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Arch Rivals Nintendo

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Score: N/A
Publisher:Acclaim
Year:1990
Languages:English
Developer:Midway
Players:1 - 2 (2 simultaneous)

A predecessor to NBA Jam, Arch Rivals featured 2-on-2 non-traditional basketball action. The player could customize their two-man squad from a roster of eight possible ballers, each with specific strengths.

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Arch Rivals is an alternative, comical take on basketball that was Midway's major arcade basketball title before NBA Jam. The main selling point of the game was the ability to punch opponents during the game as a means of stealing the ball. The game was later ported to the NES, Sega Game Gear, and Sega Genesis.

Some later editions of the game did have some NBA teams in it, such as the Phoenix Suns as selectable characters. And the backboard shattering dunks popularized in the game were carried over to its more influential follow-up, NBA Jam.