The Megadrive/Genesis version of NBA Live 98 was developed by Tiertex and Electronic Arts and published by THQ in 1997. It is the fourth instalment in the NBA Live series and was the final NBA Live game to appear on Sega‘s 16-bit console.

NBA Live 98 on the Megadrive features an isometric viewpoint and one or two-player action on a scrolling basketball court. The game has a practice mode (including 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 practice games), an exhibition mode (a one-off game), a season mode (where you play an entire season), a playoff mode, and continue a saved game.

There’s roster setup with real NBA players (although Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls is missing due to rights issues), rules (arcade, custom, or simulation), game level (with four difficulty levels: rookie, starter, all star and an unlockable ‘superstar’ level), replays, stats, and even trivia.

NBA Live 98 introduced the “Total Control” system which allows the player to choose specific moves at the press of a button, or to fake moves, or use features like ‘player lock’ (which allows you to always control a specific player on court).

New game modes include “GM Mode” which allows you to create a custom season, and “Three-Point Shootout”, which can be played either full or split-screen.

NBA Live 98 has improved AI (over previous NBA games) and is playable and fun – especially two-player. It’s arguably the pinnacle of 2D basketball games, before they went 3D.

More: NBA Live 98 on Wikipedia