Omni-Play Basketball

Sport 1989 Dos Virgin Interactive Basketball

Shoot some hoops

The legendary basketball player Magic Johnson has lent his name to a handful of games over the years, with Fast Break and Super Slam Dunk alongside this one (which is also known as Omni-Play Basketball). None of them are exactly classic examples of the sporting genre, but they're all decent enough with this one especially providing some fun and fast-paced action. There are two main modes of gameplay on offer here, with one offering a pretty detailed and complete league-style game, and which can be played by one or two humans (with the latter generally providing the best way to enjoy things). The second mode is perhaps better when you're in the mood for some faster shooting fun as it makes use of an alternate movement and shooting system which is designed to maximize the game's pace. There's a fairly extensive range of options which can be tweaked to suit your preferences, such as match length, kit colors and skill level, while there are also some quite detailed historical stats if you're into that sort of thing. On the whole, this is a solid if unspectacular basketball sim. The league mode is quite compelling and it's satisfying to watch your team move up the ranks, while the range of moves on offer in both modes is quite wide and which makes for an enjoyable take on the sport. The controls are flexible and intuitive and you should be able to pick things up and start slam dunking pretty quickly but they're never so easy that it doesn't feel challenging. If you are looking for a change from NBA Live or NBA Jam, by all means take a look here but don't expect to have your world set on fire.

Managerial/action basketball elements, relatively well produced

In Omni-Play Basketball you will sink into quite a few different threads of basketball, from the very simple and very classic type of action basketball delivered arcade style, as well as another layer of strategic/tactics/management that makes the core action gameplay feel a bit more controlled. What this entails is that you can manage the way your players use the space of the terrain and so, you are a lot more in control of how the game is like. Another interesting addition that the game offers is the fact that it is heavily influenced by ideas from Magic Johnson, a great late 80s player, which added more than just his name to the game. So, if you like not so polished 2D 8bit styled basketball games, this one is one of the best ones. It's also great and fortunate that Omni-Play Basketball plays really well, is polished, with what feels as 8bit styled character movements taken from reality and a sufficient roaster of animation frames. So give it a try, it sure is worth it! Alternatively, see also Magic Johnson's Fast Break, a bit more modern graphically and a lot more arcade styled, though of the same era play wise.

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