My Played Video Games Review: Arch Rivals for the Sega Genesis

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Arch Rivals is a basketball action, arcade game released by US video game development company Midway in 1989. A home console version of the game was released for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive as well in 1992.

I remember making bets and playing this with my friends with a bootleg copy during the early 1990s. It was pretty good fun because it was a little bit violent.

The Story

The intense arcade action between the Arch Rivals is smoking because tonight there are no fouls! WTF?!? NO FOULS? That is damn right. No friggin' fouls.

This is an alternate basketball where breaking the rules is part of the rules! If you cannot block a shot - knock your damn opponent's block off. Arch Rivals also takes real basketball skills like passing, shooting the ball, that ball handling, slam dunking, and those three point shots.

It ain't not just basketball... it is now called basketbrawl!

Sega Genesis box and cartridge of the game (Image source)

The Graphics and Sound

The graphics in this game look like the arcade version. They are good at the least. Funny thing is, the players look a little bit like they have breast implants. Since the players are always moving, it is sort of hard to notice. I am sure the graphics team did their best squeezing what they can on the Sega Genesis.

The in-game music is kind of on the bland side. It feels as if the sound development team rushed it. The sound effects are kind of well done. You get all of the voices and other things. Nice to hear the basketball players communicating to each other. Overall, the music and sound is pretty decent, but nothing too memorable to be instantly recognizable as that game's music.

Gameplay video sample of Arch Rivals on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.

The Gameplay

The goal is to accumulate plenty of points as possible. You must run as close as you can to the ball basket and shoot your ball, hopefully, through the hoop. If it misses, one of the rival opponents will get the ball. Funny thing is, you can punch/slide into an opponent to slow them down. Your CPU opponent is kind of dumb but they shoot well. In order to block the opponents from scoring, you have to be in the damn right place in order to jump and block the ball.

The controls are responsive. "A" button is for ball shooting. "B" does passing the ball to team mate or for punches if you don't have the ball. "C" is for jump blocks. You only got to be in a specific spot to block the opponents from scoring.

Replay value is average. You might want play against a 2nd player friend to make it a bit more fun.

My Verdict

Arch Rivals has flaws with its artificial intelligence which may turn off some gamers. If you can get a second player, the game can be more enjoyable. More teams, more character players, more colors, and the ability to select your team would have made it better. But still, it is enjoyable as a sports game and could have been the spiritual ancestor of the NBA Jam series.

Go and try it out on the iconic Sega Genesis/Mega Drive or play it on easy emulators.

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