''NBA Hangtime'' is a 1996
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
arcade game
An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...
developed and released by
Midway. Home versions were released for the
Nintendo 64
The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and Au ...
,
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
,
Super NES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in E ...
,
Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
, and
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
. A version for
Game.com
The Game.com is a fifth-generation handheld game console released by Tiger Electronics on September 12, 1997. A smaller version, the Game.com Pocket Pro, was released in mid-1999. The first version of the Game.com can be connected to a 14.4 ...
was announced, but cancelled.
''Hangtime'' was the third basketball game by the original development team behind the ''
NBA Jam
''NBA Jam'' (sometimes "Jam" for short) is a long-running basketball video game series based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). Initially developed as arcade games by Midway, the game found popularity with its photorealistic digiti ...
'' series. The title was changed due to the ''NBA Jam'' name being acquired by
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game publisher based in Glen Cove, New York. Originally formed by Greg Fischbach, Robert Holmes and Jim Scoroposki out of an Oyster Bay storefront in 1987, the company established a worldwide d ...
, the publisher of the games for the home market. Acclaim's ''
NBA Jam Extreme
''NBA Jam Extreme'' is a 1996 basketball arcade game by Acclaim Entertainment based on the 1996–97 NBA season. After Midway Games released two ''NBA Jam'' games, Acclaim, the publisher of the home versions of ''NBA Jam'', ended up winning the ex ...
'' was released the same year as ''Hangtime''. Features introduced in ''Hangtime'' included
character creation
Character creation (also character generation or character design) is the process of defining a game character or other character. Typically, a character's individual strengths and weaknesses are represented by a set of statistics. Games with a ...
,
alley oops, and double dunks. A software update known as ''NBA Maximum Hangtime'' was released for the arcades later in the life cycle. A sequel, ''
NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC'', was released in 1999.
The theme song "Whatcha Gonna Do?" was produced by rapper
M-Doc
M-Doc is a rap artist and producer who was signed to RCA Records and Smash Records in the 1990s. He scored minor chart success with the singles "Free" and " It's a Summer Thang" featuring Chantay Savage. He is currently the president of Indasoul ...
of Indasoul Entertainment.
Gameplay
The gameplay is largely the same as the Midway's ''NBA Jam'' games, with some additions. One of the most prominent additions is the "Create Player" feature, which allows players to create a custom basketball player, specifying height, weight, power, shooting, and defensive skills using a limited number of attribute points. Created players can be made more powerful as players earn additional attribute points by winning games.
The game retains many of the same rules of ''NBA Jam: Tournament Edition'', including the two-on-two match ups, statistics tracking, legal pushing and "on fire" mode. Additions to the gameplay include spin moves,
alley oops and double
slam dunk
A slam dunk, also simply known as dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one ...
s - a slam dunk performed after one team member in the middle of a dunk passes to the other member. Alley-oops and double dunks can trigger the new "team fire" mode in which both team members are on fire.
Each team now has five members of the roster to choose from. The original arcade version features team rosters from the
1995–96 NBA season
The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), though the 50th anniversary was not celebrated until the following season. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Final ...
, while the home console versions feature team rosters that were accurate to the
1996–97 NBA season. The player can select from any of the 29 NBA teams and match them in four quarters of NBA basketball (three minutes each), with three-minute overtimes if necessary. Just as in the ''NBA Jam'' games, the game can keep track of the teams a player has beaten using a player's created ID and
PIN
A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together.
Pin or PIN may also refer to:
Computers and technology
* Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system
** PIN pad, a PIN entry device
* PIN, a former Dutch ...
. Optionally, the player can load their created player. Players using their ID face off against a series of NBA teams, starting with the
Vancouver Grizzlies
The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1995, along w ...
and ending with the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
(who were on their way to being NBA champions at the time of the game's release). After beating all 29 teams, the player faces off against a number of secret characters.
New to the game is a three-digit "
combination lock
A combination lock is a type of locking device in which a sequence of symbols, usually numbers, is used to open the lock. The sequence may be entered using a single rotating dial which interacts with several discs or ''cams'', by using a set o ...
" feature. Similar to the "Kombat Kodes" in ''
Mortal Kombat 3
''Mortal Kombat 3'' is a 1995 arcade fighting game developed by Midway Games and first released into arcades in 1995. It is the third main installment in the ''Mortal Kombat'' franchise and a sequel to 1993's ''Mortal Kombat II''. As in the prev ...
'', the feature allows players to enter codes on the Match Up screen that alter the game's appearance and/or gameplay.
The initial arcade version and the home versions included an NBA trivia quiz at the end of each game played. Answering enough trivia questions correctly in the arcade game originally qualified players for a prize drawing, while on home versions it gives players more attribute points for their created players.
Home versions
Midway released home versions of the game for the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
and
Nintendo 64
The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and Au ...
, as well as for the previous generation's consoles, the
Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
and
Super NES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in E ...
.
Funcom
Funcom Oslo AS (, formerly Funcom Productions AS) is a Norwegian video game developer that specializes in online games. It is best known for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) titles ''Conan Exiles'', ''Age of Conan'', '' ...
developed the Genesis and Super NES versions.
In 2020, Tastemakers LLC, under its Arcade1Up brand, released a 3/4 scale arcade cabinet that included ''Hangtime'', alongside its precursors ''NBA Jam'' and ''NBA Jam: Tournament Edition''.
Code Mystics
Code Mystics is a Canadian video game developer specializing in both the emulation and remastering of older video games for modern systems, and porting of indie titles.
History
Code Mystics was founded in 2009 by Jeff Vavasour. Prior to this, Va ...
developed this version of ''Hangtime'', a largely faithful emulation of the arcade original, but with some players omitted due to issues with licensing.
Reception
Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...
dubbed ''Hangtime'' "the real, and quite worthy, successor to ''NBA Jam TE''". The graphics improvements were lauded, as were the new features, moves and the created player feature.
A reviewer for ''
Next Generation'' likewise attested that "''NBA Hangtime'' has all the playable qualities of ''NBA Jam'', plus a slew of perks that make this worthy of your arcade quarters." He was particularly impressed with the Create a Player mode, and said the fact that this costs an extra quarter is more than balanced by the fact that the custom player is permanently written into the arcade cabinet's memory. Despite this, he scored it only 3 out of 5 stars.
The home ports received mixed reviews. In contrast to their reviews for the arcade version, most critics remarked that the game does not offer enough new features over ''NBA Jam'', though they disagreed as to how much of a problem this is.
[ Reviewing the Nintendo 64 version, Air Hendrix of '']GamePro
Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' concluded that "Jam-style hoops is nothing new, but Hangtime does it with enough flash and freshness to keep you happily dunkin' like a fool." He cited the selection of players, numerous secrets, smooth graphics, multiplayer matches, and create-a-player mode. He rated the Genesis version lower in every category except control, noting the weaker sound effects and announcer's voice. However, he gave it a similar recommendation. ''GamePro''s The Rookie found that the Super NES version likewise suffers from inferior graphics and sound but is still highly enjoyable to play. Doug Perry of IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
also praised the create a player feature, calling it "easily one of the coolest elements of the game, and separates it from the pack." Perry wrote that the port didn't make much use of the N64's capabilities, but called it a "fun, arcade-perfect port that will bring most basketball fans lots (sic
The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; "thus", "just as"; in full: , "thus was it written") inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any e ...
) enjoyment." GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
was far more negative, with Jeff Gerstmann
Jeff Gerstmann (born August 1, 1975) is an American video game journalist. Former editorial director of the gaming website ''GameSpot'' and the co-founder/editor of the gaming website ''Giant Bomb'', Gerstmann began working at ''GameSpot'' in th ...
reviewing the N64 version and writing that the game only featured "minor changes" and concluding "Unless you've been shooting digital hoops in a cave for the past few years, you've seen it all before." A reviewer for ''Next Generation'' agreed: "Basically, if you've played ''NBA Jam'', then you've played most of ''NBA Hangtime''." He further criticized that aside from the support for four players without the use of a multitap
:''Multi-tap also refers to a text-entry system for mobile phones.''
A multitap is a video game console peripheral that increases the number of controller ports available to the player, allowing additional controllers to be used in play, similar t ...
, the game make poor use of the Nintendo 64's capabilities, with 2D graphics and a low frame rate. He went so far as to say that the Super NES version of ''NBA Jam'' looks equally good and plays better due to the more appropriate controller.[ The two sports reviewers of '']Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'' had a more middling response. Joe Rybicki, similarly to Gerstmann and ''Next Generation'', said the game "offers basically nothing new, except updated players and bigger character sprites." Co-reviewer Todd Mowatt, while criticizing that the AI tends towards goal-tending, felt the game was an overall improvement over the 16-bit basketball games.[
The PlayStation version was criticized for its long loading times and rampant slowdown, and reviews uniformly recommended buying the Nintendo 64 version instead.] Kraig Kujawa was far more positive about the PC version, saying that it was an accurate conversion, although lamenting that it didn't include online play
An online game is a video game that is either partially or primarily played through the Internet or any other computer network available. Online games are ubiquitous on modern gaming platforms, including PC game, PCs, Console game, consoles and ...
.
In 1997 ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' listed ''NBA Hangtime'' as the 5th best arcade game of all time.
Maximum Hangtime
''NBA Maximum Hangtime'' is an upgrade released in late 1996 to the arcade version of ''NBA Hangtime'' featuring the 1996-1997 NBA rosters. Otherwise, the gameplay is essentially the same except for the addition of a hidden "hot spot" on the court for each player where they shoot more accurately. "Maximum" also has some additional secret codes and hidden players.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nba Hangtime
1996 video games
Arcade video games
Cancelled Game.com games
Funcom games
National Basketball Association video games
PlayStation (console) games
Nintendo 64 games
Sega Genesis games
Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
Video games developed in the United States
Video games scored by Jonathan Hey
Video games with digitized sprites
Windows games
Midway video games
Multiplayer and single-player video games