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Basketball
For the Atari 2600
General FAQ
Last Updated 7/17/04
Version 1.0
Written & Compiled by "TestaALT"
Email address
[email protected]
This file is Copyright (c) 2004 Andrew "TestaALT" Testa. All rights reserved.
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The latest version of this guide can be found at:
http:\\www.gamefaqs.com
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Table of Contents:
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I. Version History
II. Introduction
II. Controls
III. Overview
IV. Strategies
V. Frequently Asked Questions
VI. Credits
VII. Legal Disclaimer
VIII. Contact Information
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I. Version History
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Version 1.0 (07/17/04): First posted version of the guide.
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II. Introduction
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The Atari 2600 game is not all that bad, really. The game has some minor
flaws but it is fun to play and has good replay value. Let's get to stuff you
should know about guides. When you press Control and F simultaneously the
Find system will pop up. You can find sections by copying the name in and
pressing enter. Also, don't print out this guide unless you want to kill
trees. Just save it in your friendly notepad and look at it when you need it.
I dedicate this guide to all those Atari 2600 gamers out there. There isn't
many.
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III. Controls
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This section basically explains to you the controls of the game.
Fire Button: Allows you to shoot for the basket if you have the ball. Hold
down to throw the ball farther. You can jump when you don't
have the ball.
Joystick: Allows you to move around the court.
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IV. Overview
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Basketball is a sport that has been played for a very, very long time. The
goal is to try to get as many points as possible through throwing the ball
into a basket. Baskets are on opposite sides of the court and each player
has his own basket. You try to defend your basket and get the ball. Then you
can go down to the other end of the court and try to get a shot on yourself.
You can play to set points or an actual timed game. Here is a aerial view of
the playing field:
______________________________
| | |
| | |
| /|\ |
Basket -> |+ | | | +| <- Basket
| \|/ |
| | |
| | |
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
As you can see, the playing field and objective are fairly simple; dodge past
your opponent and try to get the ball in the basket. There are some rules,
however. First off, at the beginnig of the game the ball is always tossed up
in the center to give each team an equal chance. You can't go outside the
court or you are "out of bounds," and the other team will automatically get
the ball if you do this. That's basically it, since you can't foul anyone in
this game. (Dang.)
Let's do a small game to see if you can understand better. We'll say that
John is playing against Joe in a 5-point game. The ball is tossed up and Joe
gets it. He does a move and gets around John to score. John gets the ball and
throws it at half court. Needless to say, it is an "airball" and doesn't hit
the board and goes out of bounds. Joe gets it, drives down the court, and
shoots but misses off the rim. John is there and gets it before Joe does then
runs back to get a basket himself. This flow will continue throughout the
game until one man scores five points.
What separates this game from any other two dimensional basketball game is
how you shoot the ball. See, the longer you hold down the Action Button the
farther the ball will go. This can be good and bad. It adds depth to the game
and makes it harder. However, most of the time you will want to go for easy
two pointers and just tap the Action Button. This does add depth to the game,
however.
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V. Strategies
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This section will give you all the strategies that I used throughout playing
this game. Most of these strategies are common sense.
O------------------O
| Getting the Ball |
O------------------O
a) You can get the ball on the toss up by jumping to get it fast enough. This
only happens at the beginning of the game.
b) Steal the ball from the opponent. There are a number of ways that you can
do this. Notely, you just run up to the adversary and the game will take
the ball if your arm is at the ball. I find the best way to get the ball
is to corner your opponent. That way, when he tries to move out of his
corner it will be easier to get the ball from him.
c) Also, you can get the ball while he is trying to make a shot. Run up to
the figure and the game will take the ball if you are at arm's length.
d) Rebound a shot. After your opponent shoots it, run for the ball and try to
get it.
e) You automatically get the ball after your opponent scores a point.
f) Defending is basically trying to get the ball, you make stabs at it and
defend your hoop.
O------------------------O
| Driving down the Court |
O------------------------O
a) The easiest way to drive down the court is when the opponent is not cover-
ing a space. However, this only happens when he is on one side. The court
is so small in this game that he covers everything when he is in the
middle.
b) The best way to get him in the middle is to fake going one way and then go
another. This gets the opponent off balanced. Harder opponents won't be
fooled by this, however.
c) Another good way to get down to the basket is to lure your opponent to a
corner or side and get out of it.
d) Look for a flaw in his location.
O----------O
| Shooting |
O----------O
a) The easiest place to shoot at is when you are near the hoop. All you have
to do is tap the action button and you have a sure chance of shooting the
ball in.
b) Another good place to shoot is on either side. It's harder because you
have no backboad but your opponent isn't covering a side. Try to hold the
action button down a little before you shoot.
c) Half court shots are always fun but risky. Time it right at a certain
part of the court.
d) Lastly, I have my favorite strategy. At one half into my court, I throw
the ball as hard as I can by holding down the action button for a couple
of seconds. If you are at the right spot the ball will bounce and go into
the hoop!
O------------O
| Rebounding |
O------------O
a) Whether your rebounding your own shot or an opponents, rebounding is key
to victory.
b) Rebounding the opponents shot is simple because you should be in between
the opponent and the basket when the opponent makes his shot. So, all you
basically have to do is run over and get the ball.
c) Rebounding your own shot is a little tougher. I like to deploy the stra-
tegy of "Run as fast as you can to the hoop right when you throw the
ball." This doesn't work all the time, however. Instead, try to get close
and corner the opponent when he rebounds the ball.
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VI. Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: Where can I buy this game?
A: Again as in my other guides, this game is extremely rare and you will only
find it at your local garage sale or ebay.com.
Q: Is there any special tips you can give me?
A: Not really, just read the basics and strategy section and you should be
well on your way.
Q: Can you get three pointers in this game?
A: No, just two point per any basket.
Q: Can you do special things in this game such as between the leg dribbling
and doing lay-ups?
A: Nope, just shoot and go around your adversary.
Q: How do I score a point in this game?
A: When you have the basketball and are respectively close to the net press
the fire button and it should go in.
Q: Are there any rules in this game?
A: Yes, read the overview section of the guide.
Q: I keep losing at this game, any thoughts?
A: Read the basics and strategy section throughourly. After this, you
shouldn't get your ass whipped at this game.
Q: This game flickers when I play it, how can I make this not happen?
A: You have the old 2 K version. This version is defective to some.
Q: Will this game make me play better basketball in real life?
A: No, but it will help you understand the rules and hand-eye coordination,
if you want to count that.
Q: Where can I get the ROM for this game?
A: On the internet somewhere, but it is illegal if you do not have a real
copy of the game.
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VII. Credits
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+ CJayC for creating GameFAQs.com.
+ Brian for referring me to a good ROM site.
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VIII. Legal Disclaimer
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This document is Copyright © 2003 Andrew "TestaALT" Testa. All Rights
Reserved. This document may not be reproduced or retransmitted in any form
and under any circumstances without the complete consent of the author. It
may not be sold, altered, or published in any way without the advanced
permission of the author. All sources, which have contributed to this
document, are cited and/or credited in some form. The only sites I allow this
document to be viewed at are:
GameFAQs <
http://www.gamefaqs.com>
IGN <
http://www.ign.com>
If you see this document at any other sources email me telling so as I do
not allow this document to be published at any other sources. Please do not
ask me if you want this document on your website, as the answer will most
likely be no. These terms have become binding once the recipient (or reader)
opened this document. Violation of these terms are strictly prohibited and
will result in a lawsuit. Please do not take these terms as threats and/or
not read them as they are all very much true. I can sue you for an act of
plagiarism and will not hesitate to do so. Thank you for reading this legal
disclaimer and have a nice day! =)
"Don't Steal, just ask!" - Breath of Fire III
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IX. Contact Information
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This section will tell you how to contact the author regarding work that he
has done. Questions you have can be sent to
[email protected]. I have only
two rules when it comes to sending me an email. They our: The question should
not be answered in this document and put the game name in the subject line.
If you do not follow these rules your email will be ignored. The question
might be added in the next update as I see fit. I will try my best to respond
to your question. Additionally, you can _always_ contact me by AIM if you have
any questions. My screen name is TestaALT and I am online a lot with it. Thank
you for reading this information.
Did you like this guide? Rate my guide then see some of my other work at:
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