Saturday, November 29, 2008

Michael Jordan: Chaos In The Windy City

Michael Jordan: Chaos In The Windy City is clearly the most awesome videogame since Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. It was released in 1994 by Electronic Arts for the Super Nintendo. They should make its release date a national holiday. An Australian national holiday. Really, it's something that people of all nations can really get behind.

You get to play as basketballer Michael Jordan, and do a whole bunch of things that Michael Jordan is famous for doing, such as:
* collecting keys
* defeating enemies
* exploring ancient Egypt

You'll also be put in command of Jordan's legendary powers of sorcery. By properly deploying the dark arts you'll be able to summon balls of elemental fire or ice with which to decimate your foes - who are none other than Jordan's arch-nemesis: robots.

It's hard to say what the best thing about this game is. A definite contender is dodging random bolts of lightning - just like Michael Jordan. And not just lightning - you get to dodge all the things that Michael Jordan is always dodging, including lasers, missiles, and a sand golem. I give them bonus points for remembering the sand golem.

Another highlight is meticulously searching each level for secret doors - just like Michael Jordan. I wasn't sure they'd work Jordan's penchant for hidden corridors in, but they managed it. That's pretty impressive. It just wouldn't be a game about Michael Jordan if you weren't uncovering obscured passageways and suchlike.

This is really the way licensed gaming should be done. Michael Jordan: Chaos In The Windy City captures everything that is memorable about Michael Jordan and distills it down into a single work of art. It mixes a contemporary plotline ripped straight from the pages of 1994's headlines with deep and thought-provoking social commentary, and ultimately it's a product that Michael Jordan and Electronic Arts can still be proud of today, some 14 years later.

3 comments:

Nick Novitski said...

No mention of CitWC would be complete without also pointing readers to Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden.

Greg Tannahill said...

I don't think playing that game would be more entertaining than reading its plot synopsis. But thanks for the link.

S2 said...

This game gave me a panic attack (1 of 2 in my life) that was induced both by frustration over the ridiculous game and I'm pretty sure the music is tuned to a special frequency that makes you queasy and upset.