Great Basketball (グレートバスケットボール), known simply as Great Basket in Brazil, is a sports game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Master System. It was released internationally as part of the Great series of sports games.
The game is a basketball game that can be played by one or two players. It features eight teams, representing different countries. Teams consist of five players. Games are divided into two halves, each three minutes long, with a halftime show in between. If the game is tied, a 90-second overtime period is played (and additional overtime periods are played until a team wins). In the one-player game, the player chooses a team and plays a tournament against a series of opponents (which are chosen by the player before each game). The player wins the gold medal by winning seven games in a row or loses the tournament by losing two games. In two-player games, each player chooses a different team and plays a single match against each other.
The game has multiple fouls: charging (one player runs into another), pushing (a player pushes or bumps the player with the ball), and traveling (a player jumps and lands while retaining possession of the ball). The other team gains possession of the ball when a foul is committed. The ball can also bounce out of bounds if a pass is not completed, which likewise awards possession of the ball to the other team.
Jump Ball
At the beginning of each half, the referee tosses the ball into the air in the middle of the court, and a player from each team jumps with to take the ball, then tips the ball to a teammate with .
Defense
When the opposing team has possession of the ball, the team member that is closest to the ball (who is marked by a white arrow) can be moved in any direction using the D-Pad. The other team members follow automatically. The player can jump with to try to block a shot by the opponent. A player attempts to steal the ball if near the player with the ball, though running into the other player may result in a charging or pushing foul. Team members automatically intercept passes if they are positioned in between them. Players can also try to regain possession of the ball by catching rebounds.
Offense
When the player's team has possession of the ball, the team member with the ball can be moved in any direction using the D-Pad. The team member dribbles automatically, and the other team members follow automatically. The player can jump with or pass with . During a jump, pressing again shoots the ball and pressing passes to a teammate. Failing to do either before landing results in a traveling foul. When passing, the ball is passed to the closest teammate that the player was last facing (who is marked by a white arrow). The pass can be intercepted by a member of the opposing team.
When the opposing team scores or commits a foul, the other team gets possession of the ball. A team member standing on the sidelines throws the ball to the teammate marked with a white arrow with . The arrow cycles through the members of the team. When there is no arrow above a team member, throwing the ball throws it downcourt.
Free Throw
If a player fouls the other team while they are shooting or commits a foul after already committing seven fouls in a half, the other team is given two free throws. The number of fouls (up to seven) is shown as crosses on top of the team name in the status area on the top of the screen.
During a free throw, an arrow moves left and right over the backboard, which determines the direction of the shot. A white meter fills and empties, which controls the touch of the shot. The player can shoot by pressing , with the shot most likely to go in when the arrow is over the basket and the touch gauge is in the marked green area. If the player makes the first shot, the player gets a second free throw; otherwise, the ball can be rebounded by either player and the game continues.
Winning Shot
After winning a game, the winning team lines up around the three-point line, and each team member attempts a shot. The player earns one "vitality point" for every shot made and one vitality point for every point led over the opponent (that is, the winner's score minus the loser's score). These points can be spent to enhance the team's skills in four categories (Speed, Jump, Shoot, and Pass).
Teams
Team selection
Great Basketball features eight national teams, which have different strengths. After selecting a team, the game plays an excerpt of the country's national anthem.