Supreme Court Basketball review - Sega Megadrive

Order! Order! The Supreme Court is now in session and ten men stand in the dock accused of sweating profusely. Their defence? well, they're basketball players and are in fact perfectly entitled to perspire on the particular court in question.

Get the rack out and stretch those legs because Supreme Court Basketball enters the fast, skillful and often frantic world of... well, basketball! There are four teams to choose, each with their fair share of good and bad points. One team might be strong in defence, another might be sharp on the break, but generally they're all evenly matched. Good player selection is essential if opponent's weaknesses are to be exploited, and players too have their good and bad points.

After the jump off it's a matter of effective dribbling, quick passes and accurate shooting on the offence, and determined marking, blocking and stealing on the defence. If a player can get close enough to the basket, a dunk will make sure of two points, but on more desperate occasions the risky three pointer might prove necessary. At the end of the day a can of stay-dry deodorant is recommended!

What the Mean Machines staff thought

At the start I found the cut-view irritating to say the least. Every time a player crosses the halfway line with the ball I had to change his direction to compensate for the change in angle. Another gripe of mine is that Supreme Court basketball fails to capture the razzamataz of the game, in the way that Super Real Basketball did/ The action is viewed from too far away which means the excitement of dunking is lost. It's a shame because the animation and graphics are excellent, and the sound is spot on, right down to the basketball boots squeaking on the court surface. While the balance between the teams makes the games competitive, I'd have preferred more teams of varying quality so that when you get really good you can try to beat the best sides with the worst. Supreme Court Basketball is good, but if you want the best, get Super Real Basketball or wait for the forthcoming Bulls Vs Lakers from EA.

Supreme Court Basketball certainly scores highly for innovation, departing from the usual diagonally scrolling view of other Megadrive basketball games. The halfway line screen switch is irritating at first, but once you get used to this the viewpoint works well, and this is complemented by some stunning animation and great effects. The only real problems with Supreme Court are the poorly worked defensive strategies - it's just a little too tricky to perform pinpoint blocking and stealing. Also the lack of room for a running game is a source of irritation. The only tactic that is really effective is the long-ball pass, which takes some of the excitement out of the game. Supreme Court Basketball is a very good game, it's just a shame that there wasn't a little more thought put into the tactical side of things.