Friday, May 30, 2014

NBA Jam: 2HN Basketball Buffoonery

During my UCLA days in the early to mid-1990s, the video game console wars were in full effect with Sega and Nintendo jockeying for the top spot in the marketplace, specifically the media war between the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo. At the time, people either owned one or the other and rarely owned both, as if either company loyalty was that important or consoles and games were just too expensive to invest in two separate systems. As consoles became closer to arcade quality in their presentation of graphics and sound, video game cabinet manufacturers seemed to up the ante, having already introduced laserdisc-based games like Dragon's Lair and Firefox (based on the Clint Eastwood movie) and rolling out games with superior graphics, sound, and two-player gameplay like the once-ubiquitous Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, and NBA Jam. Initially, Sega and Nintendo, though capable of (then) superlative home-based video games, struggled to convert arcade-based games like Street Fighter II and NBA Jam to their consoles... but they eventually succeeded with differing results. While Nintendo (and, to some extent, Sega) did well to port Street Fighter II to the Super Nintendo, NBA Jam was not nearly the game it was in the arcade.

For anyone who wasn't born before 1990, let me introduce you to the concept of NBA Jam: it's essentially two-on-two basketball with 1990s NBA basketball stars. Do you like the Lakers? Well, you can play with James Worthy and Vlade Divac. Do you like the Golden State Warriors and long for the days of Run-TMC (Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin)? Cool, because you could play with Hardaway and Mullin. Oh, you say that you love the Bulls? Of course, you can play with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen... or NOT! Instead, you got Pippen and Horace Grant. How about Orlando Magic? Okay, you got Shaquille O'Neal, but you only got Penny Hardaway depending on which console you played the game. Much of who appeared in NBA Jam was dependent on licensing issues and the issues individual players had with royalties and such monetary concerns.

When it came to gameplay, it didn't matter with whom one played because NBA Jam was all about two things: thunderous dunks and fiery three-pointers. The fun of this game was in its uncomplicated, yet undeniably cheesy gameplay which often went like this: with one of your players (it really didn't matter who), you dribble the ball up the floor and either pass to your other player and dunk with heart-pumping authority or you loft a three-pointer from "way downtown." The first dunk of a streak of dunks was rather perfunctory, but the more a particular player dunked, the more acrobatic and gravity-defying the animations became. Likewise, the more a player drained three-pointers, the more the ball would burst into flame and the console or arcade cabinet's speakers would declare that he was "ON FIRE!" or "En fuego!"

The graphics of NBA Jam in the arcade were bright, garish, and eye-popping with each player looking like bobbleheads that are handed out at baseball stadiums as promotional items. Besides that, the uniforms of the players were shadowy reflections of the real-life uniforms, though the home floor of each team was emblazoned with that team's logos and colors to remind us that this WAS the NBA. What was even more indelible in my memory, however, was the sounds of the game: the crowd cheering, the realistic screech of sneakers on hardwood, and the play-by-play announcers' exclamatory remarks all created a hyper-realistic feel that went beyond anything one would watch during an NBA game on television.

In the 1990s, NBA Jam was ever-present in arcades on UCLA's campus and in local arcades and amusement centers I used to visit. I may have played the arcade version of the game once or twice on a lark, but I don't remember doing so. Yet, I'll always recall the NBA Jam announcer blurting, "Rony Seikaly... for three... He's on fire!" even though Rony Seikaly was not known for his three-point shooting. People used to line up their quarters to challenge the reigning player in the arcade; those battles were certainly fun to watch, at least for a few minutes. I never really developed an interest in NBA Jam, but I appreciated its presence in the arcades, at least because the game only added to the animated, noisy buffoonery that was, and still is, inherent to the video arcade lifestyle and motif.

Just last weekend, my wife and I happened upon a garage sale in one of the older homes in our area. Being a semi-avid video game cartridge collector, I reasoned (and hoped) that this older home would have a treasure trove of older games and consoles because the older homes were where peoples lived long enough to accumulate junk from the 1990s and before. Sure enough, I rummaged through a box of discarded and dusty game consoles to find a filthy Super Nintendo console and two cartridges: NBA Jam and Super Mario World 2 (about which I will write later). Both cartridges set me back a few bucks, which I handed to the homeowner with a thin veneer of calm hiding the unrepentant joy and enthusiasm that welled up from within me. Those cartridges were an uncommon find, especially now when savvy sellers are well-aware of the value of retro game cartridges on eBay. I gleefully took both cartridges home, gingerly yet aggressively cleaned the copper pins with Windex and Q-Tips, and washed the outsides of both cartridges with some Greased Lightning and a microfiber cloth. Thankfully, I got both cartridges working in my trusty Retro Duo.

I discovered two things that day: one was that Super Mario World 2 was as awesome as what I had read in a couple of reviews; the other was the NBA Jam on the Super Nintendo was a poor imitation of the arcade version. I played NBA Jam on the SNES for a few minutes to "test" the game's functions and playability and, sadly, found it dull compared to EA Sports' NBA Live series of games. It was just pass-pass-dunk, pass-pass-three, pass-pass-have ball stolen-watch as the computer dunks on my flailing sprites. Oh well... At least the cartridge was cheap and buying it triggered enough of those nostalgic feelings about the arcades of my youth to offset how mediocre NBA  Jam for the SNES was, and still is.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

A Brief Defense of Vibram FiveFingers: Why I Won't Be Claiming $94

Two days ago, Runner's World reported that Vibram, the company that manufactures and sells Vibram FiveFingers footcoverings, has lost a class action lawsuit and must pay out $3.75 million to consumers who were subject to the company's claims that FiveFingers would "reduce foot injuries and strengthen foot muscles." Now, any previous buyer can receive roughly $94 in compensation. Then, just yesterday, a co-worker prompted me to claim my $94 because I am a Vibram FiveFingers wearer and it would be easy money. I staunchly refused because, despite the profanity-laden retorts of writers of questionable credentials like this one, my running life was enhanced by Vibrams to a great degree.

In defense of Vibram, to run in Vibram FiveFingers, one has to acclimate to zero-drop running and undo years of running and walking in the elevated soles and cushioning of shoes. Most people, however, put on Vibrams and started running with the same distance and intensity as they did with shoes, expecting magical results. Of course, they got injured because minimalist running is very different from shoe running: one has to develop a more mid-foot landing (with a secondary heel strike), bend his or her knees, lower his or her center of gravity, and increase cadence. If anything, you have to perfect your stride BEFORE you add mileage and pace with Vibrams.

​You know, it's funny that every year hundreds of recreational runners suffer from plantar fasciitis, Runner's Knee, Achilles tendonitis and tendinosis, shin splints, stress fractures, and worse in shoes... and very few people question the credibility of shoe companies and the shoes they design. Yet, Vibram FiveFingers are so easily linked to such maladies and thus pilloried whenever an erstwhile shoe runner launches full-bore into minimalist running without any appreciable period of adjustment​. It's a ridiculous hypocrisy that is not perpetuated by shoe companies as much as it is by people who know nothing about running without conventional shoes. In the Comments sections of the articles to which I linked, I read such enlightened comments as "EVERYONE wears shoes" or "I never see elite runners wearing minimalist shoes." My advice to such people is to put an earnest effort into transforming their strides to a more minimalist approach and then running judiciously with Vibrams or any other zero-drop minimalist footwear. They would find that they feel the ground more and that their calves and quadriceps absorb the shock of impact without having to rely on the high-tech cushioning of modern running shoes.

Why can't the human body run without shoes? Why must we rely on elevated soles and contoured orthotics to run as fast as we can? Is humanity so flawed that we require such inventions to do what our bodies are optimally formed to do? By the way, if you really believe that people are not born to run, I'd recommend Born to Run because McDougall lays out compelling arguments for human beings as born to be endurance runners... well before modern shoes were concocted. (For a recent article about McDougall's nicely-balanced opinions on running, read this article.)

In summation, I won't be claiming my $94 because I wear Vibram FiveFingers proudly and happily. Sometimes, I run with shoes, mostly to give my feet and legs a break because minimalist running requires my very best form and physical condition. With shoes, people can run with stride deficiencies and gross heel-striking because the shoes compensate for those things. If anything, running shoes make running more accessible for the recreational runner who really has no desire to tinker with their strides. However, Vibrams require your constant attention; Vibrams require acclimation, adjustment, tinkering, and readjustment to work. If you put the work into running with Vibrams, you find that your leg and foot muscles do the work that your shoes do. In this way, I believe that Vibrams have the capacity to assist you in seeking a better stride and foot landing which would, in turn, "reduce foot injuries and strengthen foot muscles." Sadly, Vibram was a bit bold and foolish to make such a claim, especially considering that most consumers are looking for a quick fix and not for footwear that demands a transformation of one's running style.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Agricola Six-Player Variant: The Genius of Three Contributors

Unlike many of the entries I've written for this blog, this post does not relate to first-hand nostalgia (1HN) or anything from my past. Instead, I am writing about Agricola, the superlative game created by Uwe Rosenborg. It burst on the Euro boardgame scene in 2007 and has garnered numerous awards, namely the 2008 Complex Game Spiel des Jahres, which is the German Game of the Year award -- the Academy Award of board games. It's a game that involves placing workers on action spaces to plow fields, build fences and pastures, grow crops, raise livestock, expand a family, and improve the farm to score points. All the while, players have to worry about feeding their families during each harvest, which is nerve-wracking, and developing their farms in a diverse and balanced fashion, since diversity is emphasized as people who score in the most categories often do well. I'm not doing justice to Agricola, but there are numerous reviews out there that strive to explain this game. Of course, if you are too busy to read those reviews, I can sum up Agricola with one sentence: it's a wonderful mental exercise that causes headaches and is certainly worth your and your family's time.

That said, in this post, I am consolidating the contributions of three different Board Game Geek members who have produced resources that make it possible to play Agricola as a six-player game. Out of the box, Agricola allows one to five players to play, which is really cool because you can play solo if you have no one around or you can play with four other family members or friends in a game that truly absorbs over two hours of play time. However, thanks to the genius of Agricola fans, you can play with a sixth player. To do so, here are the steps I took to play six-player Agricola:

1) Go to the Lookout Games website and order items

Lookout Games is the German manufacturer of Agricola and the brainchild of Uwe Rosenborg and others. At that site, you can order most of their products with English text or language-independent products, such as game pieces. When you go to the website, navigate to the Shop webpage and click Agricola to narrow the results to display Agricola items only. Surprisingly, it was at this website that I ordered the following items at the best prices I could find online:
  • One set of Resource pieces
  • One set of Grain and Vegetable pieces (if available)
  • An extra player board
  • Pieces for a sixth player
Including shipping, all of these items (at the Euro exchange rate at which I bought these items) cost me about $27 (US). As of May 2, 2014, all but the Grain and Vegetable pieces are available, but you can find these pieces under another category on the website if you search for them. I highly recommend you buy extra resource, grain, and vegetable pieces because six players will gobble up the pieces that come with the game rather quickly.

By the way, the Lookout Games website is in German, but German is translated into English easily by most browsers.

2) Register for membership at Boardgamegeek.com

To download the items that I mention in the following steps, please register for a free membership to Board Game Geek. Once you have your membership, not only can you download anything at any available file size, but you can also comment on people's reviews and even write board game reviews of your own.

3) Print out stickers for multiplier pieces and paste them to your default discs

A Board Game Geek member named ScottE created stickers that act as multipliers. For example, instead of having three wood tokens to signify three wood, you could take one 3x wood piece. What I did was after I received my extra pieces from Lookout Games, I printed out this user's multipier stickers, cut them out, pasted together two of the discs that represent wood in the Agricola box, and then pasted the cut sticker to the top of the stacked disc. Now, I have a 3x wood multipler token that saves the nicely-card wood pieces for those who have smaller amounts of wood.

To make the stickers fit on top of the default wood discs, I printed both pages of ScottE's PDF onto one 8.5 x 11 in. piece of paper. As it turned out, each sticker was sized perfectly to fit on the default discs out of the Agricola box. Moreover, when I played six-player Agricola, I found that having these  multiplier tokens were extremely useful and helped my friends and I not run out of any resource pieces during gameplay.

4) Download the Six-Player Variant board

A Board Game Geek member named patox created a six-player variant board that looks very much like the boards that come with Agricola. If you are a member of Board Game Geek, you can download the largest version of the six-player board file. I downloaded it and played a six-player game recently with it. Though I am relatively inexperienced with the game, I was more than impressed with how the board addressed player needs without making the game easier. My only observation is that there are only two Build Fences action available to six players: one is on the main actions board, and the other one is part of the Renovate action that comes out during the last round of the game. The six-player board does not provide another action space for building fences, so gameplay can be very challenging for those who want to use farmyard spaces at the end of the game and not get penalized for unused spaces (which is a -1 point penalty for each unused farmyard space).

In any case, this board is absolutely awesome, but keep in mind that you'll have to print out the board on 8.5 x 14 in. paper and then paste it on large, thick cardstock.

5) Download the Major Improvement card image

A third Board Game Geek member named Tinkerer created images to lay over three Minor Improvement cards that are used as Major Improvements on the Six-Player Variant board. Understandably, the three Minor Improvement cards (Simple Fireplace, Cooking Hearth, and Wood-Fired Oven) do not have the burgundy border that denotes Major Improvements. However, if you print out the image to which I linked and size the image to a height of 3.63 inches, you can then cut out each card and slide them as overlays over the Minor Improvement cards in card sleeves. You now have three new Major Improvement cards that work with the Six-Player Variant board and look pretty close to how these cards would look if Lookout Games had manufactured them.

6) Get five friends together to play.

As it turned out, not only did I get six co-worker friends to play, but I had to teach all of them how to play the game! Also, since I was the seventh person, I decided to sit out the game and help my friends learn Agricola... with the Six-Player Variant board. After three lunch breaks of play, each of my friends walked away from the game stating that they liked the game and felt that, for a fan-created board, the Six-Player Variant board was well-crafted and effective. As for me, I was very pleased that, with some well-placed orders, some Internet hunting, and some cutting and pasting, I could make Agricola playable for six players and not have the game feel ruined.

To Lookout Games, patox, ScottE, and Tinkerer, thank you for making six-player Agricola a reality. Also, to those of you who have yet to play Agricola, just know that if you're ever interested in learning the game, there are fine fan-made resources out there that can enhance your gaming experience without depriving you of too much money.