Ultimate Mega Hoops 2 (Free Flash Game Mini-Review)

[Paul Keith]

http://www.ultimatearcade.com/game/ultimate-mega-hoops-2

This game is licensed by the subjot founder (see link) so I apologize if I just sound like a shill now.

Actually flash game reviews is something that I always wanted to do but they can be troublesome because often times someone else have made them already or you can't really anticipate the depth of each game and you're better off getting your impression off a Kongregate comments section just to witness everything from the game's bugs to it's loadings to everything else.

In the case of this game, what makes this special is that it's both a game that has no reviews from DDGoogling it but at the same time, it deserves a review simply for breaking the mold of flash games.

At first the premise of the game seems simple. Just click the link and you'll see. 1 mouse click required.

As the levels become higher though...then you see the innovation. The game may be a pure shooting game but it's a shooting game that truly feels like a basketball game in the sense that moving your mouse feels like a true crossover. The game really has that retro-feel of games of old where the mechanics are simple but something just keeps luring you back to it.

Graphics can be improved but if you're like me and you have been plagued by many inferior sports based flash games especially for the bball genre, this game really shines a positive light on the future of flash basketball games. Concept wise, only my lack of knowledge on how to develop flash games keeps me from ripping this game off to create a true basketball game for flash w/ roster and all that.

[mouser]

I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings but this game doesn't really seem like much of anything..  I don't know Paul..

[Paul Keith]

Don't worry about it. Even the subjot developer said they don't consider it a big deal.

It's why I didn't want an image. Sometimes there are interfaces that you just have to feel rather than expect to look at.

...and sometimes it's not the complete package of a game but the potential plus current mechanics of the game that counts overall which in turn adds to the enjoyment. It also doesn't help that I'm not very good at communicating but there are games where a review can only give clues as to what makes a game special.

If you've never played many flash game basketball games, something like this having potential makes no sense. If you're a graphics kind of guy, something like the granny may make it feel like an ugly mini-game. If you simply expected a decent basketball game, something like it getting the mechanics right won't make up for the lack of dynamics and aesthetics. Let's not even start to consider that many flash gamers prefer more arcade-like games and many people playing basketball video games prefer arcade style basketball games more than sims.

It's a combination of that + what it could be + what basketball really is + the appeal of a flash basketball game finally getting closer to a sim because of a gameplay mechanic that can make the difference between one person liking it and another person feeling it's nothing special...I think.

Another thing going for me is that I remember the potential of games like these two:



http://www.romnation.net/srv/roms/53828/snes204/From-TV-Animation-Slam-Dunk-2-IH-Yosen-Kanzenhan.html



http://www.emuparadise.me/Sega_Saturn_ISOs/Slam_Dunk_-_I_Love_Basketbal_(J)/54494#Download

These were very flawed games and wouldn't be considered sim-like by many of today's gamers but the mechanics were far ahead of the time and the blocking mechanism mimics the flash game except it was more button mashing and hard to pull off where as this game fixes part of the dribble mechanics and is one of the first flash basketball games to match the feel of a full follow through shot that just feels like the shot was smooth but at the same time have a dynamic where you feel like you barely got the shot over the defender to make it rattle in and out.

Just to give people who have played the next gen bball sims but not these games, some of the highlights are:

-The flash game above when it comes to shooting and blocking. If you're the defender you control the timing of a block and depending on how good you are and who is blocking (say a center), you can do a full Dwight Howard like block or just tip the ball where your height determines whether your "fingers" touch the ball and changes the angle.

-Boxing out mechanics. We're not talking about when a shot is made and some animation kicks. We're talking about a full button, Dennis-Rodman-like 90s battle for position where you have to battle for position first and only then grab the rebound.

-True getting past the man - Even sims nowadays try to play a guessing game with the crossovers. If the animation kicks in and the person has a high enough stat, they get past their men. In the above two games, you have to guess the direction of the defender. If you don't, the ball can get stolen/increased chance of travelling/increased chance of setting up the defending blocker to rotate or even a charge although I can't remember if this latter mechanic was in these games.

-True passing lanes: In real basketball, passing lanes are gambles. If you steal that, you can't be in front of your man. In today's basketball sims, they're just a matter of hitting turbo.

-Finally, a sim where position is very very important: Real basketball games may not have the hoop moving, but it might as well be both due to the pace of the NBA and because intelligent people are taught to stay in front of their man at all times. It's what makes the pump fake a very powerful mechanic. In basketball sims, plays are not as important except when initiating screens and pick and rolls unless you put animations that kick in for better players. This means is that if you are playing as Earl Boykins in the NBA shooting over a taller person, this flash game has a far more realistic shooting mechanic than any flash basketball games I've played and any other next gen sims I've played. Finally as a video game player, a mechanic that allows video game skills to simulate real basketball strategy rather than whatever mechanic/dynamic a sim game wants to fit you into.

For comparison:

This is apparently a next gen mod of the same characters in that link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBLBMROAOJo

Notice that despite the pretty graphics and animations, there's a lack of emotion and too much emphasis on shooting.

Even the passes seem to only be difficult when the double team animation kicks in.

This is the gameplay of the first link (gameplay starts @3:10)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x7o4z1SWzk

This is a much faster preview of the gameplay in the same game but the players are already fatigued hence the character portraits look like zombies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP2xSM3y4sI

Couldn't find a youtube for the Saturn version so here's a screenshot.