Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs

Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs, later released in Japan as NBA Pro Basketball: Bulls vs Blazers and the NBA Playoffs, is a 1993 basketball video game produced by Don Traeger and developed by Electronic Arts and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A later Mega Drive version was released under the title Bulls versus Blazers and the NBA Playoffs,[1] later released in Japan as NBA Playoffs: Bulls vs Blazers.

Bulls vs. Blazers and
the NBA Playoffs
European Mega Drive cover featuring (left to right): Terry Porter, Horace Grant, Scottie Pippen, Clifford Robinson, Kevin Duckworth and Will Perdue
Developer(s)Electronic Arts
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Composer(s)Michael Bartlow
SeriesNBA Playoffs
Platform(s)Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super NES
Release1992
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

The game is the sequel to Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs. Like its predecessor, the game's title refers to the previous season's NBA championship series, the 1992 NBA Finals match-up between the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers.

This game was inspired by the rivalry of two of the best in the league with Clyde Drexler and Michael Jordan as the Bulls look to three-peat.

It is the first EA basketball game to feature in-game advertisements featuring the company's "EA Sports" logo.

Gameplay

The game can be played in various ways: players can play against each other, or against the computer. Games against the computer were divided into two modes, "Exhibition" or "Playoffs". Players can pick from one of the 16 teams that had competed in the 1992 NBA Playoffs. Games can be configured for 2, 5, 8 or 12 minute quarters.

The game was the first NBA game to feature the entire rosters of each NBA Franchise at the time, including the recent expansion teams of Minnesota, Orlando, Miami, and Charlotte, as well as the full rosters of both All Star teams from the 1992 NBA All-Star Game.[2]

The game is also notable for being the last in EA's Playoffs series to feature Charles Barkley, as he began holding out on signing a licensing agreement due to the lack of pay to retired players from the National Basketball Players Association the following year.[3][4]

Marquee Shots

Each team featured a star player with a signature move known as a "Marquee Shot". These shots were difficult to perform, and only occurred when a player would press the "A" button under the right circumstances. A list of each player's "Marquee Shot" was posted in the instruction manual, and some fan favorites included: Michael Jordan's "Free-Throw Line" dunk, Larry Bird's "Turn-Around" Fadeaway Jumper, Magic Johnson's "Fake No-Look Pass" Lay Up, Tim Hardaway's "UTEP Two-step" Killer Crossover, Shawn Kemp's "Off-the-Glass" Back-Jam, Larry Nance's "Around the World" Slam, Mookie Blaylock's "Spinning 360" Layup, Billy Owens' "Alley Oop Tomahawk" Jam, and Karl Malone's "Special Delivery In-Your-Face" Slam Dunk. [5]

Teams

Eastern Conference:

Western Conference:

Reception

Super Gamer reviewed the SNES version and gave an overall score of 79% writing: "A comprehensive Basketball sim with great FX and music. Unfortunately, it runs too slowly."[6] In 2018, Complex placed the game 95th on their "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time".[7]

References
  1. The game itself uses "VS.". Unsure whether to use or not.
  2. "Bulls Vs Blazers Player Manual, Page 56" (PDF). Classic Reload.
  3. "NBA Live 95 is the Greatest Basketball Video Game of All-Time". NBA.com.
  4. "Charles Barkley will not appear in 'NBA 2K' unless game publisher pays NBPA". Sporting News. 12 August 2021.
  5. "Bulls Vs Blazers Player Manual, Page 27" (PDF). Classic Reload.
  6. "Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs Review". Super Gamer. United Kingdom: Paragon Publishing (2): 122. May 1994. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  7. Rich, Knight (April 30, 2018). "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time". Complex. Archived from the original on 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
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