NBA IN THE ZONE ¿98 is a traditional five-on-five basketball game that follows the lead of its predecessors, NBA IN THE ZONE and NBA IN THE ZONE 2. In the original game, the emphasis was on an arcade look and feel. NBA IN THE ZONE '98 advances the series' evolution by leaning towards more of a basketball simulation. New options include an on-the-fly play-calling system as well as statistical tracking, which not only keeps season stats but also charts league leaders in various categories. You can also take on a friend in Versus mode and see who is really in the zone; with two multitaps, up to eight people can play at one time.
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With ISS64, Konami gave the N64 a solid start with Football games on the N64. Their take on Basketball is the first serious take on the sport on the N64, so you would hope for similar results. Unfortunately, NBA In the Zone 98 (or NBA Pro 98 in Europe) bounces off the basket rim and just misses the mark.
Everything in NBA In The Zone feels slow and clunky, even swapping players seems unreliable. Helpful AI-controlled teammates are also an important part in sports games, and for a game like baseball it seems vital, but anyone you don’t control may as well not be there. From what little I know about Basketball, getting your players in a defensive position is a necessary part of the game, especially as you can’t tackle directly, but defending may as well not exist in this game.
After FIFA 98, the players also seem extremely outdated, with stick arms and legs, looking more like abstract monstrosities than human. The courts and crowds also look rather flat, resulting in a game that’s just janky and ugly.
Everything in NBA In The Zone feels slow and clunky, even swapping players seems unreliable. Helpful AI-controlled teammates are also an important part in sports games, and for a game like baseball it seems vital, but anyone you don’t control may as well not be there. From what little I know about Basketball, getting your players in a defensive position is a necessary part of the game, especially as you can’t tackle directly, but defending may as well not exist in this game.
After FIFA 98, the players also seem extremely outdated, with stick arms and legs, looking more like abstract monstrosities than human. The courts and crowds also look rather flat, resulting in a game that’s just janky and ugly.
Below average NBA licensed game for the Nintendo 64. Fairly easy to get past CPU in normal difficulty levels (hold dash/turbo, zigzag around defenders, dunk -- rinse and repeat). NBA Courtside is the much superior basketball game for the Nintendo 64.