It wouldn't be fair if Midway didn't produce its over-the-top sports games for all the consoles. While some may have grown tired of the exaggerated play featured in games like NBA Jam and NFL Blitz, some are just stumbling onto the genre for the first time. For these people, Midway is making sure to release its new b-ball incarnation, NBA Hoopz, on every console minus the quickly fading Nintendo 64. While it's obvious that the game runs on the same graphics engine no matter what console it's on, the PlayStation 2 version represents the most accurate rendition of the NBA Jam series yet to hit a console.

Though there might be some people who are just getting their feet wet in the pool that is Midway sports games, the Jam and Blitz franchises have plenty of return customers. For this group, Midway has added some new features to NBA Hoopz to keep things moving forward. The most obvious change is the addition of another player. Instead of the traditional two-on-two gameplay of past installments in the Showtime and Jam series, it's now three-on-three. This makes alley-oops much more likely, and getting an open jump shot no longer requires a dizzying string of passes. Midway has also added an impressive list of minigames including 21, around the world, the three-point shootout, and 2 ball. Playing the minigames against the computer can be a drag, but against another human opponent, they can be a great deal of fun.

In addition to these new modes, Midway has also included the obligatory season, exhibition, and tournament modes. Seasons of 14, 28, 56, and 82 games are available; six players may partake in the exhibition mode with two Multitaps; and the tournament mode is available for up to eight teams. There's even a simplistic create-a-player mode that lets you mutate current players into the form of your choice. You are given attribute points to allocate however you see fit, and additional attribute points are awarded for winning three games or answering trivia questions correctly. You are also given two privileges that let you hide your turbo meter or disguise your players' attributes. More privileges are awarded as you rack up the victories.

As each game begins, you must choose three players from one team. Though the positions are listed as guard, forward, and center, you can put any player in any position you wish. If you like to light it up from the outside, you may select three guards for your team. Conversely, if you would rather dominate the paint, you can choose a team full of centers and forwards. As the game is loading, you can attempt to input codes that let you play the game with special features like big heads, the ABA basketball, or gameplay-altering AI tweaks.

Once the play commences, the control is fairly simple. The basics of passing, shooting, and playing defense are easy to come to grips with, but advanced controls like clearing out the lane, doing double dunks, and performing alley-oops take some practice. If you pass while going up for a slam, double dunks may be performed. If you see a player flash while jumping to the rim, alley-oops can be executed by quickly pressing the pass button. Blocking shots is accomplished by simply timing your jump. New to the series this year is the hoopz button. The hoopz button lets you back a defender down into the paint and perform post-up moves while under the basket. Fouling is usually overlooked in most Midway sports games, but if you're too overzealous in NBA Hoopz, the other team will end up at the charity stripe.