NBA Hangtime on N64 is pure arcade insanity! Two-on-two action, huge airtime dunks, and being literally on fire...it's the perfect game for quick, over-the-top basketball action. The create-a-player mode adds some replay value, but it lacks the depth of a traditional sim. If you're looking for a nostalgic blast of '90s arcade sports with friends, NBA Hangtime is still a ton of fun.
Hot take- Hangtime was far superior to NBA Jam. I feel like Jam gets boosted by nostalgia glasses, but Hangtime does everything Jam does but better. More NBA players, deeper attributes, a better soundtrack and creatable players. You could create a character named Large Marge. Laaaaarrrrge Marge from downtown!
I did not care about basketball as a child until Space Jam came out, and then I really cared about basketball - at least the fake version of it. NBA Hangtime scratched that itch perfectly. Why even play other basketball games that don't let you do a flying quadruple flip dunk from half court using a character that vaguely resembles Mario?
The Nintendo 64’s first basketball is a straight up arcade conversion, which means there’s nothing to the game except matches and very few options. It’s a 2-on-2 basketball game where scoring is so east that most games will be back and forth of constant scoring from both teams.
With four players, you might find a bit of fun, but this is the kind of game best suited left in the arcades, as it’s something that can be fun for a quick go, but playing for more than a few minutes quickly wears thin. For an arcade game, it’s fine. For a console game, it’s pretty terrible. I know that some people love this game, but it really needed a lot more to it.
With four players, you might find a bit of fun, but this is the kind of game best suited left in the arcades, as it’s something that can be fun for a quick go, but playing for more than a few minutes quickly wears thin. For an arcade game, it’s fine. For a console game, it’s pretty terrible. I know that some people love this game, but it really needed a lot more to it.
The Hyper Fighting of NBA Jam - it's fast, like too fast, I'm talking 'pass from half court and the ball out-races the camera' fast. It's maybe too excessive, but that's what I admire about it. The best sequels iterate without replacing, and this breakneck ice-fest is a great complement to Jam's sharper arcade methodology.
Proof the N64 could pull off a basically arcade perfect port, including sound. This game had MUCH better sound than MK Trilogy, which just proves that the developers of MKT were rushed/lazy, and THAT'S why it practically sounds like MK3 on SNES/Genesis.
As for Hangtime itself, it's a great game, looks great, sounds great, controls well. The only real knock I'd give it, which is a knock against the arcade NBA Jam/Hangtime/Showtime as well, is that the AI, especially late in the game, is a MASSIVE dick. Midway had a real issue with that. BUT, as a multiplayer game, it's pretty fantastic.
The N64 certainly was lacking in certain genres, but one major edge it had, was built-in 4 player readiness. And being able to play a game like Hangtime, 4 player with your friends, is invaluable.
As for Hangtime itself, it's a great game, looks great, sounds great, controls well. The only real knock I'd give it, which is a knock against the arcade NBA Jam/Hangtime/Showtime as well, is that the AI, especially late in the game, is a MASSIVE dick. Midway had a real issue with that. BUT, as a multiplayer game, it's pretty fantastic.
The N64 certainly was lacking in certain genres, but one major edge it had, was built-in 4 player readiness. And being able to play a game like Hangtime, 4 player with your friends, is invaluable.