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| Michael Jordan Chaos in the Windy City | Super NES | |
| Review by Kevin Oleniacz | Nintendo | Platform |
| Overall: 8 | ||
Big name endorsements are often supported by a great deal of hype. I don’t know if this title was practically invisible because of the emergence of 32 bit platforms or because it developed into a platform game rather than a basketball sim. Nevertheless, it’s a true closet classic containing a satisfying blend of variety and well-placed creativity.
Controlling a caricature of MJ, your goal is to release fellow basketball players imprisoned behind locked doors underneath the streets of Chicago. Your nemesis, Dr. Max Cranium, has unleashed his cronies and bosses throughout four levels, each consisting of several stages. Your lone defense, a basketball, is constantly dribbled while travelling (no relation to the foul of the same name). It can be used as a projectile or slam dunked into backboards scattered along each level, brininging power-ups or time freezes. The selection of obtainable weapons are also in the form of basketballs: flame and ice balls, "guided missile" balls, rebounding balls, and balls which pass through solid walls.
I have two nits. First, it’s too easy to rack up 1-ups and power-ups. All you need to do is ride the train which connects each level and collect them. Second, when a special power-up is collected, your new weapon is automatically selected. It’s a pain to scroll through the inventory without wasting power-ups when caught in a situation that requires a quick reaction. The control of a realistic, identifiable character in unusual situtations does enhance the appeal of this game, though, and sets it apart from other platformers. The graphics are, for the most part, well done and the sounds are realistic. It’s a really good find among the bargain bins cropping up lately full of SNES games.