''NBA ShootOut'' (Known as ''Total NBA '96'' in Europe and Japan) is a

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

video game developed by SCE Studios Soho and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively 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 ...

. The cover features

Sam Cassell Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former point guard who serves as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 24th overall i ...

of the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

Gameplay

''NBA ShootOut'' is a game using polygon players and motion-captured animation. The game features 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 ...

. The demo of the European version of the game, (Total NBA '96) also contains additional hidden characters not available in the final game.

Reception

''NBA ShootOut'' was well received, with the ''

Official UK PlayStation Magazine An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their s ...

'' awarding 9/10 and a Starplayer award. They praised the motion capture and the playability. While he noted sometimes inaccurate controls and glitchy sound effects, Scary Larry of ''

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'' gave the game a strong recommendation, citing the roster of real players, realistic features, beautiful polygonal graphics, and fluid animation. He commented that the game is much more realistic than ''

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'', but has an arcade mode to satisfy ''Jam'' enthusiasts. 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 ...

'' gave the game similar scores (8.0 and 7.5 out of 10) but were sharply divided in their opinions. Both agreed that the graphics are impressive, but Dindo Perez argued that "Shootout should have played greater emphasis on gameplay", saying it is not realistic enough, whereas Video Cowboy asserted "the game has solid gameplay and a big-league look." A reviewer for ''

Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...

'' shared in the general enthusiasm for the game's graphics and animation, but also noted that they come at the cost of prominent slowdown, detracting from the feel of the game. However, he felt the gameplay was decent and the options and player roster were impressive, and concluded "''NBA Shoot Out'' doesn't unseat ''

NBA Live 96 ''NBA Live 96'' is the second installment of the ''NBA Live'' video game series published by EA Sports and released on November 30, 1995. The PC and PlayStation covers feature Shaquille O'Neal of the Orlando Magic, while the Super Nintendo Entert ...

'' as the basketball sim champ, but it has definitely raised the stakes for next year's battle." He gave it three out of five stars. In 1996,

GamesMaster ''GamesMaster'' is a British television programme which originally aired on Channel 4 from 1992 to 1998. In 2021, it returned for a new series on YouTube and E4. It was the first UK television programme dedicated to video games. Dominik Diam ...

ranked the game 88th on their "Top 100 Games of All Time." The first ''NBA ShootOut'' ''(Total NBA ' 96)'' was a major hit in Europe, and moderately successful in North America.

Notes

References

External links

* {{NBA ShootOut 1996 video games Multiplayer and single-player video games National Basketball Association video games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation (console)-only games Sony Interactive Entertainment games Video games developed in the United Kingdom