Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs

The Good
The Genesis version of Lakers vs. Celtics is not as good as the DOS original. However the game is not without merits as it was the first game that brought a semi-realistic NBA experience to a home console. It was the first game with full rosters for eight of the best teams in the league and the players looked somewhat like their real-life counterpart (Jordan has a bald head, Worthy wears a pair of goggles and Majerle has a sun-tanned skin from living in Phoenix). It just is more fun to play with the real stars than with generic made up players. Since I am someone who is very interested in the NBA basketball and its history it was interesting to see who played for which team during the 1989-1990 season. Of course most people couldn't care less about this.

When comparing the two versions, I must admit the Genesis version has some new features which I wish were in the DOS original:

• This version has player portraits for the starting five of each team.
• Players can now foul out (the game remembers the number of fouls each player has), which adds some realism.
• More unique signature moves for some of the star players.
• Different home- and away-jerseys and animated coaches who pace up and down the sideline, grab their head when you miss a shot or cheer when you hit one.
• The TV like presentation of the game has been improved. At halftime the TV host comments on a short highlight clip from another game that is "currently" being played, which is a nice touch.
• The Genesis version has voice samples for the referee. He yells for instance "charging", "foul", "travelling" when he makes a decision.

The Bad
Lakers vs. Celtics for the Genesis is not a port of the DOS original but seems to be programmed from scratch. Unfortunately the engine behind this game performs very poorly. While the original was a fast-paced the this version plays rather sluggish. If one takes a look at the screenshots, he might think the graphics are acceptable for an early Genesis title. However the character animation is not fluent at all. It takes quite some time to run from one side of the court to the other and the controls also feel a bit clumsy & sluggish.

The gameplay itself is also very disappointing. There are no tactics whatsoever. Gameplay consists of running (actually jogging would be a better description) to one side of the court and dunking the ball into the net and running back to watch the computer dunk the ball into your net. Every single 48-minute game ends with a 160-172 score or something like that. The possibilities for playing defense are almost non-existent. Whenever the computer (or you, but the computer does it all the time) has the ball near the free throw line, an unstoppable dunk animation starts and the A.I. dunks straight through your defenders like they don't exist. Blocking a shot is very difficult and when you try to steal a ball or simply try to stay in front of your opponent you often receive a personal foul. On the showtime! difficulty setting my players were often in foul trouble. Rebounding isn't implemented very well either. When a lot of players are present underneath the basket it is hard to tell what's going on and jumping doesn't really seem to improve your chances of ending up with the ball. It's not uncommon to have a single attacking player grab 3 or 4 offensive rebounds in a row.

A.I. controlled players often don't even try to defend a player who isn't playing on the same position (a center only stays with an opposing center, won't defend a shooting guard etc.). The computer defends by putting a man in front of you. There isn't a way to dribble past a defender, cause the game lacks a dribble or turbo button. So usually you just pass the ball to your center or one of your forwards in the paint who then makes a dunk. Guards, who usually have a longer range on their jump shot, play a limited role in this game (except maybe for a star like Jordan or Drexler who can even dunk from beyond the free throw line). Why run the risk of missing a 3-pointer when you can just dunk the ball? The role of the guards is reduced to giving the ball to the center or one of the forwards.

• The music is extremely loud and noisy. Fortunately it can be turned off. I can't imagine someone would actually leave it on while he plays a game.
• Like I mentioned above, the referee seems a bit too harsh. You're called for charging way too often. It's especially annoying that when you try to launch a jump shot near the basket your player for some reason bumps into his defender and you receive a charging foul. Even more annoying is that this almost never happens to the computer.
• When you're fouled while going for a 3-pointer you only get to take two free throws.
• You get to take free throws after every foul, regardless of your position on the court. This should only happen after the fifth team foul.
• The player you control only distinguishes himself from the other players by wearing black shoes instead of white ones. It can be difficult to notice this.
• The A.I. never calls for a time out and some players are still tired after sitting on the bench for an entire quarter.

The Bottom Line
This is the first of four NBA Basketball games for the Genesis (& SNES) by EA based on the very enjoyable Lakers vs. Celtics for DOS. It is also definitely the worst one of the series which also includes: Bulls vs. Lakers, Bulls vs. Blazers and NBA Showdown. All kinds of features were added over the years like: game stats, a co-operative mode, a replay mode, more teams and the ability to play an entire season. The speed of the game engine also improved as the series progressed and by the time NBA Showdown was released the speed was actually pretty acceptable. However it wasn't until EA started over with NBA Live that the gameplay of their basketball games improved dramatically.

The Good
How it was one of the early licensed NBA team game at the time for the early 1990's. But not really nothing really good about the game.

The Bad
The gameplay runs slow and boring making it not capturing the sport. You don't know which player who you are, there isn't no star or circle under the player for a reason, but your only hope is to look their socks and shoes. They didn't get the rules right for fouls and free throws are random and no gauge for your throw for hit or miss. The music is not really fitting for a basketball game and no fitting sound effects.

The Bottom Line
The entire series is not worth playing for any sports fan or casual gamers. Each of these games by EA are the same and boring. A bad cash-in for the NBA for a complete insult. Stay away from this garbage...