Arch Rivals

Arch Rivals is an American basketball arcade game from Midway Games. The game was released by Midway in 1989. It was billed by Midway as "A Basket Brawl". It has two-on-two full court basketball games in which players are allowed to punch other players and steal the ball from them.

Arch Rivals allows players to select from a variety of fictional teams. But arcade operators can change the team names to reflect real ones. Home versions of the game were put out for the Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear and Nintendo Entertainment System.

The game was considered a precursor to the popular arcade basketball game NBA Jam.

Basketball games generally follow standard rules: a full basketball game has four quarters with four minutes each. Both teams have two players each. A player can call for his teammate to pass him the ball or shoot it.

The difference between Arch Rivals and other basketball game titles is the ability to punch an opponent without any penalty and steal the ball away. The referee will only call shot clock violations.

Also in Arch Rivals are hazards, such as candy wrappers and soda cans thrown onto the floor. If a ball handler steps on these, he falls on the floor. He then allows his opponent to steal the ball from him.

 Players 
There are eight players, each with a unique talent.  They are:

Blade: A crowd pleaser
Hammer: Rebound king
Lewis: Top shooter
Mohawk: Tough & mean
Moose: A real champ
Reggie: All-American
Tyrone: Defensive giant
Vinnie: A great player

Presentation
If a basket is scored (for two or three points), several random scenes may be played. One is the coach yelling at his own players. Another has players from the other team being disgusted. Two scenes have cheerleaders saying: "Yay team!" or "Go team go!"

References

Category:1989 video games
Category:Arcade games
Category:Basketball video games
Category:Game Gear games
Category:Midway video games
Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games
Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games
Category:Sega Genesis games
Category:Video games developed in the United States
Category:Cancelled Master System games