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"The first of its kind"

Before 1983, sports games were pretty much an afterthought in the gaming world. Sure, Pong was kind of a sports game, but in terms of games representing the major sports, the pickings were pretty slim, and the games that existed had pretty spartan graphics (and no teams or players from the real sporting world). Then along came a company called Electronic Arts with the idea to create a basketball game around two of the top stars in the NBA: Julius "Dr. J" Erving and Larry Bird. We all know the rest of the story: years later EA went on to become the biggest name in the sports gaming scene, and this is undoubtedly the game that started it all.

One on One allows you to take on the computer as either Dr. J or Larry Legend (with four levels of difficulty) or play a friend head to head. The basketball is a faithful translation of the real thing, with fouls and traveling calls, free throws, a three-point line, and even a shot clock. There are a number of gameplay options--play for a certain amount of time or first to a set score, winner's or loser's outs, etc. Players have a fatigue bar that decreases when running around and replenishes when holding still; fatigued players don't move as quickly.

Now bear in mind that Commodore 64 joysticks had only one button in addition to the analog stick. Despite this, EA created a very complete and intuitive control scheme. One of the benefits of making the game a one-on-one game is that there is no need for buttons to pass the ball or switch players. That said, you can dribble, shoot, steal the ball, block shots, and even spin away from the defender to avoid the steal (or post up the defender). One of the flaws of current basketball games is that it is difficult to play man-to-man defense, but this game manages to get it right.

The graphics are simply amazing. OK, they're certainly no match for the polygon-driven players of today's sports games, but compared to One on One's peers, well... there really is no comparison. Dr. J and Bird look distinctly different with differing skin tones and hair colors, right down to numbers on their jerseys. The scoreboard is remarkably detailed, considering the limited capabilities of the C-64. In fact, on certain dunks, you can shatter the backboard, bringing down a shower of glass that a maintenance guy will come out and sweep away. Spectacular plays are revisited through automatic instant replay, a concept totally unheard of at the time among video games.

The sound effects are very few and nothing to write home out. There is no background music for the game, which aesthetically is a wise decision anyway; it captures the feel of taking on your buddy in an empty gym. The background tune for the menu and title screen is the Maple Leaf Rag, which is not exactly a song you associate with basketball. Oh well, it's one of my favorite tunes, so I'm not complaining.

I'll admit my bias toward video games you can just sit down and play a quick game of, but this is a game you can play over and over again, especially if you have friends to play with. One on One is a game that was years ahead of its time.


Reviewer's Score: 10/10 | Originally Posted: 08/05/04