and loaded it up. The character models were horrible, the game mechanics were random and it looked very, very dated, in a way that only sports games can. Nonetheless, it brought a big smile to my face. I sat there and played a full game, and it reminded me of exactly why I love video games.
NBA Live 97, welcome to the Hall of Fame.
All comments are welcome.
So without further ado...
1. NBA Live ’97 (SEGA Saturn) (1997)
This will probably seem an unusual inclusion to most. The Live series has had a huge amount of success worldwide, but why would I nominate the 1997 incarnation? Well, quite simply because it has provided me with as much entertainment as any other game I have ever played.
I had NBA Live 97 on the SEGA Saturn. I remember buying it in 1997 from my local HMV. From the best of my memory, the release date was constantly being postponed and I had all but given up on having the opportunity to play it on my beloved Saturn. I remember calling game shops every week to confirm when exactly the game was coming. Then one day, when perusing the shelves of my local HMV, there was Mitch Richmond, the cover star, staring back at me. I almost lost control of my bowels. Even the £44.99 price tag didn’t dampen my spirits. I proceeded to play the game non stop for the next year. I remember doing little else that very summer, except playing basketball in the sunshine and then coming inside for some NBA Live action. It was an idyllic summer, and one that I perhaps now over romanticise.
My first venture into the game was a full 82 game season as my favourite team, the Phoenix Suns. It was in the days of Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd and Rex Chapman and I knew their stats off by heart. I played every single game, with each lasting around 40 minutes. As a stat geek, I ensured that each player’s contributions reflected their real life stats, with the exception of some stat padding for my favourite player, Kevin Johnson. We steamrolled through the playoffs and won the championship. Of course, the result was never in question. After playing that many hours, the reset button would ensure my eventual victory.
Once the season was over, and I had given myself a well deserved congratulatory pat on the back, I played yet another full season. I took the New York Knicks all the way in another 82 game marathon undertaking. The game enthralled me, and was the beginning of a long relationship with the series. I was so enamoured with the game, that when I finally sold my Saturn, peripherals and all my games a year later, I couldn’t bring myself to part with my copy. It still sits, obsolete, somewhere in my bedroom back in England.
Back in 1997, being an NBA fan in England was somewhat tough. I had to make do with an hour a week of Channel Four’s excellent magazine show, my basketball cards and Teletext! NBA Live 97 was the closest I could get to the game I loved, and I embraced it. I could control the players that I had seen so little of, but knew so much about. When I had time during my demanding regular season schedule (!), I would play my brother in an ongoing playoff style tournament. We argued almost as much as when we played a real game of basketball!
At the time, the game looked great. The level of presentation was excellent, the stats and rosters exhaustive and the difficulty was well balanced. You could also make custom players, which was the only way you were going to play as Michael Jordan. Earlier today, I checked out a contemporary review form gamespot, which claimed that “The animations are so smooth and realistic that you'd swear you were watching a real game”. Of course, considering what the NBA Live games look like nowadays, this quote seems absurd. But for its time, it seemed pretty special.
A month or so ago, I was rummaging through a bargain bin when I spotted a Playstation copy of the game. Although it was in Japanese, I couldn’t resist picking it up. I got home and loaded it up. The character models were horrible, the game mechanics were random and it looked very, very dated, in a way that only sports games can. Nonetheless, it brought a big smile to my face. I sat there and played a full game, and it reminded me of exactly why I love video games.
NBA Live 97, welcome to the Hall of Fame.
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