Seeing Harvey head towards the NES display, the two exchanged a glance and decided to check out the other company's product.
Only after arriving at the GAMENOVA section did they suddenly realize that the crowd here was no smaller than the one they'd just left.
Even at this hour, every demo station was occupied, with surprised reactions occasionally rising from the crowd gathered around them. Quite a few people were even shouting advice from the sidelines.
"Pass it! Jordan's guarding too tightly! This isn't going to work!"
"No, he's got to gamble! If Kareem can get inside the three-point line, his energy's full, so he can use the Skyhook!"
Amid the noisy chorus of armchair coaches arguing back and forth, the television continuously played slightly muffled commentary. This was followed by the squeak of sneakers on the court and the sound of the basketball slamming through the hoop.
The sound effects were every bit as good as those in One on One they had just played, if anything, they had even more personality.
"Kareem? Their game licensed basketball stars too?"
"I heard Jordan's name as well, so it has to."
The two quickly squeezed into the crowd to get a better look. On the small sofa in the center sat two teenage boys, each gripping a controller while focusing intently on the screen.
The moment James and Miles saw what was displayed there, their minds went completely blank. It was a close-up animation of a player performing a slam dunk.
"Yes! Go Bulls!"
It was obvious that the basket had just decided the outcome of the game.
"Garbage time now."
"Ah, what a shame. If he'd passed the ball just then, he would've had a chance."
"Still worth it. Hardly anyone managed to trigger that close-up animation today. That was absolutely sick!"
"Whose turn is it? Is it finally my turn to play?"
Just from the game's menu screen alone, Miles could already tell that One on One seemed to have lost. Unlike the bland black text on a white background used for One on One's menu, every menu option in Double Dribble felt like part of the game itself.
Each menu option had its own basketball hoop.
Whenever the player changed an option, the basketball player standing in the lower-right corner would toss a ball, accurately sinking it into the hoop corresponding to the selected option before the selection actually changed.
It felt just like taking free throws, it was ridiculously fun. But what excited the two of them the most was the presence of a Team option.
In One on One, while players could choose characters, the choices were limited to Bird and Johnson.
In Double Dribble, however, there wasn't any character selection at all.
Instead, players selected entire teams.
"New York... Chicago... Los Angeles... Boston..."
As the player cycled through the menu, James and Miles gradually learned which teams were available. There were currently four teams to choose from.
Although the game used only city names, two longtime basketball fans like them could instantly recognize which real NBA teams they represented.
Once the basketball dropped perfectly into the hoop labeled END, the game finally began. But the very first thing they saw left them completely dumbfounded.
There were ten players, five lined up on each side of the court.
Two players stood at center court, waiting for the opening tip.
Although the player models weren't as detailed as those in One on One, every essential detail was there, nothing was missing and more importantly, everything was far smoother.
As a crisp whistle sounded, followed by referee voice lines that neither of them could even imagine how the game had managed to include, all ten players sprang into action.
In an instant, the entire court came alive.
James watched with his own eyes as the Boston team won possession, dribbled through multiple New York defenders with a series of smooth crossovers, and then a ball handler passed the ball to another teammate who had already gotten himself into a perfect position.
Everything happened so fast that James hadn't even figured out what had happened before the play was already over. It genuinely felt like watching an NBA game played at an incredibly fast pace.
A single moment of distraction was enough for the situation on the court to change completely.
With so many players moving at once, each with different animations and positioning, simply keeping his eyes on the rapidly moving basketball already demanded a tremendous amount of concentration.
Unfortunately, whether because of a mistake by the Boston player or because New York had baited him into it, the player about to receive the pass suddenly shoved the New York defender in front of him to the ground.
"Foul!"
The referee's voice rang out clearly once again. The game immediately stopped, and all the players quickly moved into their assigned positions. One of New York's players stepped behind the free-throw line, ready to shoot.
"It even has pushing fouls and free throws??"
James and Miles looked at each other, feeling as though everything they knew had just been turned upside down.
Wasn't One on One supposed to be the masterpiece created by EA, the greatest sports game company in the world? Even if a competitor's game was different, it couldn't possibly be different to this extent.
No, calling it a competitor wasn't even accurate anymore, as these games weren't even in the same league.
A complete five-on-five gameplay system was on display, with ten players moving smoothly across the screen at high speed and even the basketball's flight path looking beautifully natural.
Combined with the game's isometric 2.5D perspective, the entire presentation had an incredible sense of depth. If not for the limited pixel count and somewhat simple color palette, it honestly felt no less exciting than watching a real basketball game.
Thinking back to the seemingly intense one on one battles they'd just played in One on One, now that they looked back on it, everything about it seemed unpleasant.
There was nothing inherently wrong with making a one on one basketball game, but the fewer players there were, the more the gameplay should emphasize speed and fluidity, because only then could the excitement of basketball truly shine.
Yet in One on One, whether it was Bird or Johnson, every jump and every shot felt painfully slow, with some moments where they'd stay suspended in midair for several whole seconds before finally landing.
Before seeing Double Dribble, that hadn't seemed like much of an issue, but now... those sluggish jumps looked like an old man in the twilight of his life.
My grandma could jump better than that!
And they still had the nerve to put Bird's name on it? Didn't they realize how bad it looked?
The fact that they'd been so engrossed in such a slow-paced, make-believe basketball game just moments ago suddenly felt downright humiliating.
Just then, after their brief setback, the Boston team quickly regained their rhythm, and following a series of dribbles, the ball handler reached the perfect shooting position.
Bang!
The screen played the same close-up animation James and Miles had seen when they first arrived, only this time, it was a completely different move.
"A reverse dunk!"
Standing amid the cheering crowd, James and Miles listened to the exhilarating music blasting from the speakers.
"Hey... James, did you bring any money?"
"Fuck! Hurry and stop Harvey before he buys the NES!"
"Right! Right! Damn, thank god we came over to take a look."
After witnessing Double Dribble, only one word remained in their minds.
Buy!
SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!
Who the hell said EA was unbeatable?
This wasn't just a victory, it was a complete generational wipeout.