95 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
95 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
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JORDAN VS BIRD: ONE ON ONE
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JORDAN VS BIRD is the second installment in the ONE ON ONE basketball
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simulation from Electronic Arts. The original version, of course, paired Julius
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Irving and Larry Bird. Designed by Joe Helleson and Mark Madland, this latest
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edition offers okay graphics, four on-court games between the two superstars, a
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variety of offensive and defensive moves, 4-player Slam Dunk and 3-Point
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contests, four play levels, and joystick control.
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For the most part, JORDAN VS BIRD is a fine program that's lots of fun to play.
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It's evident, though, that "advanced programming techniques" were used in its
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creation, for there are some glaring graphic and joystick glitches, most
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apparent on the Slam Dunk and 3-Point screens. Although these glitches would be
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obvious even to a person with poor eyesight, Electronic Arts felt compelled to
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label them "sprite reusal techniques" in the instruction manual. JB plays all
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right anyway.
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From the Game Options menu, you can select any of four one-on-one games: a full
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game, a 15- or 11-point game, or a warmup. Certain of the following options will
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have to be set, depending on which game you've selected: the player to be
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controlled and the joystick to control him with; the length of a quarter (2, 5,
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8, or 12 minutes); and play level (recreational, varsity, college,
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professional). As many as four can play in the Slam Dunk and 3-Point contests,
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both of which allow warmups. The Slam Dunk competition can be set so that all
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participants attempt to perform a slam identical to Michael's.
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Offensive moves include runs, backward shuffles, jump shots, finger rolls,
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slams, jab steps, and fake jump shots. Defensive moves include steals, blocking
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shots, and rebounds.
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The C64 screen display covers one side of the basketball court, from the
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backboard and net to the 3-point line. The screen scrolls left and right as the
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players dribble around. In a one-on-one game, there is a scoreboard, including a
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24-second clock. Whistles blow to indicate fouls, no time on the shot clock, and
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the end of a period. A Statistics screen appears at the end of each period.
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The Slam Dunk screen is identical to the One-on-One screen, with the exception
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of a strip of black tape indicating the point from which a slam is launched.
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Following each slam attempt, a panel of judges appears and provides a score for
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that attempt (50 is perfect).
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The 3-Point screen adds five racks of five balls each: You have 60 seconds to
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shoot all 25; each ball is worth one point, with the exception of the fifth ball
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of each rack, which is worth two points. When the fifth ball -- the "money" ball
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-- is in the air, the next rack appears, or in this case (thanks to "advanced
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sprite reusal programming techniques"), _seems_ to appear.
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JB is controlled completely with joysticks. Playing against a friend instead of
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the computer requires a second joystick. The stick moves your player in the
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direction you've pushed; diagonal pushes from a standstill cause the player to
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take a jab step; a double click of the button will make the player turn around
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and dribble with his back to the net. A quick press of the button fakes a jump
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shot, and a normal press takes a jump shot, assuming you release the button
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while your player is still in the air. If he doesn't shoot, he'll be called for
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traveling.
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On defense, a double click attempts a steal; a single click attempts to block a
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shot; and, while near a missed shot, a click makes the player jump for a
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rebound.
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The JORDAN VS BIRD package comes with a copy-protected, double-sided disk, a
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Command Summary card for the C64 version, and an instruction manual that has
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lots of interview transcripts with the stars.
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Despite graphic displays that are only fair and definitely glitch-ridden
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(there's an excessive amount of flicker), and despite the joystick's occasional
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refusal to respond on the warmup screens, JORDAN VS BIRD is a good simulation.
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It's not fantastic to look at, but it's a lot of fun to play, if only because of
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the participants.
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There are plenty of slams to practice -- Air Jordans, 360s, rim kisses,
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windmills -- and they're also neat to watch: The Commodore is so lethargic in
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its processing that Michael slams in slo-mo. If you do things correctly in the
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3-Point contest, you can get Larry to pump in shot after shot. He operates in
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slo-mo as well, and he does it all so smoothly and effortlessly. The four pl
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levels allow for sloppiness, so that you can work up to pro at your own pace,
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rather than leaping right in.
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There are additional features available in the IBM-PC version: sound toggle,
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boss button, time out keys, and a keyboard control option. Also available in the
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IBM version is instant replay, which will rerun sequences. It does this in
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slo-mo: Thus, Commodore users won't miss it because their version of the program
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_already_ runs in slo-mo! JORDAN VS BIRD isn't state of the art, regardless of
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its programming.
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Nevertheless, with its different play setups, many game moves, and moderately
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tough joystick control, all built around two of the best players in basketball,
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it provides plenty of fun.
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JORDAN VS BIRD: ONE ON ONE is published and distributed by Electronic Arts.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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