Basketball is an Atari 2600 video game written by Alan Miller and published by Atari, Inc. in 1978.[1] The cartridge presents a simple game of one-on-one basketball playable by one or two players, one of the few early Atari 2600 titles to have a single-player mode with an AI-controlled opponent. Miller wrote a version of Basketball for the Atari 8-bit family with improved graphics, published in 1979. That same year, an arcade version similar to the computer port was released by Atari but in black and white.
At the start of the game, both players are at the center of the court. A jump ball is thrown between them to begin play. The player in the offensive position (i.e. in possession of the ball) always faces a basket representing the assigned shooting target, and defensive players always face the opponent. Each player can move in eight directions with the joystick; the player with the ball constantly dribbles it. The defensive player may steal the ball when it leaves the opponent's hands (either in mid-dribble or mid-shot).
After either player scores, the shooter is reset to the center of the court and becomes the defensive player (defending the opponent) while the former defender is set under the basket to inbound the ball and take an offensive chance. The player with the highest score after four minutes is the winner.
The game features two difficulty levels using the Difficulty Switch on the Atari 2600. In "B" position, the player can move from goal to goal much more quickly than the "A" position.[2]
Receptionedit
In Video magazine's "Arcade Alley" review column, reviewers described it as "that rare game that plays well solitaire or with a human opponent," and noted that "the game definitely captures the flavor of basketball." The "fan's eye perspective" was singled out for particular praise, and the game as a whole was found to "offer the most exciting four minutes of one-on-one hoop action [the reviewers had] seen so far."[3]: 43
Legacyedit
In the 1980 comedy filmAirplane!, flight controllers are seen playing Atari 2600 Basketball rather than watching the monitor.
Referencesedit
^ abHague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
^Kunkel, Bill; Laney, Frank T. II (Summer 1979). "Arcade Alley: Atari Video Computer System". Video. Reese Communications. 2 (3): 42, 43, and 66. ISSN 0147-8907.
External linksedit
Basketball for the Atari 2600 at Atari Mania
Basketball for the Atari 8-bit family at Atari Mania
basketball, 1978, video, game, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, basketball, 1978, video, game, news, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Basketball 1978 video game news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Basketball is an Atari 2600 video game written by Alan Miller and published by Atari Inc in 1978 1 The cartridge presents a simple game of one on one basketball playable by one or two players one of the few early Atari 2600 titles to have a single player mode with an AI controlled opponent Miller wrote a version of Basketball for the Atari 8 bit family with improved graphics published in 1979 That same year an arcade version similar to the computer port was released by Atari but in black and white BasketballDeveloper s Atari Inc Publisher s Atari Inc Designer s Alan Miller 1 Programmer s Atari 2600 8 bitAlan MillerPlatform s Atari 2600 Atari 8 bitRelease1978 26001979 8 bitGenre s SportsMode s Single player two player Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Reception 3 Legacy 4 References 5 External linksGameplay edit nbsp ScreenshotAt the start of the game both players are at the center of the court A jump ball is thrown between them to begin play The player in the offensive position i e in possession of the ball always faces a basket representing the assigned shooting target and defensive players always face the opponent Each player can move in eight directions with the joystick the player with the ball constantly dribbles it The defensive player may steal the ball when it leaves the opponent s hands either in mid dribble or mid shot After either player scores the shooter is reset to the center of the court and becomes the defensive player defending the opponent while the former defender is set under the basket to inbound the ball and take an offensive chance The player with the highest score after four minutes is the winner The game features two difficulty levels using the Difficulty Switch on the Atari 2600 In B position the player can move from goal to goal much more quickly than the A position 2 Reception editIn Video magazine s Arcade Alley review column reviewers described it as that rare game that plays well solitaire or with a human opponent and noted that the game definitely captures the flavor of basketball The fan s eye perspective was singled out for particular praise and the game as a whole was found to offer the most exciting four minutes of one on one hoop action the reviewers had seen so far 3 43 Legacy editIn the 1980 comedy film Airplane flight controllers are seen playing Atari 2600 Basketball rather than watching the monitor References edit a b Hague James The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers Atari 2600 Manuals HTML Basketball Atari Atari Age Kunkel Bill Laney Frank T II Summer 1979 Arcade Alley Atari Video Computer System Video Reese Communications 2 3 42 43 and 66 ISSN 0147 8907 External links editBasketball for the Atari 2600 at Atari Mania Basketball for the Atari 8 bit family at Atari Mania Basketball at the Killer List of Videogames Basketball at Arcade History Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Basketball 1978 video game amp oldid 1124110840, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
