Arch Rivals is a basketball game released by Midway in 1989, originally for arcades. Billed by Midway as "A Basket Brawl", the game features two-on-two full court basketball games in which players are encouraged to punch opposing players and steal the ball from them.
Arch Rivals allows players to select from a variety of fictional teams (although arcade operators can change the team names to reflect real ones) and players. One playable character, "Tyrone" was also featured in the animated Power Team segments of the television series Video Power. Home versions of the game were released for the NES, the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive as well as the Game Gear. Emulated versions of the game were included in the compilations Midway Arcade Treasures 2, Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition, and Midway Arcade Origins.
The game has been considered a forerunner to Midway's popular arcade basketball game, NBA Jam.
Ports
Each of the four home ports of the game do not have the same graphics as the arcade, due to being released on 8 and 16-bit systems. The graphics are notably lesser in quality. The NES version of the game contains a glitch where a 3 point dunk can be achieved. The Sega Genesis version received poorer reception due to a glitch where almost 95% of shots taken from anywhere on the court would result in a basket.
It was also included on Midway Arcade Treasures 2 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube, Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition for Windows, and Midway Arcade Origins for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Artwork
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Genesis box, rear.
