| A precursor to NBA Jam, Midway’s 1989 Arch Rivals was billed as “a basket brawl.” Perhaps the game’s cover gives that away — let’s unpack what’s going on here.
We’ve got Mohawk soaring through the sky and punching an opposing player in the face, while his teammate tugs on that player’s shorts. The big lug on the ground is being used as a trampoline, a la the final dunk in Space Jam.
One player is blowing a kiss (I think, maybe it’s more of an “ooooooooh” face), while the dunker in the top right is…trying to steal the basket like it’s a jar of cookies? Trying to use the bathroom? Just getting a deep glute and hip stretch? Who knows, for sure?
And they’re all smiling. Like “this is how basketball SHOULD be played!” Kudos to Midway for making an insanely detailed crowd, as well. Sure, it kind of blends into a Georges Seurat-style dot painting at the top, but I can count at least 25 distinct faces in the stands. That’s pretty marvelous.
As for the game itself? Well, you can certainly see elements of NBA Jam at play here. You’ll suit up for four, four-minute quarters, attempting to score more than the other team. There are also a huge number of cutaways, for when you score or make an otherwise impressive play. That’s the “basket” part of the game.
The “brawl” focus lies in the fact that you can punch opposing players to steal the ball. NBA Jam moved more to a shoving mechanism, but in this game, “Punch” is an actual, functioning button. You’ll have to dodge items on the court, too, like soda or popcorn, and the referee is also an obstacle to avoid.
This game featured a “flying leap” move, a combination where you would jump toward an opposing player in an effort to tackle them. If you successfully did the move, you would knock the player out of the air (and, in the arcade version, pull his shorts off). If you failed, you flailed around on the court like you were in the final stage of the “stop, drop, and roll” method of putting a fire out.
Strangely enough, the referee allows all kinds of violence on the court, but will call a shot clock violation if you don’t shoot fast enough. Gotta keep things moving. |
