USA Pro Basketball

PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 · 1989 · JP

Also known as: Takin' It To The Hoop · Takin' It to the Hoop (US)

Publisher: NEC · Developer: Aicom Corporation · Genre: Sports

Takin' it to the Hoop is a basketball game with comic graphics. The player either participates in a league, play-offs or a single match and chooses one of eight American teams with twelve athletes. The team's performance during a match does not only depend on the player's ability but also on the athlethe's statistics (e.g. agility or dribbling) and their energy. Energy decreases during the course of a match and describes how much power an athlete has left. There are also three different defense tactics (one-on-one defense, zone defense or a mix between the two) which can be set before the match or during interceptions. During the matches, the player controls the ball carrier when in offense and manually switches between athletes when in defense. Passes can be performed in a high or low variation. While most of the match is shown in a slightly heightened side-scrolling perspective, the game switches to a close-up view during a penalty throw or a dunking try. Here the player needs to press a button at the correct timing for a successful throw. When a defense athlete is nearby during a during maneuver, he has the opportunity to block the ball when the correct timing is met.